The Healing Journey Through Retirement

Rating:
Summary: A REAL Guide for Retirement
Review: I've been retired for nearly a year from a 34-year career -- and NO ONE prepared me for the depression that descended -- but if I'd read this book earlier, I'd have known how to ward it off --or at least know I wasn't losing my mind. It is NOT a "do this 1, 2, 3" book, nor is it a "let's all feel good" book -- it pulls no punches about a BIG transition in life. The clear text, pertinent real-life examples, and effective journal prompts give frameworks for me to look at lots of aspects of my life now -- including the changes retirement brings to marriage, to family relationships, to the way I view money -- to how I spend my time -- and to how I see myself. But it is not preachy or jargon-filled. The book always keeps the focus on the choices I have. It's realistic, accurate (the section on the stages is great--and comforting). The emphasis is on the person "doing" the book -- the retiree or soon-to-be retiree. For me, the only weak section was in the "feelings" chapter, especially the "mood analysis." The book is designed to be written in -- I don't think anything else will suffice. I wish I'd found it a year ago, but I think it's more powerful now. I might not have believed it then!