Huddersfield life coach and consultant YVONNE CASTLE continues her series helping you to make those changes for the better in your life

THIS is the next to the last article from me and I’m concentrating on two issues that can be hugely life-changing; retirement coaching and health and wellbeing coaching.

Retirement coaching

THERE are a number of common sources of challenge and stress in planning and experiencing retirement. These may include preparation and planning, managing work-based issues, managing lifestyle changes, personal growth, balancing money, finances and leisure activities.

I had preconceived ideas about what retirement meant to me and this exercise changed this. It also shows that it’s never too early to start your planning.

1. List 10 statements, phrases or words to describe your definition of retirement?

2. What/who do you think has influenced your definitions of retirement?

3. In what way have these influences changed how you view retirement?

4. What is most important to you about your retirement?

5. What is least important to you about your retirement?

6. How important is work (voluntary or paid) to you in retirement?

7. Now, review the 10 statements, phrases or words that you wrote down in question 1 above. Cross out any that you no longer find meaningful now you have defined what retirement really means to you. Add at least five more words or phrases to your list.

Health and wellbeing

WHAT does this mean for you? Are you thinking about physical exercise eg improved health, stamina, strength and energy? Are you thinking about your mental wellbeing, such as confidence, resilience, clarity and effectiveness?

Often we find we have barriers in place which impact on our ability to balance our health and wellbeing with our general life activities. Some of these barriers are our stress levels, our feeling of being in control of our lives and our work and our time out to think.

Try this coaching session to see if you have the healthy and well-balanced life that you desire. For some of these questions I’m sure that you may be tempted to write down a straightforward and simple “I can’t, because it’s too difficult”.

Remember the ‘Options’ stage in the coaching process, where you really think differently about what you could do. Be positive – I’m sure you’ll find some ways to improve your balance.

1. What does “being healthy” mean to you?

2. What is important to you about exercising?

3. What benefits will you gain from exercising?

4. How can you incorporate regular exercise into your lifestyle?

5. When can you make the time to exercise?

6. What arrangements do you need to put in place to exercise?

7. What do healthy eating habits mean to you?

8. How can you incorporate this into your lifestyle?

9. Who else can support and contribute to this?

10. How can you reward yourself, and how often?

11. What is important to you about good time management?

12. Who can help you with a particular task?

13. What would happen if you did not do a particular task right now?

14. What would achieving a balance look like to you??

15. What benefits would this bring?

16. What actions could you do this week (and then in future weeks) that would make a difference right now?