Retirement is like any other change in your life…it’s best to think of it as a process, not a one-time event.
Like any other major change in your life, like entering your teens or starting your career, retirement brings good and bad changes.
While a lot of research has been done on how your health is affected by retirement itself, very few studies have been done on how being retired affects your health after retirement.
The stress of retiring
Life is a series of stressful events. In fact, one study has ranked retirement 10th on the list of the most stressful events in life.
According to the Harvard Health BlogRetirement is, for some people, a chance to get away from the daily grind and relax…for others, it may be the beginning of a period of declining physical and mental abilities and increasing limitations in what they are capable of doing .
Another study in the Harvard Health Blog suggests that “going from work to non-work comes with a bunch of other changes.”
If you loved your job, retirement can bring some emptiness of purpose. If you had a stressful job, retirement brings relief.
Negative effects of retirement
A study published by the National Bureau of Economic Research in the US found that retirement can lead to up to a 16% increase in difficulties associated with mobility and daily tasks, a 5-6% increase in illness, and up to a 9% decrease in mental health .
These negative effects, however, can be reduced if you are married and have a good social life, play sports or other physical activities, or work part-time after retirement.
The negative health effects of retirement can be worse if you have been forced into retirement. According to the National Institute on Aging, health problems have a great influence on any decision to retire early and its consequences.
US data Health and Retirement Study shows that retirees are 40% more likely to have a heart attack or stroke than those who are still working. The increase in this probability was greatest during the first year after retirement, but then leveled off.
A study in England found that retirement significantly increases the risk of being diagnosed with a chronic condition. In particular, retirement increases the risk of serious cardiovascular disease and cancer.
Positive effects of retirement
But there are other studies that link retirement to improvements in health, or show that it has a neutral effect on physical well-being.
One study found that retirement does not change the risk of major chronic diseases.
This study also found that retirement can result in a substantial reduction in mental and physical fatigue and symptoms of depression among people with chronic illnesses.
So the impact of retirement on health may depend on the individual.
In other words, if you loved your job, retirement can bring some emptiness of purpose. On the other hand, if you had a stressful job, retirement can bring relief.
People who retire due to health problems may not enjoy retirement as much as someone who retires feeling healthy.
Tips for a healthy retirement
Here are the four things you must do to experience a fruitful and enjoyable retirement:
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Maintain your daily contact with friends and colleagues when possible
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Make sure your life continues to have purpose by continuing to participate in activities like sports or travel.
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Keep your brain healthy by being creative… study an absorbing subject, paint, play music, write, garden, or help others
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Continue learning by exploring topics that have always interested you or new topics that you have recently found interesting.
Warning
Understanding what large group studies say about retirement is interesting, but everyone is different and no number of studies can predict how retirement will affect your life.
