Archive note: This text comes from the old archive of Nomika Epilekta and is preserved with care for historical and informational reading.

Retirement is a period of very intense changes and readjustments in a person's life. Everyday life stops having the form it had for so many years, with the morning wake-up, the long absence from home and the daily social contacts suddenly interrupted.

With retirement, a person can rest, have a great deal of time for himself or herself that can be devoted to pleasant activities, and be free from bosses, concerns and worries. At the same time, however, the web of social relationships undergoes a crisis, since the people with whom the person had worked until then are no longer part of the daily routine.

Thus many retirees experience the transitional period that follows retirement with intense depression and feel that their life is no longer interesting. The feelings they experience may be especially changeable, since on the one hand they want to rest, while on the other the "emptying" of their day seems useless and desperately vacant, to the point that they cannot handle it.

On a psychological level, many retirees experience the loss of their work as mourning, with feelings similar to those of losing a loved one. They refuse to accept the new reality, they are angry and sad. The process of accepting retirement can prove particularly difficult.

Some believe that their life is now on a downward course, that they have grown old, and they feel "useless" and "incapable". This can be especially dangerous for their health, since it may develop into unbearable sadness expressed also through physical symptoms, such as headaches, stomachaches, malaise and psychosomatic dermatological problems.

What is particularly important in order to avoid the unpleasant situations described above is that, as soon as possible, the retiree should find new interests and activities that will give meaning to life after retirement. Participation in groups where there is cooperation among participants can be especially beneficial, since it somewhat recalls the working environment. Retirees can find such groups in voluntary organizations, where they can have an active role that will help them remain active.

Organized short excursions arranged by municipalities and travel agencies can be equally helpful, since retirees can create new social contacts and friendships with people who share common interests.

It is important that the retiree not be pressured to do something he or she does not want, but should personally find activities that bring pleasure. Some may choose gardening, jewelry making, exercise, travel, playing cards or painting.

In Greece in particular, it is very common for retirees to take care of their grandchildren, something that fills most of them with joy, since grandparents are accustomed to enjoying the unconditional love of their grandchildren and to being a particularly beloved and basic figure in the Greek family. At the same time, they can feel especially useful, since they significantly help their children and allow them to devote themselves to their work without worrying about which stranger is taking care of their children, while also relieving them of the cost of a nanny. Grandparents are usually the safest solution for childcare.

Participation in raising their grandchildren fills them with joy and reduces the unpleasant feelings caused by retirement, since, in a way, caring for grandchildren is a new and perhaps more pleasant form of work. Most retirees find the time they spend with their grandchildren especially entertaining and are relieved of the depressive feelings caused by the loss of their work.

Advice to the children of retirees

  • Do not neglect them. Especially at the beginning, they need your interest.
  • Help them find new interests.
  • Try to strengthen their self-esteem by asking for their help and, in this way, making them feel useful.

Dimitra Theofili, Social Worker - Psychotherapist,
www.dimitratheofili.gr
dimitratheofili@yahoo.com
2107226438