How can you manage stress when you're close to retirement?

[Updated article; original publish date 9/14/20]

Why do you worry about stress in retirement?

People often idealize retirement as a carefree time, full of golf, beaches, and travel—but that’s not the whole picture. Your old stressors won’t just float away, and you may be feeling some new ones. Many people worry about how to fill all that free time, how to stay healthy, and how to manage their finances. Having a plan for each of these worries can help you reduce your stress—join a community organization, walk every day, and create a budget. 

Stress is your body’s response to change or an external threat. It’s typically tension you can feel—physically, mentally, or emotionally. It can also take over, clouding your thoughts and ruining your mood. Stress can affect your health and cause problems with sleeping and your immune, digestive, and cardiovascular systems.

But for the stress you can’t plan away, you can help improve your body and mind’s ability to handle it. You can do this by learning and practicing two critical behaviors that can help—exercise and mindfulness. 

Exercise to beat stress 

Making exercise part of your daily routine not only helps improve your physical condition, it can also improve your response to stress. If you don’t get much exercise, your risk of dying is 20% to 30% higher than if you stay active.  

Physical activity releases endorphins that can counteract the negative effects of stress. You don’t have to do a marathon or even run—a brisk walk is fine. Making exercise part of your life can help make you more resilient when stress hits. 

Create an exercise plan

Pick an activity—or a few—you’d enjoy. Do it alone or with a friend based on the day or the activity. If it’s going to be strenuous, it’s always a good idea to check with your doctor first.

• Try walking, running, biking, swimming, golfing, tennis, working out at the gym, Pilates, yoga, tai chi, dancing, or _____ (you fill in the blank!).
• Schedule exercise into your week the way you’d schedule other important activities.

Practice mindfulness to take control 

Mindfulness is the practice of paying attention to your thoughts, feelings, and environment without judgment. Incorporating mindfulness into your life can help you control your physical, mental, and emotional responses to stress. 

Mindfulness is more than just meditating, and there are lots of resources online to help you find the approach to mindfulness that works for you. One thing they all have in common is deep breathing, which allows more oxygen to flow to the brain. Regularly practicing mindful breathing can help improve your focus and concentration.

Set aside some time to practice deep breathing at least once a day. 

• Sit comfortably or lay down with your knees bent.
• Take a slow, deep breath.
• Follow the breath as it enters through your nose and fills up your lungs and stomach.
• Exhale slowly through your mouth.
• Follow the breath as it leaves through your stomach, lungs, and mouth.
• Repeat at least several times for best results.

Schedule time for deep breathing

Just like with exercise, work it into your daily routine. Begin your day with a calm, fresh start or end your day by clearing out the stress—or both. Start with a minute and gradually work your way up—just like with exercise, give yourself time to get better at it. Deep breathing for 5–20 minutes can reduce anxiety. 

Reducing stress as you plan for retirement

Stress is a normal part of life, even as you get ready for retirement. But stress doesn’t have to take over your life. By staying active and practicing mindfulness, you can handle stress better and feel more in control. Remember, taking small, consistent steps can lead to big improvements in how you handle stress and help you enjoy your new phase of life.