The Retirement Newsletter: Am I getting retirement anxiety?

Issue Number: -14 — Am I a chicken?

Photo by Author — why be anxious?

Welcome

Welcome to issue -14, where I wonder if I am a chicken, discuss retirement anxiety and think about what I will do next.

Retirement Anxiety

Anxiety is an interesting thing.

I am not a trained mental health worker, so I am writing my opinions based on what I have read and observed. Please don’t hesitate to correct me in the comments.

These days, anxiety is considered a bad thing. Recently, it seems to have been classified as a mental health issue that we should all be concerned about. There appears to be this idea that we shouldn’t be anxious.

However, I see anxiety and being anxious as part of the human condition. It’s part of why we have been successful as a species. Being anxious about the coming winter allowed our ancestors to prepare so they didn’t starve. Being anxious about our surroundings has prevented us from being eaten by bears, wolves, and the like. Being anxious is good. It is part of our survival mechanisms. We should be anxious.

There is being over-anxious. That is, worrying about things beyond our control. And that can be crippling and needs specialist help and…