Topmost Taboo in Retirement

Retirement is a kind of stage transformation that comes with lots of change and the major sources of stress. There is a piece of statistical evidence (2016), that 1.8 million Canadian over 60 years of age were living with a mental health problem or related illness. Compared to other countries, Canada has reported old age with mental health problems, most of the time it’s left unaddressed and has left a significant impact on their families too. As people live longer, their emotional needs change, so do their chances of living with mental health problems and illnesses. In this or that way the retirement can shake a person in countless ways and poses a challenge to the fiscal and macroeconomic stability and the mental health and emotional crisis. It’s not the same for all but growing older is an age that more prone to mental health issues ^__ discouraging thoughts of being lonely, people we love die, engaging in less social activities, children move away or busy on their own life. 

Studies even show that in the link to a supportive social network to a 60% increase in the risk of dementia and cognitive impairment. The path to retirement may be more complicated than we ever thought, understand the demand of the time, and plan it accordingly to have a healthy retirement. While doing financial planning for retirement, we forget about the other important issues like the addiction, depression, and even suicide that will blow your mind at a later stage. Susceptible to mental illness means a striking imbalance in all aspects of life: social, physical, economic and mental. To tip the balance, first needs to know the challenges:  

• Living alone
• Health problems
• Social isolation
• Death of loved one
• Critical life transitions

There is no one fit solution to handle this imbalance, everyone needs to tackle this in their unique way to stay mentally healthy. Coping with all these emotional changes can lower the risk of depression and even suicide. The key secret to this to make an equal amount of investment in relationships, too, while planning retirement. Sadly, depression is the single most significant risk factor for suicide. We need to think from the different points that retirement is not all about having good finances; it has unfolded non-financial aspects too. It makes little sense to enter retirement with plenty of money but lose their sense of purpose, feels alone, less relevant, and either become depressed and alcohol to try to fly away from the negativity. The fact is, no one likes the dark side of retirement, to have the brighter side of it one needs to work gracefully pick up the right strategy to have the peaceful- and sound-minded retirement. Creating a successful transition from depression to a healthy mind, by making for a massive paradigm shift in retirement that demands more time and energy be committed to planning for the non-financial aspects. One must acknowledge the challenges they face in retirement and

Transitioning into retirement is not always easy or automatic.  Therefore, people must acknowledge the challenges they may face and seek tools, resources, and professionals to help them address aspects of their mental health. Invested in traditional retirement planning an equal amount of time should be spent on issues such as

• Indulge in activities (gardening, painting, creative writing)
• Establishing a healthy and active lifestyle
• Staying socially connected and involved
• Resolving relationship

Have you been impacted by depression, addiction, or suicide?  Please feel to connect for your experience and further assistance.