My parents have always been workaholics, for as long as I can remember. Mum is a bigshot copyright lawyer and dad is an anthropology academic. The problem is that neither of them seem to know how to go about retiring. Mum is having particular trouble with it on account of heading her own law firm and all the intricacies involved in exiting from that.
It’s becoming an issue because neither of their jobs are getting less demanding and – both of them being close to 70 – it’s starting to wear on their health. I reckon it’s gotten to the point where they need to decide it’s time to retire, then get some professional support in segueing into a slower pace of living.
Don’t get me wrong, I won’t be telling them what to do; neither of them would stand for it, which I think is great. But I’m thinking of suggesting they get some counselling from a qualified psychologist. On the Mornington Peninsula, we’re lucky enough to have access to services of this nature, and I think they should take advantage of that in dealing with this somewhat challenging patch before it turns into a full blown medical emergency.
I’ve always been different from my family in that respect, though. I’m all about taking things at a manageable pace and anticipating difficulties before they take hold. My siblings and parents, on the other hand, barrel on forwards without pausing to think about how their actions might affect their future equilibrium. I’m not saying that this is a bad quality to have, but there comes a point when one’s mind and body starts making it clear that enough is enough.
If I hadn’t chosen to become a massage therapist here in Mornington, psychiatry or psychology may have been my choice of field to go into. I just feel like I have a knack for understanding what helps individual people to become more at ease with themselves and their lives. But then, I’m not a mental health care professional, so I don’t actually know what’s really involved.