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I guess this makes sense to you. But I fail to understand why he should continue to work if he can retire and does not find a sense of accomplishment in his work.
Retirement provides opportunity to redefine our lives, goals and direction. It should be a time we look forward to rather than something to be delayed or avoided.
I guess this makes sense to you. But I fail to understand why he should continue to work if he can retire and does not find a sense of accomplishment in his work.
Retirement provides opportunity to redefine our lives, goals and direction. It should be a time we look forward to rather than something to be delayed or avoided.
I think he is a she. She asked, so I answered. Gave her my opinion. I retired ten years ago and now I'm bored.
Maybe take a year off and see how it goes.
also maybe get the sense of accomplishment from the check they receive at the end of the pay period. Hey - they like what I did and they even gave me money! LOL
I wouldn't retire unless you hate your job. My sister would watch TV all day if she has no job. It's healthier for her to keep working. But the key thing is she doesn't fret about getting fired.
I think a person who has trouble with an unstructured no-plans weekend and who gets upset with it feeling that it has been wasted time without any accomplishments might have big time trouble in retirement.
OP, you seem to know yourself well and have good instincts and knowledge about what your psyche and personality require to be fairly happy. What you describe as your needs to be a satisfied person are not always attainable in retirement, although others may argue differently. And motivation to challenge oneself, seek activities, or find accomplishments in retirement can easily wane and diminish with no deadlines, no boss, no work structure to propel with discipline.
Last edited by matisse12; 11-25-2016 at 11:33 AM..
I am preparing to retire early in the next few years. I have a question for those who have successfully transitioned into retirement. How do you make that transition psychologically?
If I have a long weekend with no structure/plans, I am irritated at the wasted time and do not feel relaxed afterwards.
I have a good job and find hard work rewarding in itself. My work is meaningful but I don't get a giant sense of accomplishment from it. I'm not unhappy with my job, but my point is, it's not my whole life or anything. It is just what gives my time structure.
I feel concerned that, despite adding activities to my day, I will get depressed without the high level of demands that are on me right now. I do not tend to have depression, but I feel this situation might get me there.
By the time I reached my last year of work I was impatient for retirement to begin. I was careful to lay the groundwork ahead of time, workwise, so my leaving did not inconvenience anyone. But by the time my last day came, I was so, so ready.
We left town for a long weekend a few weeks after I retired. When we returned home I realized in my mind that I did not have to be at work on Monday, and then I think is when I really felt I had retired.
It really was not a hard transition for me. I think as the time approaches you may find you feel the same way. But you can always find a new interest to work at. You could start a volunteer job now for instance, and transition to more hours after retirement. Or you could take a class in photography, art, coding or some such and plan to spend time pleasurably practicing an avocation.
I think you will find that most of us had little trouble NOT going in to work after retirement.
"Retirement" is not a different country or planet with different customs and languages. It is simply a time when one stops getting-up early and spending 8-12 hours in an office or otherwise doing a particular job.
Just as in pre-retirement, one determines their own pace, goals and accomplishments. True, retirement lacks the structure of the workplace and passes the responsibility for filling one's time - back to the individual. But, most people with even minimal imagination and initiative can make retirement work.
Most of those who find retirement boring, uneventful or stressful; or have difficulty filling their time, probably had no life outside of work, before they retired.
I am preparing to retire early in the next few years. I have a question for those who have successfully transitioned into retirement. How do you make that transition psychologically?
If I have a long weekend with no structure/plans, I am irritated at the wasted time and do not feel relaxed afterwards.
I have a good job and find hard work rewarding in itself. My work is meaningful but I don't get a giant sense of accomplishment from it. I'm not unhappy with my job, but my point is, it's not my whole life or anything. It is just what gives my time structure.
I feel concerned that, despite adding activities to my day, I will get depressed without the high level of demands that are on me right now. I do not tend to have depression, but I feel this situation might get me there.
From what you say, your transition in retirement may be difficult. It is a BIG change and for many not completely fun. No one ever seems to mention the anxiety and confusion that can occur. Much of it has to do with your mind having to adjust to not working and being busy. It's still going 100MPH, but your live is now doing 35.
I and several of my retired friends had this problem. It does pass after a while (months). My story: I never identified with my job. It was what allowed me to live my lifestyle. I retired about a year ago and it was great for the first several months. Then one morning I woke up and I felt like I was going to jump out of my skin. I couldn't sit still. I couldn't stand to be in the house. Long walks helped until I came back home. I have hobbies and activities and visited with friends, but felt without direction and was confused. Thanks to counseling and understanding why I felt as I did, it's over and all is well! It'll be one year come December and I am relaxed and finding my place. Each day is very nice, but it was fairly difficult, off and on, for 4-5 months.
We moved from a northern climate to SW FL so we could be more physically active. I added bike riding and daily swimming. That was doing wonders physically but I was looking for more mental stimulation. I joined the Board of Directors for our homeowners association. This provides enough metal stimulation, but still affords the time to do the physical activities I want to do. I also have a few other projects I'd like to get to, time permitting. There is an adjustment, but it can also be rewarding.
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