anyone else have a hard time dealing with retirement?

How about classes? During retirement a lot of people start taking art classes or something else they formerly had no time for. When I was unemployed for a while I found an inexpensive watercolor class. That helped a lot. Join a group or take classes that are geared to your particular interests. This way you are accomplishing something.

I love my job and never want to retire! It gives me purpose and gets me out with people. I tend to be a bit of a recluse, so having someplace to go with people is good for me. Eventually, I would like some extended vacations to travel though.

I have one thought for you: Make a list of all the things you really LOVE. It doesn't matter if they are practical things or fanciful things. Find and pursue your passion! You don't have to relax because you're a certain age. Having enough money saved to retire means you have enough to begin a new adventure. If you love gorillas, learn to be a gorilla keeper. If you love music, learn to play an instrument or sing. If you love beauty products, start a blog or a series of YouTube videos for mature women. Your restlessness is telling you something! Something good!

My husband wants me to retire - but I really don't want to - what would I do all day? And I have the almost perfect job right now, close to home, little stress, and it pays pretty well too. And to whom would I talk to besides him? I love the guy, but all the time? Maybe in 4, 5, 6, 7 years, when I'm 65! - LOL!

brenn24179 wrote: »

I am not overeating and the feelings are coming up. I am still working part time and may have to do this for the rest of my life for emotional reasons.

I get so bored, restless. I am off work for a month right now because I work for the school part time and they start back end of August. I guess I have the A personality. Friends say to me enjoy yourself, slow down and smell the roses but I have much too much energy. I went to the pool today at my gym which does help but geez retirement is such an adjustment. Anyone relate? Will I get use to it eventually? It is easier to watch my eating but such a void or hole there.

Gosh I cannot wait until retirement. The older I get, the more stuff I have to do! I have so many projects I want to do, I want to hit the gym more often, more outdoor stuff, and TRAVEL!! I will be tickled pink when I finally can spend that 10 hours a day like I choose.

We've found that having a volunteer responsibility with a set schedule helps. We spent the first few years of retirement doing a weekly stint at the regional food pantry. When our backs no longer liked that, we switched to doing a weekly Meals-on-Wheels run and a monthly Pet-Pals route (bringing pet food for companion animals of Meals-on-Wheels clients). For us, once a week works. Some folks do several times a week.

One nice thing about being a volunteer is if it doesn't fit you, you say, "I'm sorry" and resign. No harm, no foul. There's plenty of need out there. There are plenty of things I could never do; being a hospice volunteer comes to mind. Hubby says he couldn't volunteer at the animal shelter because he'd want to bring everybody home.

There are also quite a few crowd-sourcing projects that need volunteers for any amount of time you want to give. The Smithsonian has a site with folks transcribing manuscripts. There's another site that has folks reading out loud all the works in Project Gutenberg. I've tried both of those but they don't fit me quite as well as geo-tagging menus for the New York Public Library, which I do in bits and spurts whenever I feel like it. This article is a little dated but it gives an idea of some of the crowd-sourced transcription projects anyone can join. http://www.infotoday.com/cilmag/oct14/Zastrow--Crowdsourcing-Cultural-Heritage.shtml

The online bits and spurts are great for getting my mind off snacking. If I'm busy trying to figure out what the address was for a restaurant that went out of business a hundred years ago for NYPL, I'm not in the fridge raiding the cheese drawer.

My attitude, after six years of retirement is that RETIREMENT ROCKS!

My job at a major corporation was eliminated in February. I had worked there 37 years so eligible for a pension which I took and also got a year's severance pay. I'm forcing myself to take a 6 month sabbatical, but planning to go back to work full time.

Probably too much type A personality for retirement.

For 3 years I loved my retirement, then I got bored and I started to watch far too much television. I do not have strong hobbies that I can throw myself into. I started to get depressed and in England the nearly always grey skies do not enhance moods.

I did voluntary work in charity shops, the ones I worked in were run by very old people who were vicious and on power trips. It broke my heart when I saw people bringing things that they had once loved being treated rudely with comments like "Have you washed it?" Or "put it on the floor" and with not even a thank you, i worked in old people's home and that would make me so sad - I would age 10 years in 10 minutes there.

I now work for an american hospitality (Delaware) company in London, I work if I choose to, mainly at concerts or football matches. It pays minimum wage but I love it, it is mainly waitressing but there are a few tips along the way. Great to find a company who would employ someone aged 66. They actually value the old like the young. I am lucky to have found this although it is a long way from my teaching career.

Interesting thread....it is a blessing that you are able to retire and be in good enough health to think about enjoying retirement. But, I agree. I would be bored too. Glad you found some great hobbies and are thinking about a part time job. Stay in touch with friends and family and plan some trips! Cheers!

JeromeBarry1 wrote: »

I do speak harshly of it. I am acutely aware that I am young enough that I will not get enough from Social Security to pay for my cat's food much less my food. I've saved in 401K and IRA accounts and I've learned how to use cash to generate weekly income from trading options. If these retirement accounts, presently in conservative and hedged positions, still exist at their present size in 13 years I'll be able to produce a very nice income. However, I may also be taxed at 95% of income, so I can't dream happy dreams.

Karma? Was that you? Approximately 6 months ago I became somewhat retired. That is, I was asked by my pimp if I'd work for a valued opportunity at a drastic pay cut. No. I'd already taken one pay cut from steady employment to work for the pimp. Like hell I'd do the work of attracting the new customer to the high quality work I can do for beginner wages. *kitten* you, Karma. I'm making a decent living with calendar spread trading in my IRA.

That takes about 30 minutes a week. The rest of the time I drink coffee, read, catch up on tv shows I missed during all that OT of my youth, exercise, and do household chores. I commenced keto eating last Sunday so there's that.

Interesting observation. Obscenity is replaced with *kitten*. When you edit your kittened post and change some other word, then Save Post, the *kitten* returns to your original word.

I retired last March and I love owning all my time! Still in the middle of winter so not sure how this first year will end. But I’m so happy when I wake up in the morning after it has snow over night and I don’t have to go out and clean off my car and go out on the roads to work. I just snuggle under my blankets and have a snooze. 😂

I’m decided that 2019 is looking after me year and really focus on my health. I’m not interested in volunteering right now but maybe in the future. Right now I’m just playing and enjoying my freedom.