If someone tells you you are afraid of retirement, you may be concerned that they are worried about money or murder. But often fear is deepening.
It is not the golden years that they are afraid. It is the crisis of identity that they will stand without their job title.
Welcome to the hidden aspect of pension anxiety.
Because let’s face it, sometimes it’s not the job we miss, but the person we did.
And understanding this is an important part of the personal brand design, which coincides with our true identity, not only with our work titles.
Let’s dive.
1) You can’t imagine your contribution without job title
Have you ever tried to introduce yourself without indicating your profession?
It’s harder than sounds, isn’t it?
This is because our work often becomes part of our identity. This is the first thing we share about us, and it shapes how others see us.
But that’s not something that doesn’t delete your achievements or experience.
It just means you’re moving on a new head.
If the idea of introducing your job title makes you uncomfortable, it can be a sign that is not really afraid of retirement. You are afraid of who you are without your work.
It’s a delicate but significant shift to understand what you feel.
And by realizing that, this is the first step to develop a more valid personal brand, which exceeds your professional role.
You are more than your job name. And retirement can be just the perfect time to regain who you are really out of your job.
2) The mind of an empty schedule terrorizes you
I remember when I was retiring. I had this repeated dream where every day was empty sheets, no more free time stretched before me.
Sounds like a dream, isn’t it?
But in that dream I felt lost. I missed the structure that gave my work to the predictability of my 9 to 5 routine.
That’s when I realized. I was afraid that I was afraid. It was the emptiness that didn’t know who I am without my work to set me.
If you’re like me, and the mind of the non-built day fills you with fear may retire to you.
It can be a sign that you are uncertain about who you will be without your work of everyday life.
And that’s good. It’s part of the journey to detect your authentic identity outside your career.
3) Your retirement plan is focused on finance rather than experiences
When we talk about pension planning, the first one is often in mind, they are finance.
We are thinking about pensions, savings, investment, all important aspects, no doubt.
But ever have you ever stopped thinking about what you really do when you retire?
The study of the Institute of Economic Affairs found out that the pension increases the likelihood of 40% of clinical depression.
Its significant cause is the lack of social involvement and a goal that often provides work.
If your retirement plan is exclusively financial and doesn’t take into account how you will spend your time or what experiences you want to have, it can be a sign that you are not afraid of.
Retirement is not only about having enough money to improve it and work a meaningful life.
4) You are burdened as retirement approaches
You find you working for longer hours because retirement is close. Ignoring the signs of burning and push yourself to the boundary.
This may be more than just the desire to complete a strong.
It can be a subconscious way to avoid a stinky question. “Who am I without my work?”
Science is often a mechanism to avoid our fears and insecurities.
And if you work more than ever retirement approaches, it can be a sign that they don’t really be afraid of pension, but about losing your job identity.
It is necessary to approach this implementation with kindness and understanding of you. This is a substantial transition, and it is good to feel uncertainly sometimes.
The main thing is to accept these emotions and work to hug the new phase of your life with open hands.
5) You go to work related achievements
I admit that there is some satisfaction with the acquisitions of my work with my work.
The projects I have finished I have earned the ads that reached each of these events for a long time.
But since retiring approached, I noticed that I was more connected to these achievements than before.
I realized that I use them as a security network, a way to keep my job identity.
If you find you doing the same, it can retire that you are worried about.
It could be a fear to lose status and recognition that comes with your job.
Your value is not related to your work. Your achievements are part of your journey but they don’t define you.
As pension approaches, it is a good time to think about who you are outside your work and look forward to new experience and achievements.
6) Do you avoid talking about retirement
Naturally, they want to talk about interesting upcoming events. Vacation, family gatherings, career promotions. We are looking forward to these conversations.
But what about retirement? Do you do discussions about life after work?
Surprisingly, avoiding these discussions can be a sign that you are not afraid of retirement, but a change of identity that comes with it.
This avoidance can be derived from the uncertainty of who you will stop working on work-related conversations.
It’s good to feel emotions and even feel uncomfortable sometimes.
But the opening of your concerns can often be the first step to overcome them. After all, the pension is not the end. It’s a new beginning.
7) You are worried about losing your professional network
Jobs often provide more than income source.
They are territories where we build relationships, share ideas and deal with a community who understands our professional world.
As a pension near the pension, the mindset of losing this network can be afraid.
Permanent cooperation related to partners, brain storms, office-teasing-these experiences. These experiences form a significant portion of our job identity.
If you are worried about losing that connection, it can be a sign that is not really afraid of retirement. You are afraid of who you will be without your work community.
But remember, the retirement does not mean to cut off people.
This is an opportunity to create new networks and promote relationships outside the professional field.
You are more than your work, and your relationship must also reflect it.
8) You feel unprepared despite having a pension plan
You have made planning, set aside the financial resources and organize your post-election retirement life.
However, you still can’t shake the sense of unpreparedness.
Here’s the thing. This anxiety can not leave about retirement logistics at all. Instead, it could be in front of the future where your work does not define you.
Feeling prepared exceeds a solid retirement plan. It’s about to know that you are more than your job title, and that your value is not related to your professional role.
Retirement is a way of life, not a loss of identity. And being really prepared means that we will be ready to hug who you are without your work.
Walking toward unknown
When we sail life, it is important to remember that our identity is not static, but it is constantly evolving. And retirement is another phase of this evolution.
Retirement is not to lose your job identity. It’s about discovering the word about who you are without it.
It is about the understanding of the unknown and understanding the opportunities that come with it.
How did the famous author say once? Lewis? “You are never old enough to set another purpose or dream of dreaming.”
If you find yourself in the resonance with these signs, think for a moment.
Understand that it does not retire, but the uncertainty of who you will be without your work.
And that’s completely natural.
Remember that this change does not reduce your value or significance. Instead, it opens a new world of self-determination and personal growth.
Here’s to hug the unknown, rediscover ourselves and retirement, which is not defined by our work, but who is really?