For those who haven’t done it yet, retirement is that big shiny pot of gold at the end of the 9 to 5 rainbow. Retiring will solve all your problems and you’ll relax with umbrella drinks on a beach somewhere. In reality, retirement for most is quite different.

Retiring from a long life of working is a huge lifestyle change, however good, and any lifestyle changes can be stressful until you’ve adjusted. Stopping your work routine means you are stopping the daily routines you’ve followed for years. You may feel a little lost until you’ve established some new routines.

Another area that changes with retirement is that of your social support system. No longer are you chatting around the water cooler with your co-workers, trading stories and sympathy for each other’s problems. Once retired, these social ties are gone. Before retiring is a good time to build and cement relationships with those outside the job who will be there once you retire.

After you leave your job you do have freedom to do what you want, but with this new-found freedom you also have big decisions to make… should you downsize your home, move to another state, buy a vacation home in a sunny locale, sell all and travel fulltime in an RV, or try a retirement community? Big decisions like these can be stressful for anyone.

Financial issues can certainly cause stress at anytime in one’s life, but even more so when you’re retired and on a fixed income. Questions regarding whether they will outlive their money, can they afford what they want to do, and what about the recession loom larger than ever.

Another stressful concern for retirees is health issues. Some worry about their future and their own health as well as how to cope with a spouse or friend’s failing health. Others worry about becoming disabled, having Alzheimer’s, or needing a nursing home.

But, there are many ways to cope with stress in retirement. Before you can deal with any stress you may be having, you need to identify the source. What is causing it? If you’re watching or reading too much doom and gloom news, then limit your exposure and take up other activities like your favorite hobby or getting some exercise.

If you’re worried about your finances, see a financial planner and educate yourself. A planner can either give you a pat on the back about your finances or suggest a plan to help set things right. Just putting your questions to rest and knowing what’s going on with your investments can be a huge relief.

Keep in mind that even though a change of residence is a major decision, it’s not permanent. If you find you don’t really like living on the golf course because you don’t play golf, or that moving to Florida doesn’t really suit you, you can change course again.

As far as the big change in your day to day life, the stress you feel is probably temporary until your new routines begin to feel like old routines. Don’t forget to make exercise a part of your new routine. Take time out to have the fun you imagined you would have once you retired from work and if that includes sipping umbrella drinks on the beach… then do it.

The amount of money you spend during retirement wholly depends on how you want to live your life during your retirement years. Some people claim they spend more money during their retirement — mostly due to the fact that they’re using their money to relax and enjoy their new, work-free lives. Some buy new houses or take more vacations. They are doing activities that they didn’t have time to do while they were still working.

People who live on less during their retirement years are able to do so simply because they are spending less. Retirement definitely lowers the cost of commuting, having lunch out, having separate work and casual wardrobes, as well as other costs that are typical for a working person. As mentioned, however, the amount of money you spend as a retiree is really dependent on your lifestyle and, as a result, will vary from person to person.

Still others choose to relocate after retirement to an area that has a much lower cost of living; sometimes even to a foreign country. They are able to maintain a comfortable lifestyle while living on a lot less than they used to.

In order to accurately access your financial situation as a retiree, here are a few things to consider:

- Where are you going to live when you retire? Stay at home or move?
- Will you be alone or with your family?
- Do you need physical assistance?
- Would you like to try other lifestyles? Live in another country?
- Do you have investments?
- Do you have insurance?
- Are there many debts you have to settle?
- How much are you getting from Social Security?
- Do you want to leave an inheritance?
- Do you have children or grandchildren you’d like to help support?

For those who are planning their retirement, one tip would be to ensure that you maintain a solid investment that will benefit you when you retire. Logically, retirement is supposed to imply fewer expenses, but with the economic crisis as of late, this may change. Be sure that you are financially prepared for such a situation.

In the end, how you life your life during retirement depends entirely on you, and your choices will determine whether or not you will be able to live on less during your future retirement. Make strategic financial decisions and have an idea of what you want your future retirement lifestyle to be now and you will be well on your way to living out your retirement dreams.

Over Air and Sea: Traveling Abroad

When traveling abroad, always remember that some of the medication you take may not be available in other countries. Before traveling to another country, always remember to ask your doctor about any medical substitutes for your medication (in case you run out). If it’s a prescription, make sure you refill your prescription before you go and that you’ll have enough to cover the entire trip.

Consider packing these items when you’re traveling abroad:

* Travel medication. This typically includes medication for motion sickness.

* Allergy medication. If you are prone to allergic reactions, then antihistamine is a must-have in your medical kit, especially as you may encounter food or other things that irritate you. Keep a couple of antihistamine tablets (or your preferred allergy medication) with you when you travel. You may also want to pack some anti-allergy topical medicine (like Calamine lotion).

* Digestive medication. Let’s face it – one of the best things about traveling abroad includes sampling the local cuisine. In line with this challenge, you should keep in mind the food you ingest may not sit well in your stomach. So pack a trusted digestive medication. Keep a handful of oral hydration solutions and loperamide (anti-diarrheal) just in case diarrhea strikes. You may also want to keep antacids for when your stomach acid acts up, and a laxative for those uncomfortable constipated days. You may also want to ask your doctor for medication that can help with nausea and vomiting.

* Sunblock. A bottle of SPF 15-30 sunblock should be enough to protect your skin from harmful UV rays.

Closer to Home: Hiking

Hiking is an exhilarating activity loved by many, and if you have a well-stocked first aid kit, you should be good to go.

* Gauze, bandages and antiseptic. When you’re hiking, accidents may happen. Always keep a good stock of bandages, band-aids, antiseptic ointment, gauze, and tape.

* Insect repellent. Insect repellent is a must-have when you’re out in the woods. Look for insect repellent that can deter many different type of insects.

* Water. Okay, this isn’t really a medical kit supply, but if you’re hiking at high altitude, staying hydrated is a must. Plus water can be used to help clean an injury.

* Water purification tablets. Sometimes, looking for potable water while hiking may be a problem. Keep a couple of these purification tablets with you.

No matter what your destination, make sure that you pack all the necessary medical items. The last thing you want is an injury or illness ruining the entire vacation. Bring your well-stocked medical kit with you when you hit the road to help keep you safe and happy on your trip.

You may think so – after all, perhaps you’ve been driving for over 30 years and have a lot of experience behind the wheel, but do you really remember all the traffic laws? Are you obeying the rules of road or have you gotten a tad sloppy?

Truth is, if you were to go back and take the written test you might get more answers wrong than you think. Those young 16 year olds fresh out of driving school might get more answers right than you. Seriously! And the driving test is no better. Yes, you may have lots of experience driving in snow, rain, or fog and you’ve changed more than your fair share of flat tires but are you a good driver?

Here are a few questions to test you. To find out the answers, go to your state’s motor vehicle website. They have the handbook online.

* What is a rolling stop or California stop and can you get a ticket for it?

* Who has the right of way at a 4 way stop sign?

* Where exactly should you stop when at a stop sign?

* Can you make a turn in front of or behind pedestrians when they are in the crosswalk?

* What does a solid white line mean? Are you sure?

* In your state, is it against the law to drive with a cell phone at your ear?

* When you make a right hand turn onto a 4 lane road, which lane should you turn into?

* What is the speed limit when school zone lights are flashing? Can you ignore the flashing school zone lights if you know the school is out on holiday?

* Whose fault is it if you rear-end a car that stops suddenly?

* Do you know what the speed limit is when the conditions are foggy, rainy, icy, snowy or dark out? (trick question) These excuses will not get you out of a ticket if you get in an accident.

* In your state, is it against the law to drive for a continuous period of time in the fast lane on the freeway?

* Do you look over your shoulders to check your blind spots when you change lanes, or do you just use your side mirrors?

* How much room should you give the car in front of you so your backseat driver doesn’t accuse you of tailgating?
*
* How far in advance should you put your blinker on to signal your intention to turn?

So… how did you do? Some of these questions may make you feel a little squirmy under the collar. Now is the time to take a good look at your driving skills the next few times you get behind the wheel.

1. Know where you’re going before you leave the house. It’s amazing how often our cars head to our usual destinations before we can even think about it. Not paying attention to where you are going can lead to some bad driving decisions – like sudden lane changes or a right hand turn from the left lane.

2. If you’re in a hurry, make a point of slowing down. Your life and others’ lives are worth more than getting there a few seconds quicker.

Check with your car insurance company; some of them will offer discounts if you take a driving “refresher” course. Not only is this good for your wallet, it’s good for your safety plus the safety of the others who drive the same roads you do.

When you get ready to stage your home, you need to look at it as a potential buyer would. Start at the front sidewalk and try to pretend you’ve never seen the house before. Perhaps have a friend help you as they might be able to see it more objectively.

Your house should look appealing, inviting, and it should fit in with the neighborhood. The lawn should be cut and the bushes trimmed if necessary. Get rid of any debris and garbage. Adding flowers around the yard and in flower pots by the front door is an inexpensive way to add curb appeal.

There is more work and more expense with repainting the exterior, but it may be necessary and can add a lot of value to your house. If your paint isn’t too bad, you might be able to get away with just painting the trim, the shutters, and the door.

Moving around to the backyard, check out the condition of your patio, deck, and fence. A coat of deck stain or concrete paint may do wonders.

Going inside, take note of what should be changed to attract buyers. Paint your daughter’s Pepto Bismol pink bedroom a more neutral color and make sure everything is clean, especially the kitchen and bathrooms. A huge turnoff for people is seeing small rooms, but a way to make them look much bigger is to clear away the clutter! This is where you really have to look at your home with a buyer’s eyes. Put bookcases, dressers, and the miscellaneous stuff in storage until your house sells. You should also pack up family pictures because they remind people that the house belongs to someone else.

Staging the interior can be fun. Give some thought about who your house will appeal to. Is it a cute starter house for a young family, in an urban neighborhood for young professionals, or a condo on the golf course retirees would love? You need to stage the house so that the people who walk though it can picture themselves living there.

Depending on your home and the type of buyer you’re trying to attract, the living room/family room should look like their family can easily spend time there together. A kitchen should look big, clean, and like a great place to cook. Turn on the kitchen lights for maximum brightness. Bowls of fresh fruit on the counter and a vase of flowers complete the effect. The dining room can be staged to show what the buyer’s next dinner party will look like. Bathrooms need to be clean and the lights on. Consider purchasing some new towels to hang up. The backyard or patio can be staged to show the best of outdoor living with the patio table set for an outdoor barbeque party.

If you need help, there are staging companies who will do all the staging for you at a predetermined fee. Depending on the size of your house, the current market, and other factors, this may make sense.

Keep in mind, you only need to spend as much money and time on the staging of your home as it takes to get the sale. Don’t do more than you have to. It will depend on your particular house, your circumstances, and whether it’s a buyer’s market or a seller’s market. When you work with the above advice, you should have your house sold in no time.

You don’t have to get down on your hands and knees to enjoy gardening. Whether you use a wheelchair or scooter, or simply have a bad back, you can use raised beds to bring the plants to your level. Make sure you choose a comfortable height – constructing the beds at twenty-eight to thirty inches high works well for most people. In addition, you’ll need to think about width. It can be hard to reach the center of the bed from a seated position if the bed is too deep. Length can be as much as you like, however, and you can include multiple beds in one space.

Lumber consisting of two by eights supported by four by fours at each corner is one popular way to create a raised bed. Make sure the sides are tight and strong, and fill the bed with the desired mix of topsoil, compost, and other soil improvers, then start planting. Large pots are worthwhile, too, and you can grow nearly anything in them, from vines to small trees! Put pots on a wheeled stand to make them easy to move, too.

Be sure that the paths between your raised beds are easy to navigate – mowing them can be tricky, so some people use mulch. However, if you use a wheelchair or scooter, mulch can be hard to move over. Pea gravel or paved paths are a popular choice that has relatively low maintenance, but they take a little extra effort. Some people use wood decking as well.

Remember to plan your beds to make the best use of the space. Tall plants go in the back or middle of the bed, and shorter ones go toward the fronts or edges. Draping plants are also appropriate for the edge of a bed. Perennials take longer to get started than annuals, but require little care and don’t need yearly replacement.

Raised beds generally require less care than pots, since they have contact with the ground. However, morning watering is still important, since raised beds will retain less water than plants directly in the ground. Don’t water during the hottest part of the day. If you can’t make it out in the morning, try an evening watering instead. Mulch around plants, or weed them regularly – something that’s much easier in a bed you can easily reach. Anyone should be able to garden, and with a simple raised bed, it’s not hard to do.

Virtually anything can be shared within your network — pictures, notes, passive aggressive status messages, and the like. From how it’s generally described, it’s the perfect pastime for the average 20-year-old college student procrastinating in a dorm room.

So why does the site’s report show that people born in the 50’s and 60’s are the fastest growing age group in its membership ranks? Has Facebook somehow done the impossible: bridge the age gap between kids and their parents? What could Facebook possibly have that could interest a generation that uses the Internet mainly for emails?

For one, Facebook is undoubtedly a great way to reconnect with old friends. When you’re a Baby Boomer, chances are that you’ve only kept in touch with a chosen few of your high school class. After all, you’ve been busy raising kids and climbing the corporate ladder; you haven’t had the time until now. Facebook allows you to build a network and will even recommend people you may know to you. It’s a way to bond with people you haven’t seen in 25-35 years — and no matter how old you are, that’s a fascinating thing.  It can be like a virtual high school reunion, only you don’t have to lose weight and buy a new dress.

Some parents use Facebook to keep an eye on their kids. The web site’s feature that allows users to upload their current status gives mom an idea about what her son was doing yesterday. It’s also a way for dad and daughter to get to know each other if they don’t get the chance to spend much time together.  Or they can find some common interests to bond over like with favorite movies. Sometimes, there’s more information than you’d care to know but it’s a good way to check that your kids are still okay while they’re away at college.

Facebook also offers a feature that’s very useful with organizations and communities. Users can join a group that gets updated by a moderator — a helpful tool that can keep book clubs, church organizations, and other groups in touch with the latest news or reunions. Business-minded boomers usually take advantage of this facility to maintain a small business by keeping their customers up to date with their latest products or services.

So while the two generations aren’t necessarily bonding the way they do with friends their own age, it is still a step forward. Facebook has given them a common platform where they can coexist. Who knows what great feats in the near future will push the gap closer together?

New to Facebook? Here are some useful references to get you started:

http://www.ehow.com/how_4581117_started-facebook.html
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1515641/tutorial_getting_started_on_facebook.html

http://www.slideshare.net/andrew.read.canberra/getting-started-in-facebook-257284

You may not feel well rested during the day having woken multiple times during the night, and consequently you might have less energy.  It can be harder to get through life if the changes in your body are preventing you from getting enough sleep.  Over sixty percent of women going through menopause have some sleep problems. Maybe there’s a little comfort knowing you’re not going through this alone.

Traditionally, the main treatment for menopausal symptoms has been hormonal therapy.  Estrogen may be given in the form of a cream, patch, or pill, and may be combined with progestin.  Unfortunately, hormone therapy can also increase the risk of getting breast cancer or having a stroke.  This is why hormone therapy is no longer prescribed as readily, and will be used at the lowest dosage possible.  The appropriateness of this therapy is also likely to be reevaluated often.

If you choose not to use hormone therapy, or if it’s decided that this therapy is too risky in your situation, there are still ways you can deal with menopause-related sleeplessness.  Simply making sure you have proper ventilation in your bedroom, avoiding foods that can cause sweating such as spicy foods, and wearing loose clothing to bed can help you not get quite as overheated and uncomfortable.  A regular sleep schedule will help you sleep in general; i.e. going to bed at the same time every night, as will regular exercise at any time other than right before bed.

During the day, women who are having trouble with sleeping at night should avoid a high caffeine intake, as should not take naps during the day.  These can interrupt your sleep schedule.  Relaxation techniques and doing something soothing can also help.  Talk to your doctor if you’ve tried these methods without success.  He or she may be able to offer some alternative treatments.  Soy products and other plant sources that contain phytoestrogens may be of some use, as can black cohosh, an herb associated with use for menstrual and hormonal problems.

If you’re going through menopause, you don’t have to suffer.  There’s no reason that you can’t find a way to get good, restful sleep without unpleasant side effects.  Do some research and talk to your doctor to find out what the best strategy is for you and your situation.  You’ll feel better and have more even moods if you’re sleeping regularly, and having gotten enough sleep will help you deal with the other symptoms associated with menopause.