The last few months I have had a few health problems, which hopefully are now coming to an end. I am in the fortunate position, I work from home, I am my own boss and my work is not physical. Although I have to focus 100% mentally. It gives me a reason and a purpose. I have to have discipline. If it was not for my work, I would boarded stiff and annoying my wife and under her feet. Stressing not only me, also my wife. This creates anxiety for both of us.
Basically we have to have a purpose to get out of bed in the morning.
My accountant related to a workshop he had attended, one of the thing that was emphasised, we need to keep working. This statement needs elaborating. It doesn’t mean you have to keep flogging away at a mundane nine to five job, where you are bored and can’t wait to get out of it. You need to work less hours at something you enjoy doing, with far less stress, still giving you a sense of purpose and satisfaction. This may not be too easy to achieve, it’s something one needs to give serious thought to.
Two advantages are.
One: you are still mixing with people and colleagues in the work place, which is giving you a sense of being someone and contributing. What I call the real world.
Two: you are earning money. Unless you are receiving a good index linked pension, which probably means you have been working for the government, or you are an ex Politician. I think it prudent, if I don’t elaborate on my personal thoughts on the latter. Because your pension is not going to keep up with inflation and you don’t know how long you are going to live.
This point was in one of my previous blogs, on the retired bank manager.
A Bank manager had to retire at sixty-five, this was back in the eighties, the system has now been changed. The average life expectance after retirement was eight months.
There was no purpose, you need a purpose. Purpose and focus reduces stress and anxiety.
One last example; My father died at the age of sixty-five. I had to run the farm, I couldn’t sit around, there was work to do and it had to be done. Work was my therapy to cope with the situation. This created another stress, it was one I could cope with.
The buck stopped with me.