When the end of your working career is in sight, it’s time to start preparing for the next chapter: retirement. While there’s a lot of steps to take financially, preparing for the emotional changes is equally important. Leaving the workplace doesn’t just mean giving up a paycheck, but for many it’s leaving behind friends, routine, expertise and the excitement of daily challenges.

Most financial retirement preparations fall into one of 3 categories: Income, Expenses and Healthcare. All 3 change when you leave the working world, and it’s important to prepare for those changes. But after you’ve drawn up a budget, decided on Social Security, Medicare and how to draw down retirement assets, you’re left with the reality of a new lifestyle. For many who don’t have friends or hobbies outside of work, the shift can be dramatic and lead to boredom, isolation and even depression.

Some questions to ask yourself in preparation: What excites me enough to get out of bed every day? Who will I eat lunch with? What will I do to stay active and healthy? Is this where I want to spend the next 30 years, or should I move?

Some people refer to this big step as re-wirement, a shift in focus. Ernie Zelinski, Author of “How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free” summarized the biggest challenge of struggling retirees: One must find their purpose. It’s true mental health and physical activity levels tend to be strong predictors of how long and rich someone’s retired life will be.

Ellen Parr once wrote “The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity.” Thankfully, Butte County is rich in opportunities for indoor and outdoor activities for the curious: You don’t need to look far for volunteer opportunities, cooking classes, painting classes, walking/running/hiking groups, church groups, writing groups, golf, pickleball, Yoga, college sports, photography & music lessons etc. There’s never been a better time to pursue a new passion!