Thanks to improved medical care and increased life span, millions of baby boomers can expect 20 to 30 years of healthy life after retirement. But sometimes, that’s a lot easier said than done.
Author Ellen Freudenheim says that the key to moving easily through what she calls « The Retirement Zone » is to stay optimistic, socially engaged and physically fit.
« There are myriad ways to get older without getting old, » says Freudenheim, author of Looking Forward: An Optimist’s Guide to Retirement (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, $15.95). « Still, it’s not easy to define your life when a job is no longer front and center. »
Freudenheim conducted more than 200 interviews with retirees and experts to help write what she calls a « stealth healthy aging book. » Many baby boomers wonder about whether their nest egg will be enough to see them through their later years. But Freudenheim maintains there are other priorities that need attention.
« When work is no longer a central organizing principal in people’s lives, they can often become depressed or feel isolated, » says Freudenheim. « Everyone worries about their retirement financial portfolio. But they should also be concerned about their social portfolio and whether they have the right relationships in place for the years ahead. »
In Looking Forward, she recommends finding anchor activities to redefine yourself in this new stage of life, from volunteering, music, travel, and spiritual seeking to falling in love and, perhaps, even working again.
« Retirement can be a mental and physical health bonanza, » says Freudenheim. « A person sometimes finds in their post-career life that they discover dimensions of themselves they’d postponed in their workaday life. »
Freudenheim believes that we should all be Looking Forward to the many years most of us will spend in retirement. As she says, « With a little dreaming, a dose of courage, and some thoughtful planning, you can begin to plot a fulfilling course for your future. »
Source: Stewart, Tabori & Chang