Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > General Forums > Retirement
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 01-29-2015, 08:37 AM
 
Location: East TN
11,020 posts, read 9,646,254 times
Reputation: 40184

Advertisements

As Escort says it's different for everyone and any amount of time it takes you is fine. Don't try to figure it out, just live in the moment. I was also very stressed out and burned out when I retired early. I felt that I couldn't take even one more month of it. After I did retire, it was a strange feeling not to have to call in sick to have the day off. The idea that someone was "paying me" (pension) to relax, have a good time, do my yard work, etc. was so alien to me. It didn't take long for me to turn the anxiety and exhaustion to exhilaration at the idea that I was free at last to do anything I want, live anywhere I want, etc.
Just veg out until you are tired of vegging, then ask yourself what you feel like doing TODAY. You don't have to have it all planned out, there is no timeline unless you create one.

Congratulations, and welcome to the rest (the best) of your life.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 01-29-2015, 09:02 AM
 
4,286 posts, read 4,723,684 times
Reputation: 9638
I don't have an answer to your question but wanted to thank you for sharing your photographs. You're very talented.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-29-2015, 09:16 AM
 
21,633 posts, read 12,679,017 times
Reputation: 36463
I guess I was "burned out" (but happy to be so) after caring for my aged mother for years; for the last 18 months, 24/7 with intense, nursing-home level care in our home with virtually no help. I was fortunate enough to have my job held open for me while I took a leave of absence for the last year. Upon her passing, of course I had to return right to work. Luckily for me, my job isn't stressful or even particularly demanding. However, I didn't feel like returning to my "social life" (I was very active in hiking, biking, kayaking, dancing, etc.) and decided to cut myself some slack while I rested and recovered, as well as did my grieving; I'm a big believer in the traditional year of mourning and asked nothing of myself over and above what was absolutely necessary that year. When I did return to former favorite hobbies, I found they didn't hold the same importance to me. Having done the most important thing ever, these things seemed trivial and unfulfilling. I had changed, and my friends had changed. Over a year later, I'm still mostly just vegging out watching trash TV when not at work. I eat whatever and go to bed whenever and exercise only if I feel like it and luxuriate in being "feral" after being so very responsible and competent for so long. Still waiting for the inertia to end and the ambition to resume (I may have to kick-start myself). There may be a little PTSD thrown in there, too (caregivers see some terrible things, but I wouldn't trade it). I say just go with the flow for now, and congrats!

Last edited by otterhere; 01-29-2015 at 09:53 AM..
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-29-2015, 09:40 AM
 
Location: SoCal
6,418 posts, read 11,556,911 times
Reputation: 7093
I retired early last November. I hadn't thought I was burned out. But it's only now that I'm even thinking of picking up a technical book, despite that I did that for fun at home as well as for work. And all the other stuff on my to-do list ... it's still there on the list waiting for me.

So it seems to have taken me at least three months of pretty much vegging out until now, that I'm ready to start doing more things.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-29-2015, 10:00 AM
 
685 posts, read 716,651 times
Reputation: 1010
I have not been working for five years now on an early retirement. I continued waking at 5:30 - 6 a.m. for several years. I did various volunteer jobs for a while and sort of maintained my old schedule. I'm with Harpaint - @four years. My field was information technology - commuting close and long and having 14 hour days sometimes. I was in burn-out mode for sure.

I would like to be busier and do have some things to do because we own a house.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-29-2015, 11:03 AM
 
Location: Las Vegas
14,229 posts, read 29,936,310 times
Reputation: 27684
I actually had to think about your question for a while. For me it wasn't JUST work. It was also the end of more than a decade of caregiving and living in a climate not hospitable to human habitation.

It helped me a lot every day to wake up and see sunshine and know for sure there would be no tornadoes or driveways to shovel. No lawn to mow or leaves to blow, and no bugs. Looking out and seeing palm trees and a pool healed my broken spirit much faster. I still take great delight in knowing what I do today, tomorrow, and the next day is completely up to me.

But I had/have a house to remodel so there is always work to do. On my schedule and I take lots of vacation days. A well earned reward for time served. It took me the best part of a year to unwind and find the new me!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-29-2015, 12:14 PM
 
21,633 posts, read 12,679,017 times
Reputation: 36463
.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-29-2015, 12:32 PM
 
5,289 posts, read 5,205,160 times
Reputation: 18655
Quote:
Originally Posted by curmudgette View Post
I'm in the process of retiring after *extreme* burnout. (I've been reading the "I'm burned out" thread here, and it deeply pains me to see their suffering -- I identify much too strongly with it.)

In my case, it's teacher burnout -- very common in the profession. I took the lowest pension at the first moment I was eligible because I genuinely could not last one day longer. And it's definitely not something a break would have cured -- I am just done.

I am reading a book that advises retirees to productive, be useful, and other nice things. However, in my case, I have *no* desire whatsoever to be productive or useful, at least for quite some time. My profession consisted of being conspicuously useful every day, and now I just want a really long break! I feel like I need a long time where I can do nothing productive/useful at all (unless I feel like it) and just chill for a while.

Did anyone else feel this way?
Also, anyone who retired after being burned out -- how long does this feeling last? How long does it take to recover from burnout once you are no longer at the job?

Right now I just want to spend my days useless and unproductive. The most exciting thing I did today was to photograph a green anole lizard as he changed from green to brown, and I got tremendous joy from that.

Is it okay to be useless for a while?
YES YES YES YES YES!!!

I am so looking forward to the day I can be totally useless, a bump on a log, a couch potato. That the most strenuous thing I do is feed my puppies.

I can't say it would last for the rest of my life, but for a month, it would be just lovely!

Maybe even longer....
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-29-2015, 12:43 PM
 
12,823 posts, read 24,309,756 times
Reputation: 11039
Quote:
Originally Posted by curmudgette View Post
I'm in the process of retiring after *extreme* burnout. (I've been reading the "I'm burned out" thread here, and it deeply pains me to see their suffering -- I identify much too strongly with it.)

In my case, it's teacher burnout -- very common in the profession. I took the lowest pension at the first moment I was eligible because I genuinely could not last one day longer. And it's definitely not something a break would have cured -- I am just done.

I am reading a book that advises retirees to productive, be useful, and other nice things. However, in my case, I have *no* desire whatsoever to be productive or useful, at least for quite some time. My profession consisted of being conspicuously useful every day, and now I just want a really long break! I feel like I need a long time where I can do nothing productive/useful at all (unless I feel like it) and just chill for a while.

Did anyone else feel this way?
Also, anyone who retired after being burned out -- how long does this feeling last? How long does it take to recover from burnout once you are no longer at the job?

Right now I just want to spend my days useless and unproductive. The most exciting thing I did today was to photograph a green anole lizard as he changed from green to brown, and I got tremendous joy from that.

Is it okay to be useless for a while?
I can't wait to catch up on the 13,000 hours (and counting) I am behind on sleep. And it really does work that way. Sleep deficit is cumulative.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-29-2015, 02:02 PM
 
Location: SoCal desert
8,091 posts, read 15,378,557 times
Reputation: 15036
Retired 4-1-13.
Still not recovered from burn-out
Still LOVE being lazybones.
To HELL with being productive.
I'm not "useless".
Stop reading those books - why make yourself feel guilty?


But I think it was the 11+ years of caregiving that did me in, not the paying job.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > General Forums > Retirement
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top