Feelings of loss & grief are NOT only caused by the death of a loved one. The loss of anything held dear to us can cause real pain and depression. Retirement is one such thing, loss of career/job/lifestyle, that most persons fail to realize can cause potential mental and emotional pain.
This month’s guest on BTS Live: Loss & Grief, Yvonne Pubien, served as a police officer for almost 25 years and had been ready and looking forward to retiring. She was therefore taken completely by surprise when after only a couple weeks into her retirement ‘strange things’ began to happen to her.
She started to have nightmares! She’d dream that she showed up at the police precinct and would repeatedly tell the chief that they made a mistake and that she hadn’t retired! She began hearing voices in her head telling her that “she was worthless” and asking “what she was going to do with her life now” and that “she was nobody”. Yvonne bares her soul to Kadene in this episode, but it all ends well. She shares HOW she overcame the months of anxiety and the emotional spiral to now be thriving in new pursuits.
One of Yvonne’s new passions is her art studio, a franchise, Nailed it DIY Studio Fort Lauderdale. Find her studio on IG @naileditdiystudiofortlauderdale or visit her website at https://fortlauderdale.naileditdiy.com/.
If you have retired (or know someone who has) and are experiencing stress or depression, please contact your local support group to help you through the transition.
For mental health support contact:
- United States – 1-800-273-TALK (8255), [NAMI – National Alliance on Mental Illness]
- Jamaica – 888-NEW-LIFE (639-5433) [Ministry of Health]
- Canada – 1-833 456-4566 (Crisis Services Canada)
- United Kingdom – +44 (0) 8457 90 90 90 (UK – local rate) / +44 (0) 8457 90 91 92 (UK minicom) [ Samaritans.org]
A quick google search can also help you find local support agencies anywhere you are in the world.