Retirement is painted as this easy time in your life, when you lie back and relax after decades of hard work. The toil is over and it’s time for you to reap the rewards.

But how do you switch from work packed days, constant scheduling and to-dos, to empty space and clear calendars almost overnight? If you feel a less than healthy dose of anxiety bubbling in the pit of your stomach, you’re not alone.

When Olympic medallist Colin Jackson was facing retirement, he found that the anticipation triggered panic attacks as he pictured how his entire life would change.

The side of retirement you forget to plan for

When we talk about planning for retirement, we focus on the financial side. It’s about saving, pensions and how much income you’ll need.

You know what you’ll spend financially. But what about how you’ll spend your time?

This is the question most of my clients struggle to answer. I too have had a hard time answering it. Because there aren’t any metrics or mathematical formulas available to help you find your answer. Instead, you’ve got to do the scary thing. You’ve got to know yourself. And more than that, you’ve got to know yourself at a time when a big portion of your world is in flux.

I’ve seen clients who have spent 30+ years working and caring for others suddenly feel lost, with the mirror held back on themselves as it’s time to care for number one. They’re faced with what feels like endless free time and don’t know where to begin.

22% of men and 28% of women over the age of 65 experience depression in the UK.

Anecdotally, we hear of grandparents helping care for their grandchildren “feeling younger” and I think there’s a simple reason for that. They’ve found a clear purpose to put themselves behind. This is their motivation for each day and a place to direct their energy that brings them joy.

That doesn’t mean we all need to become carers for the newest generation! But it does mean we all need to find a place to channel our energies once retirement hits.

You’ve done a part of retirement before…

The decisions you need to make during your retirement aren’t too dissimilar from the decisions you made all those years ago when you entered the workforce.

You didn’t know what you wanted to do. The world felt scary, unknown and full of endless possibilities. How were you going to pick the right one?

Even though the choice felt overwhelming, you figured it out and found a path to follow. So trust that you can do it again!

It helps to follow a similar attitude. Even though you’re a few years more mature, you can still try new things and experiment. There’s no age limit for that. Be open minded and flexible as you explore new possibilities.

How to decide what to do after retirement

For most of us, the advice to “try new things” isn’t enough. Instead, we need a little more structure to help us get started.

That’s where the life audit comes in.

How to start planning when you retire: build the fundamentals first

Human beings need a few basic things to survive. Food, water, air and shelter. In order to thrive in retirement, take some time to think about how you want those things to look. What sort of shelter are you seeking? Where are you going to go? How do you want to nourish yourself?

In the same vein, you’ll likely need to start with some rest. After decades of working, it’s okay to hit pause for a little while! Did you know there are actually seven types of rest? Physical, mental, emotional, sensory, creative, social and spiritual. You may need to take some time to work through those before you figure out how you want to spend your time in retirement.

Once your body is feeling good, what comes next is so much easier.

It’s okay to embrace the fact that you’re going to approach retirement in phases. From rest to planning, exploration, trial and error. It’s all a learning opportunity.

Coach’s tip: Remember the things you enjoy might change overtime, your preferences might evolve through your retirement and that’s okay!

Don’t just decide what to do after retirement, think about how you’ll do it

A lot of retirement planning is about knowing yourself. As I mentioned above, you need to know yourself and what you like to do. But what about how you do those things?

Some people like to maintain the structured days that made up their working life. With pre-scheduled meet-ups and life feeling a little more organised. Whilst others prefer to have the blank open space that they perhaps lacked before.

Be open to challenging yourself with different ways to managing your days. This can be new too!

You’re not alone in retirement

As you explore this new phase of your life, you might feel lonely. It’s a big change! But it’s important to remember that you’re not alone.

Looking for community. From groups with shared interests to regular coffee mornings, new friends and dedicated support or coaching, there’s plenty of help available to you.