Prioritizing in Retirement
The six months since I officially retired from the workforce have not provided me with a clear understanding of what retirement should or does look like. My normal SOP is to create a defined plan of action for future goals, but I must admit, I made this decision rather quickly, with zero planning other than financial. As I get older, I am becoming more comfortable and accepting going with the flow with less thought-out plans. Trusting my instincts and following my heart is a foreign concept to this previously detailed planner.
Some days this new philosophy for living is A-okay, other days it is frightening. Is it okay to just live day by day? I have identified that I now work at “Self-Care Inc”, but what the heck does that really mean?
Sorting out priorities is challenging. What is most important to my well-being? How do I pull away from being so involved with community and world issues, or rather, how much do I pull away? Volunteering and being of service has been all encompassing, yet I have learned in the past couple of years that much of that service to others has been the catalyst to my personal physical and mental health issues.
Do I bury myself with helping others in need to avoid my own personal demons? Or does helping others feed my soul? I suspect it is a little of both. How does one prioritize and find a healthy balance?
Today’s world is frightening to me. Our democracy is at risk, much due to ignorance, greed, racial bias, and foolish allegiance to narcissistic elected officials. I cannot turn the other cheek to the horrors being inflicted on our country. To combat the injustices, one must stay informed and be in action, but regularly watching the news causes me much grief. Friends tell me “Don’t watch the news”, but that doesn’t feel right.
Am I all over the place with this article? Yep, indeed I am. This is just my poorly written confession of a confused retiree. I have always preached to others to practice “Self-Care” but am I practicing what I preach?
So, I will continue to question myself, seeking the balance of life to be good to myself and to others.
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1moMarilyn H. - do you follow this account? Might be of interest for you?