Nash: Stress in your golden years? — How not to be overwhelmed by all of this retired bliss

WHEN I THOUGHT of retirement when I was younger, I had a hazy notion of living by a beach between world-traveling jaunts to places on my bucket list. I might spend the day reading or maybe doing some volunteer work. I would definitely sleep in. Certainly, this fuzzy concept did not include stress or waking up at 3 a.m. with free-floating anxiety.

Some of this fantasy about a blissful stress-free future is due to advertising. Since the late ’50s, the Del Webb retirement communities (think Sun City) have relentlessly promoted the “golden years” concept of retirement: “It’s time to sit back, relax, and really reflect on what makes your heart sing.”