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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.
Life after retirement can take on a higher pace, depending on activities and the ability healthwise to do them. Most of my healthy friends are going 24/7.
I guess the simple answer is: if you're not ready to retire, don't.
For me, the stress, physical, mental and emotional, made it easy.
If 'no structure' bothers you, give yourself structure. Requires self-discipline but assign yourself projects and time limits to do them. May be physical (build the porch before the end of summer) or mental (learn to speak a foreign language fluently within a year).
If you enjoy, need and can do hard work, all the better. There's various charities that help seniors, vets, lower income, and animal shelters with construction/remodeling. Farmers can use help baling hay or harvesting grain. Lots more-just look around.
The best thing about retirement is you can design your life. It actually becomes your life.
If I have a long weekend with no structure/plans, I am irritated at the wasted time and do not feel relaxed afterwards.
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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.
IMO, the vast majority of people are in the same situation when they retire. At least you see the change and risks coming. Most don't. Retirement is a huge change and can lead to stress, unhappiness, depression and worse. Death rates are quite high immediately after beginning retirement.
Retirement was easy and enjoyable for me. I had lots of things I wanted to do, but did not have time when I worked. In addition I planned for my new photography interest and for travel. Immediately before retirement, my wife and I sold the house and moved into a truck camper. For the next 2 years I traveled, hiked and explored, and photographed the national parks and scenic areas of the American West. Eventually we settled again, first when a rental apartment and then in a house we share with my daughter and her family.
Both my wife and I have endless things we do and want to do. Both of us still do photography. We live near a major university with an OLLI program and both of us take lots of courses in photography, arts, literature and other areas. My wife is a poet and is also applying for a grant to be mentored in a book writing project. It seems she will be accepted. I am doing archery at a high level and hope to begin serious competition shooting. I also started expanding my visual arts achievements and have been working on charcoal and pastel drawings. Both of us have work currently on display in local galleries. We have some trips planned including the month of February visiting a relative in Hawaii. Later in the year we will take off again for a major RV trip.
During our working years many of us are immersed in raising kids, our careers and just plain trying to get by financially. Retirement means new opportunities. I recommend rethinking your life and beyond activities and hobbies, consider what you want to learn and accomplish with the rest of your life.
Some people (not me) continue life at a pretty high pace. I have a friend (almost 80) that manages part of a local charity and spends 1 to 4 hours a day there (and sometimes evening work for board meetings or lobbying for grants), he goes to the gym almost every day, he personally does much of the landscaping work at his house, he is a financial adviser to his extended family, and he takes many international trips every year.
Not all slow down but often channel their efforts differently.
I feel before retirement I was always forced to go at a faster pace than was natural for me. Now that I am retired, I can set whatever pace I want and that's much slower.
OP, the only way you will be able to determine what pace is right for you is to see how you feel after retirement. If you find you have too much time on your hands and that's not a good thing, find things to do. There are lots of them. The point is, when you're retired, you're in the driver's seat for the most part and can pick and choose as to how to spend your time.
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