The Retirement Newsletter: Mental Health and Retirement
Issue Number: 10 — Can retirement be a trigger?
Welcome
Welcome to issue 10. This week, I look at mental health in retirement — a tricky subject.
Mental Health
As a Boomer, mental health didn’t figure much in my childhood. I can’t remember any discussions at school. The closest I came to discussing mental health was when family members and friends were a bit “nervous” and the occasional discussion of “nervous breakdowns”. That was it.
Even at university, there was no discussion of mental health.
My first encounter with mental health issues was during my PhD. A friend developed severe depression and was hospitalised.
Now that I look back, it is quite shocking. Mental health wasn’t discussed.
However, when I took up my first position as a lecturer — some 12 years after being an undergraduate — the number of students with mental health issues shocked me. And in the 25 years I worked as a lecturer, the number of students with mental health issues has increased every year.
I am unsure if the incidence of mental health is increasing or if people are now more willing to report mental health issues. I suspect there is more willingness to report.
Mental Health and Retirement
I am not a mental health professional, and I am basing the following on my observations and reading about the subject of mental health in retirement — this is not mental health advice
Mental health issues in retirement appear, from what I have read, to be on the increase — particularly anxiety and depression. Retirement can impact a person’s mental health; issues that a person has been suppressing for years as they have been busy with their careers can suddenly bubble to the surface.
The transition from working to retired is significant. While the stresses and strains of working life are released, retirement brings its challenges which can trigger mental health issues. These challenges include a change in personal identity, the loss of social connections, changes in health, and changes in financial stability.
1. Loss of Identity and Purpose
For many people, work is a source of identity (I am a doctor, a nurse, a businessman, etc.) and self-worth. This loss can affect self-esteem and purpose. When we retire, we lose the structure and recognition that a career provides. Hence, retirees can struggle to find new ways to define themselves.
To combat this problem, plan and consider how to re-identify yourself in retirement and find a new purpose.
My approach to this problem is to follow my passions and interests in science, teaching, and travel. I am using these interests to redefine my identity and purpose, and it seems to be working so far.
2. Social Isolation
A major issue when we grow old is the loss of social connections.
At work, we have colleagues, and we make connections. We talk and gossip, and we see each other around the building. But in retirement, that all goes.
In retirement, maintaining social connections becomes crucial for mental and physical health.
Social isolation is not a concern for me. I have a good network of friends from outside of work, and while very few of them live locally, we all stay in touch online and meet when we can. These days, with social media and online tools, it has never been easier to keep in touch.
3. Health Concerns
Retirement often coincides with age-related health issues
Physical health problems can cause mental health issues, and mental health issues can cause physical health issues. From what I have read, there seems to be circularity to the issue. Declining physical health leads to mental health difficulties, which can feedback and cause more physical health issues. And overall, this creates a cycle of declining well-being. Hence, staying physically active and managing physical and mental health conditions is key.
Social isolation can also contribute to this issue because with social isolation comes the issue of ‘letting yourself go’ — not looking after yourself.
This is why engaging in new hobbies and learning opportunities, i.e. side hustles, can help maintain physical and mental health.
Plus, recognising that we will experience illness in our retirements is part of the process. We need to accept that we may need to look after ourselves a bit more as we age. The secret here is to be proactive and deal with health issues when they are small. For example, I know that I am overweight and that being overweight can lead to a range of health issues. Hence, I am now trying to drop my weight.
4. Financial Stress
Money worries can be significant in retirement and can impact our mental health. That is, you worry about living on your pension and savings, and you worry about unexpected expenses. This can all lead to anxiety and depression.
Seek Professional Help
If you find yourself struggling with your mental health during the transition from employed to retired or later in your retirement, seek help. Don’t suffer in silence. Speak to a healthcare professional. There is help out there if you need it, but you need to look for it.
I am not a mental health professional, and the above is based on my observations and reading about the subject of mental health in retirement — the above is not mental health advice
This week in the Retirement Hustle
This week, in The Retirement Side Hustle, I examined The Journey of My Side Hustles: From Websites to Newsletters.
Winston Churchill said, “_The longer you can look back, the farther you can look forward._” — in other words, learn from the past to see the way forward (well, that is how I interpret it). And that is what I have done in The Journey of My Side Hustles: From Websites to Newsletters; I looked at where I started (and where it all began may surprise you) to get to where I am now with my side hustles. I aim to learn from my past and allow it to make a success of my side hustles in retirement.
Why not join me at The Retirement Side Hustle if you are interested?
Next week, I will reveal in The Retirement Side Hustle how much money I have made from my side hustles in the first two months of retirement.
Travel — Nostalgia Corner
The “Travel — Nostalgia Corner” posts are now back at nickswanderings.com and are no longer just on Medium; hence, they are easier to access without a ‘read limit’ or paywall getting in the way.
This week, here are some more stories from my time in Hanoi, Vietnam:
Vietnam — Golden Palace Hotel, 46 P. Bát Sứ, Hàng Bồ, Hoàn Kiếm, HNội, Vietnam, Hanoi, Vietnam — My base in Hanoi. It was a nice little hotel in the old French Quarter of Hanoi.
Vietnam — Nhà Thờ Lớn (St. Joseph’s Cathedral), 40 Nha Chung (Nhà Thờ), Hoàn Kiếm, Thành Phố Hà Nội, Hanoi, Vietnam — Has it been abandoned?
Vietnam — Highlands Coffee, Hanoi, Vietnam — Time for a coffee
Vietnam — Nhà Hát Lớn Hà Nội (Hanoi Opera House), 1 Tràng Tiền, Hoàn Kiếm, Thành Phố Hà Nội, Hanoi, Vietnam — A stunning French-Colonial building
Vietnam — Ga Hà Nội (Hanoi Station), 120 Lê Duẩn, Hoàn Kiếm, Thành Phố Hà Nội, Hanoi, Vietnam — the Reunification Express — Getting my train tickets at tourist information.
I will explain more about the move in a late The Retirement Side Hustle issue.
Next week, more on my stay in Hanoi.
Useful links
Some useful UK mental health links:
Samaritans phone 116 123 — https://www.samaritans.org
No Panic (anxiety) 0844 967 4848 — http://www.nopanic.org.uk/
Non-Emergency NHS Helpline: 111 — https://www.nhs.uk
Mind — Side by Side — https://sidebyside.mind.org.uk
Symptoms of dementia —https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/dementia/symptoms/
Some Apps you might like to try:
SAM App — Anxiety Management — https://mindgarden-tech.co.uk/
Smiling Mind — Mindfulness App — https://www.smilingmind.com.au/smiling-mind-app
Next week
Next week, in issue 11, I think about my old job — am I missing it? Can you guess the answer? Please let me know below.
Thanks
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Until next time,
Nick
PS: If you want to contribute something to the newsletter—a story, advice, or anything else — please get in touch.