How to retire with a smile

RETIREMENT should be a golden age but it is increasingly becoming more stressful than work.

- Alex Lloyd

Loneliness, inactivity and money worries play a huge part in this, with the chances of clinical depression rising by 40 per cent after finishing work.

Dame Esther Rantzen, founder of The Silver Line helpline for older people, says it often leaves a gaping hole in your life, no matter how ready you are for a rest.

“Our working lives take up so much of our waking hours and so many of our hopes and dreams,” she said.

“The people we meet, the money we make, the achievements we have… for many, it becomes their identity.

Structure

“It also brings a rhythm to your life. It reassures you that you are needed and necessary.”

Approaching your retirement with a positive plan will make the transition less painful.

Tom Gentry, health influencing manager at Age UK, said: “It pays to prepare. Not just your finances, but also thinking about what to do with your time – goals you still have, skills you would like to learn.