Retirement – Stressful or Stress Free - LPNI
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Retirement – Stressful or Stress Free
LPNI Health Topic – January 2020
After 28 years of serving my congregation as their parish nurse, I have made the decision to retire. With that decision comes many considerations that need to be explored and resolved. The primary questions are: Will my position be filled with another parish nurse? Will I continue to serve at the district and international level? What ministries will continue versus which ones will end? If ministries continue, who will lead them? This decision could be extremely stressful, and I will admit, it WAS stressful at times.
Let’s talk a bit about stress and decide if it is a good thing, a bad thing, or just a thing!! Our bodies react to a stressor in exactly the same way whether we are experiencing “good” or “bad” stress. Even when considering a single event there can be good AND bad stress. An example is my retirement. I am excited to begin a new chapter in my life, and yet ending what my life work has been for the last 28 years brings on a myriad of “stressful” feelings. Stress can be good and is necessary. Examples include reacting to avoid a traffic accident or protecting your child from a dangerous situation. Bad stress, on the other hand, comes about when you perceive a dangerous situation that may or may not be real. An example could be living with a fear of flying, driving in heavy traffic, leaving your home, or retiring. Chronic stress affects your body, inside and out. Recall that I said earlier that our bodies react in the same way to good or bad stress.
So back to my retirement story. Following are some things that I needed to consider to minimize the chronic stress that would take its toll on my being. Using a “4 P Model” is below.
- Pray – If I believe that God is in control of all that I am, I put as highest importance to be in personal prayer each and every day, asking for peace, wisdom, and direction for my path.
- Prepare – I began exploring and forming a team to continue much of the work that I have been doing. I began this work in January 2019 so that I would have 1 full year to find, train, and implement a Health and Wellness Committee so that the ministry of wellness will continue at the church.
- Plan – I considered what, where, and with whom I would be involved after retirement. Hint: Persons who retire and feel like they are finished, ARE finished, so have a purpose!
- Purpose – This involves prayer, preparation, and planning. Where does God want me to be and what path has He laid out for me?
Finally, remembering that the stress response is neither good or bad, and recognizing that we all have stressors in our lives, different for each of us, let us learn to embrace our stressors, learn from them, and celebrate the results. I will continue to serve HIM!!
Sue Neff, RN, Parish Nurse
District Representative, LCMS – English District
San Diego, California USA