Retirement is a time for a life review.

 Some of the challenges to identity triggered by retirement are important to how we adjust to retirement. As said yesterday, adjustment is not so much a regression, as it is an updating of the foundations of identity laid in prior years to help us cope in our latter years.

Retirement is a time for a life review. Some of the issues we may look at, include questions about which roles and identities we present to others are appropriate when we retire and try to re-invent ourselves. We may have to face the fact that we did or did not reach the goals we set for ourselves related to our careers, family lives, and social relationships.

When we acknowledge that we are closer to the end of life we may face questions about the very meaning of human existence. Death becomes more difficult to ignore as the inevitable end of existence as those around us die.

This is especially true for those of us who outlive our contemporaries. Death anxiety is also accompanied by the anxiety of fate, not knowing when or how one will die. There is also the possibility that guilt, for those of us who believe that we lived a less than satisfactory life and this can lead to self-condemnation and depression, in some.

Although individual identity issues vary, one theme seems to be common. The questions raised are:

·        Who am I, apart from the roles I have been playing?

What, in short, is the second half of life if it is not to repeat the script and expectations of the first half of life?

It is ironic that many look forward to being free of their jobs, but once retired, they begin to appreciate how much of their identity, especially for males was intertwined with their work. The loss of relationships, challenges, and activities associated with their work can be painful losses that many people overlook as they contemplate retirement.

The prospect of relief from a demanding or unsatisfying job in exchange for the prospect of freedom to do other things can be irresistible but is not necessarily lasting. The choice dilemma can be a problem when it comes to the question of, What will I do with my life from now on? As new retirees look back on their lives from the immediate present, they may ponder other questions:

 ·        I have done the expected things, according to my best understanding of myself and the world, so why does my life not feel right

Some of the things I have done have been good, productive, and consistent with my inner values, and some have not.

So, if my life is not feeling right, I need to explore and refresh my understanding of self. This is a painful task and some of the questions asked, are painful questions, and all of us, eventually experience this discrepancy between what we sought, served, and accomplished, and what we feel in our private honest

The void left by the absence of not only work but also much of the peripheral social activity associated with the workplace can create doubt as to how life in retirement will turn out. It is similar to “buyer’s remorse. You might ask yourself: Can I trust myself to make the right decisions?

Not knowing whether deciding to retire is the right choice can cause anxiety resulting in avoidance and delay. Many people do not retire when they planned to do so for many reasons two of which are financial problems or decision paralysis.

Anxiety about trusting oneself to make the right decision often leads to procrastination of retirement plans, and conversely to the possibility of an impulsive decision to retire. At this time in life, if you have a good track record of decision making you will probably feel confident about deciding and coping with the future. If your anxiety is high and your self-confidence low, you may be unwilling to trust yourself to make good decisions. The phenomenon of decision paralysis is likely to continue well into retirement when even more choices must be made