This issue is also in the back of my mind. Portugal has one of the fastest-aging populations among European countries. In addition to this problem, there is the sustainability of the pension system and the population’s longevity itself. For all these reasons, it was decided just yesterday to raise the minimum retirement age to 66 years and 12 months. We’ll see what age that will be when I reach it, and if I’ll ever receive a monthly pension that allows me to live with dignity.

But in fact, the transition from working life to retirement, beyond the abrupt break with all the routines, habits, and even work relationships, can sometimes take away much of life’s vitality if we don’t know how to make a gradual transition, one in which we seek to gently replace one situation with another. There are currently some models that allow for a period of semi-retirement, where the worker reduces the number of weekly hours while increasing the number of vacation days or days off.