first days of retirement - Decompression Zone

moneyistooshorttomention

Update - I guess there's maybe hope for "recovery" from the stress of that job yet. I've just taken my parents out for a celebratory lunch (am starting to lose account of just how many celebratory meals I will have had before I'm through:rotfl:) and my mother commented "You look better...." and was looking approvingly at me.

I've only been out of that awful job a few days and I still feel pretty terrible/low/depressed/wired/slightly ill - but maybe I'm going to feel "normal" again a good bit of the time soon <fingers crossed>.

I have the odd hour or two per day of "feeling normal" now - which is more than I've had for a long long time now - so maybe the "feeling normal" length of time per day will steadily increase from now:D

I did my best to keep the person that is me hidden away for protection enough whilst I was in that job that I would hope to emerge from the "Wizened Husk" I felt I had become - once the coast was clear and I was retired at last. Maybe I've managed to survive in one piece - I feel reasonably optimistic that I have...

I've seen various former colleagues stop looking like the Walking Wounded after they had reached the "safety" of retirement at last - so I'm reasonably optimistic I will too.

Errata

If you only left the job a few days ago you're in the same position as someone who takes the first week of their holiday to wind down from work; a very common phenomenon. Patience, give yourself a chance to return to planet normal.

Newly_retired

Any chance of you taking a holiday or short break soon?
My DH retired recently and was a different person after a 2 week holiday. He even agreed to another short break, just overnight, as short notice when the weather was good. It seems to have gven him a new perspective.
Best wishes for your retirement.

moneyistooshorttomention

Guess the disadvantage of retiring at this time of year is the weather isnt too good and is getting worse. Spring or summer must be a much better time to go...

I have got a holiday break booked for as soon next year as I think the weather will start becoming a bit better again. So that will be me out with the spring flowers and somewhere where I am expecting there to be LOTS of said flowers:D. So I'm looking forward to that and meanwhile sitting gazing longingly at the photos of that area and going for a lot of "virtual drives" on Googlemaps/gazing at the scenes and probably with a daft dreamy smile on my face. Would you believe I've already lined up walks I want to take there/places to eat I want to try there/and scenery I am just going to sit and gaze at there/etc (having a wry grin to myself at the thought the odd "local" there might wonder who this strange woman is sitting there gazing at their scenery and just smiling beatifically to herself and reaching for a tissue:rotfl:).

chesky

Just got back from central London - treated myself to a completely new hair-style; sharp symmetrical fringe almost into the eyes, followed by lunch at Brasserie Zedel, fantastic art deco place just off Piccadilly.

Feel wonderful - you see, there IS life after retirement.

BusPass_2

moneyistooshorttomention

Dont know if this is any use to you but diary of my day today.

This morning visited Ikea (took the bus, free with my pass) had £1.50 six item breakfast, and free tea with my Ikea family card.

Picked up a dining room chair we bought in a sale on Saturday (£85 off)

Swam a mile at my local Swimming Pool at lunch time. (Greatly reduced fee for OAPs)

Visited dentist this afternoon.(Free)

French class tonight.(Reduced cost for OAPs)

It's a busy old life being a pensioner but do your research and money is less of a problem than it needs to be.

PennyForThem_2

I am so glad I love the job I do and can work beyond official retirement age so that I know when I retire I will have a decent income.

I feel so sad that people like the OP have had years of dreading their work....I have had no experience of that throughout my working life - I am soooooo lucky!

However I am already thinking how best to enjoy my retirement (3 years) and the advice given here is really useful.

moneyistooshorttomention

PennyforThem

Pleased you have been/are lucky enough to have enjoyable work. That is THE single biggest piece of advice I would give to younger people about to enter the workforce - if there is something that "makes your heart sing" that you can manage to get paid a wage for doing - then do it.

They will have to do longer worklives than many of us have had to - so its even more important for them than it was for us and it was pretty darn important for us - particularly those of us who knew we had absolutely no choice but to hold down a full-time job constantly throughout from School Leaving Day till Retirement (with the only breaks ever being spells of unemployment).

I have always envied people who actually enjoy their jobs - but consoled myself with the fact that I've been far from unusual in the job just being "a means to an end". It's very sad that most of us have to do jobs that veer somewhere between "It's okay - but I would only do it part-time or not at all if I had the choice" and "Absolute dread".

I don't know what the answer to that is - I made my own answer for some years with deciding that if I wasn't going to get any job satisfaction from my paid job - that I would do voluntary work of my choice in my leisuretime in order to be able to get some. I got too "tired" to continue with that particular "double shift" in the end - so just hunkered down and waited for the Blessed Release of Retirement (now here at last:beer:).

blossomhill_2

Good to hear that the butterfly is emerging! My face changed almost immediately, just the dark bags retreating and the frown flattening out, so I can picture what is happening to you - enjoy

chesky, I intend to check out your art deco place soon! Thanks for the tip

I do look forward to the day I can gets OAP rates at adult education, but at the same time don't want to wish those years away, so can't have it all ways, can I?

indsty

I retired six months ago, earlier than I wished, but decided my health was suffering from work pressures. Although income is now half of what it was, theadvantages have been tremendous. Fromwhat the OP wrote, I wonder if you are partly grieving, not for the job youleft but for the job you once had, the one you maybe went into when muchyounger with such expectations and now feel let down by the changes thatstressed you out. I think many peopleare in such a position including myself.

I knew I was settling into my new life when I realised Icouldn’t remember any of my six different passwords for my work computersystems ! Every morning I confess I wakeup and say a silent “Woohoo”! whilst thinking of my much loved colleagueshaving to trek to work whilst I make myself a cuppa and take it back to bed.
It is only now that I am beginning to feel that I must “do”something and will begin to investigate the voluntary options available. I never feel guilty about being so selfindulgent and just thinking about myself and doing what I want to do – I reckonI’ve earned it.