Retirement as a Transition, Not an Endpoint

Retirement is a transition that affects daily routines, rhythms, and sense of meaning. In one qualitative study, retirees described moving into a slower daily rhythm (Jonsson et al., 2000). Many also described shifting from one imbalance during their working years—when work dominated daily life—to another imbalance in retirement, marked by too little structure or activity. This suggests that the challenge of retirement is not merely “having free time,” but organizing that time in satisfying and meaningful ways. When familiar work routines disappear, individuals can experience a sense of loss in their daily structure, occupational performance, and social roles. 

More broadly, adjustment to retirement is shaped by factors such as health, finances, social relationships, and opportunities for engagement in leisure and non-work-related activities (Wang & Shi, 2014). Occupational therapy can help translate these factors into practice by evaluating how a person’s everyday occupations are supporting (or not supporting) those factors, and then collaborating with clients to rebuild a structured, meaningful, and sustainable pattern of daily living.

Forming Identity After Employment Ends

Work often shapes a large part of our identity. It provides us with a role, opportunities for social participation, recognition for our achievements, and a predictable routine. When work ends, some people experience relief, but others may also experience a feeling of loss that can cause decreased confidence, disconnection, or a feeling of “now what?” The good news is that research suggests retired adults can actively reconstruct their identity through ongoing engagement in meaningful occupations outside of paid employment, such as pursuing creative activities(Howie et al., 2004). This suggests that identity is a dynamic factor, not fixed. Retirement doesn’t erase identity; it can create an opportunity for individuals to reimagine it through new and meaningful everyday occupations.

OT interventions can directly support this identity shift. For example, practitioners can work with clients to help clients identify:

• Which existing roles they want to keep (e.g., caregiver, community member, friend).
• Which self-expectations or habits they’d like to release (e.g., perfectionism, overachieving).
• Which new roles they want to try or experiment with (e.g., volunteer, student, painter) (Hansson et al., 2022).

Finding Occupational Balance During Retirement

Retirement can improve health for some people (e.g., less stress, more sleep), but it can also increase sedentary time, contribute to isolation, and reduce opportunities for meaningful roles. Occupational balance is the ability to maintain a sustainable mix of meaningful activities and rest, and it is associated with subjective health and quality of life in older adults (Hovbrandt et al., 2019). In a study of older adults, researchers found that occupational balance had both direct and indirect effects on quality of life and subjective health (Park et al., 2021). This supports the idea that having more balanced occupational patterns can act as a preventative approach to health and wellness during retirement.

From an OT standpoint, balance is not simply defined as an equal ratio of work and play. It is a subjectively defined factor that should be sustainable, meaningful, and can change with personal and environmental context. OT practitioners can help retirees find occupational balance by:

• Identifying areas of occupational overload (e.g., stressful caregiving demands, management of complex health conditions).
• Addressing areas of occupational deprivation (e.g., limited access to transportation, finances, or social options).
• Working with clients to build valued routines that support health, mood, and community participation, while also scheduling rest and relaxation (Sabri et al., 2021).

Purpose, Generativity, and Belonging

Some people view retirement as a time to relax without focusing on purpose. However, many retirees, even those who are financially secure, can experience distress when they feel unnecessary, underutilized, or disconnected from their friends and loved ones during this new phase of life. Cheng (2009) highlights the importance of generativity, or contributing to the next generation and the broader community, as a key factor associated with increased well-being in later life. The study found that generative actions predicted a sense of well-being primarily when older adults felt respected and valued by others for those actions. This emphasizes that purpose is shaped not only internally, but also through social context and feedback (Cheng, 2009).

These findings suggest well-being is closely tied to belonging and contribution through occupational roles. Hammell (2014) critiques interpretations of occupation that overemphasize factors like individual productivity and overlook occupations that foster a sense of connection, contribution, and community inclusion. If retirement reduces daily contact with coworkers and opportunities to contribute, a person’s sense of belonging can fade. That’s why intentional social participation is so important during this transition.

OT can support belonging by treating it as an important occupational outcome. This might include:

• Working with clients to build new roles that emphasize social contribution (e.g., tutoring, volunteering, mentoring).
• Reestablishing social routines that may have been overlooked during clients’ working years (e.g., joining a walking club, becoming a member of a local church or synagogue).
• Identifying occupations that emphasize intentional time with others rather than just “staying busy.”

Practical OT Interventions for Retirees 

In practice, OT practitioners can help clients reimagine retirement by moving from abstract goals like “finding a hobby” to more concrete actions, such as:

• Exploring clients’ current schedules, patterns, values, and barriers, and then collaborating to create a weekly routine that balances health and meaning (Jonsson et al., 2000).
• Working with clients to redefine their occupational identity and roles by exploring new occupations that support a meaningful sense of self (Hansson et al., 2022).
• Supporting participation in social occupations (especially those involving contribution and collaboration), because belonging supports well-being (Hammell, 2014), and generativity supports psychological well-being when people feel their contributions are valued (Cheng, 2009).
• Co-developing strategies for exploring leisure and work roles, including engagement in hobbies, paid employment, unpaid (volunteer) work, or a personalized combination of these roles (Jonsson et al., 2000). 
• Helping clients design routines that prevent occupational imbalance and support quality of life, as this has been shown to have a preventive effect on health and wellness (Park et al., 2021).

Conclusion

In summary, retirement is not just the absence of work; it is an (often stressful) occupational transition that can disrupt identity, daily schedules, and a person’s sense of purpose and belonging. OT can help retirees build new life patterns by helping them restructure meaningful occupations. This can support not only clients’ independence but also their sense of contribution, connection, and growth. When retirement is reframed as a time to redefine their occupational identities rather than a time of occupational loss, people are more likely to experience it as the start of a more meaningful and exciting phase of life.

References

Cheng, S.-T. (2009). Generativity in later life: Perceived respect from younger generations as a determinant of goal disengagement and psychological well-being. Journals of Gerontology: Series B, Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 64B(1), 45–54. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbn027

Hammell, K. R. W. (2014). Belonging, occupation, and human well-being: An exploration. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 81(1), 39-50. https://doi.org/10.1177/0008417413520489

Hansson, S. O., Björklund Carlstedt, A., & Morville, A.-L. (2022). Occupational identity in occupational therapy: A concept analysis. Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 29(3), 198–209. https://doi.org/10.1080/11038128.2021.1948608

Hovbrandt, P., Carlsson, G., Nilsson, K., Albin, M., & Håkansson, C. (2019). Occupational balance as described by older workers over the age of 65. Journal of Occupational Science, 26(1), 40–52. https://doi.org/10.1080/14427591.2018.1542616

Howie, L., Coulter, M., & Feldman, S. (2004). Crafting the self: Older persons’ narratives of occupational identity. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 58(4), 446–454. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.58.4.446

Jonsson, H., Borell, L., & Sadlo, G. (2000). Retirement: An occupational transition with consequences for temporality, balance and meaning of occupations. Journal of Occupational Science, 7(1), 29–37. https://doi.org/10.1080/14427591.2000.9686462

Park, S., Lee, H. J., Jeon, B.-J., Yoo, E.-Y., Kim, J.-B., & Park, J.-H. (2021). Effects of occupational balance on subjective health, quality of life, and health-related variables in community-dwelling older adults: A structural equation modeling approach. PLOS ONE, 16(2), e0246887. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0246887 

Sabri, M. Q. M., Dahlan, A., Thurasamy, R., & Daud, A. Z. C. (2021). The concept of occupational balance following retirement: A scoping review. Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences, 17(Suppl. 3), 299–307. 

Wang, M., & Shi, J. (2014). Psychological research on retirement. Annual Review of Psychology, 65, 209–233. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-010213-115131