Bold leap into retirement

SouthCoastBoy

bjorn_toby_wilde said:

SouthCoastBoy said:

Sarahspangles said:

nicknameless said:

Well just had my vol redundancy confirmed.  Have 2 weeks to sign docs.  Will finish end of June.

Am literally in shock right now.  Not sure how I thought I would react and it has been absolute mental torture waiting for the outcome.  Now it's confirmed am a bit numb.

Is there a psychiatrist in the house?

I’m not, but a) Congratulations and b) I think I know what you mean. I said to OH yesterday that, as a life stage, retirement is as big a thing as leaving school. The same sense of going into the unknown, followed by anticlimax and trying to find some replacement structure.

I would say it is bigger than leaving school. When leaving school you have your whole life in front of you, with many possibilities, I found it all very exciting. With retirement you know the majority of your life is over and you are in the final phase of your life, hoping you have enough money to live and you stay healthy for as long as possible. The prospects aren't great,tbh the more I think about retirement the more I find it less appealing

Jeez that’s negative!! I understand a bit better now why you haven’t made the decision yet.

In retirement, for the first time since you were about 4 years old, you’re not required to be at school or in work. You can do exactly as you please. Surely that’s a better way to look at it?

As for possibilities, what about the holidays, the travel, the new hobbies and experiences?  I’ve done courses, volunteered, backpacked around Snowdonia in my first two years and I’ve got two long haul and one European holiday booked for this year so far.  Better than slogging away at work!

I have plenty of hobbies that I do while working e.g. running, walking, golf, cycling etc.for example I have just been out for 50 mins on bike at lunchtime. Last week I took a day off and went caving. Holidays, again I can do them while working, going to snowdonia for 4 days in May, was in London last weekend for a weekend away, in Greece in August and Australia in November/December.

I do think by retiring, a statement is being made and you are moving into the final phase. Years ago I was all for retiring, but the closer I have got the more final it appears, and therefore the less appealing, for me, it becomes.

pterri

bjorn_toby_wilde said:

SouthCoastBoy said:

Sarahspangles said:

nicknameless said:

Well just had my vol redundancy confirmed.  Have 2 weeks to sign docs.  Will finish end of June.

Am literally in shock right now.  Not sure how I thought I would react and it has been absolute mental torture waiting for the outcome.  Now it's confirmed am a bit numb.

Is there a psychiatrist in the house?

I’m not, but a) Congratulations and b) I think I know what you mean. I said to OH yesterday that, as a life stage, retirement is as big a thing as leaving school. The same sense of going into the unknown, followed by anticlimax and trying to find some replacement structure.

I would say it is bigger than leaving school. When leaving school you have your whole life in front of you, with many possibilities, I found it all very exciting. With retirement you know the majority of your life is over and you are in the final phase of your life, hoping you have enough money to live and you stay healthy for as long as possible. The prospects aren't great,tbh the more I think about retirement the more I find it less appealing

Jeez that’s negative!! I understand a bit better now why you haven’t made the decision yet.

In retirement, for the first time since you were about 4 years old, you’re not required to be at school or in work. You can do exactly as you please. Surely that’s a better way to look at it?

As for possibilities, what about the holidays, the travel, the new hobbies and experiences?  I’ve done courses, volunteered, backpacked around Snowdonia in my first two years and I’ve got two long haul and one European holiday booked for this year so far.  Better than slogging away at work!

I’m so looking forward to it. Still a chance I may do two days a week consultancy as a handover for as long as they want me (and as long as I like obvs). Even that feels like an obligation but I’ll see how it goes and will give me a few quid, I can walk away any time. 

Sarahspangles

nicknameless said:

Sarahspangles said:

nicknameless said:

Well just had my vol redundancy confirmed.  Have 2 weeks to sign docs.  Will finish end of June.

Am literally in shock right now.  Not sure how I thought I would react and it has been absolute mental torture waiting for the outcome.  Now it's confirmed am a bit numb.

Is there a psychiatrist in the house?

I’m not, but a) Congratulations and b) I think I know what you mean. I said to OH yesterday that, as a life stage, retirement is as big a thing as leaving school. The same sense of going into the unknown, followed by anticlimax and trying to find some replacement structure.

It's absolutely massive.  Have been in my current role for 25 years.  Spent the morning in meetings with close colleagues / staff - had a bit of a laugh as well.  Find out about redundancy straight after.  I know I am going (have already made the decision) but still it is very difficult to comprehend.

I’m hoping that it will be like waking up on the first day of the school summer holidays. The last time I felt like that - complete freedom from responsibility and stress - was the after effect of sedation for something medical!

Can’t you take the rest of the week off to ‘practice’ - remember, you just became unsackable….

BrilliantButScary

SouthCoastBoy said:

Sarahspangles said:

nicknameless said:

Well just had my vol redundancy confirmed.  Have 2 weeks to sign docs.  Will finish end of June.

Am literally in shock right now.  Not sure how I thought I would react and it has been absolute mental torture waiting for the outcome.  Now it's confirmed am a bit numb.

Is there a psychiatrist in the house?

I’m not, but a) Congratulations and b) I think I know what you mean. I said to OH yesterday that, as a life stage, retirement is as big a thing as leaving school. The same sense of going into the unknown, followed by anticlimax and trying to find some replacement structure.

I would say it is bigger than leaving school. When leaving school you have your whole life in front of you, with many possibilities, I found it all very exciting. With retirement you know the majority of your life is over and you are in the final phase of your life, hoping you have enough money to live and you stay healthy for as long as possible. The prospects aren't great,tbh the more I think about retirement the more I find it less appealing

You are a right 'Job's comforter' !
Retirement should in my opinion be called Reinvention!

Some advice I find helpful is
' The key to living a happy, fulfilling retirement, is not just about what you add into your life, it's about what you let go of, in order to create new space for different experiences'.

The categories to consider to let go of are:
* activities
* possessions and obligations
* people
* attitudes 

Cobbler_tone

nicknameless said:

Well just had my vol redundancy confirmed.  Have 2 weeks to sign docs.  Will finish end of June.

Am literally in shock right now.  Not sure how I thought I would react and it has been absolute mental torture waiting for the outcome.  Now it's confirmed am a bit numb.

Is there a psychiatrist in the house?

My close colleague was absolutely gagging for redundancy for some time and got it last year, compulsory and not voluntary. When she came back to the desk from her first meeting she was really quiet. I didn't say congratulations, I just said "it feels very different when it actually happens" and wound her up for the next 3 months that we didn't want her anymore. 
She is happily in her next job and don't think she has touched her meaty redundo cheque.

Give it time to sink in and you'll be absolutely fine. I nice period of time to make some plans too and sort your admin out.

nicknameless

Cobbler_tone said:

nicknameless said:

Well just had my vol redundancy confirmed.  Have 2 weeks to sign docs.  Will finish end of June.

Am literally in shock right now.  Not sure how I thought I would react and it has been absolute mental torture waiting for the outcome.  Now it's confirmed am a bit numb.

Is there a psychiatrist in the house?

My close colleague was absolutely gagging for redundancy for some time and got it last year, compulsory and not voluntary. When she came back to the desk from her first meeting she was really quiet. I didn't say congratulations, I just said "it feels very different when it actually happens" and wound her up for the next 3 months that we didn't want her anymore. 
She is happily in her next job and don't think she has touched her meaty redundo cheque.

Give it time to sink in and you'll be absolutely fine. I nice period of time to make some plans too and sort your admin out.

Thankyou ever so much

nicknameless

BrilliantButScary said:

SouthCoastBoy said:

Sarahspangles said:

nicknameless said:

Well just had my vol redundancy confirmed.  Have 2 weeks to sign docs.  Will finish end of June.

Am literally in shock right now.  Not sure how I thought I would react and it has been absolute mental torture waiting for the outcome.  Now it's confirmed am a bit numb.

Is there a psychiatrist in the house?

I’m not, but a) Congratulations and b) I think I know what you mean. I said to OH yesterday that, as a life stage, retirement is as big a thing as leaving school. The same sense of going into the unknown, followed by anticlimax and trying to find some replacement structure.

I would say it is bigger than leaving school. When leaving school you have your whole life in front of you, with many possibilities, I found it all very exciting. With retirement you know the majority of your life is over and you are in the final phase of your life, hoping you have enough money to live and you stay healthy for as long as possible. The prospects aren't great,tbh the more I think about retirement the more I find it less appealing

You are a right 'Job's comforter' !
Retirement should in my opinion be called Reinvention!

Some advice I find helpful is
' The key to living a happy, fulfilling retirement, is not just about what you add into your life, it's about what you let go of, in order to create new space for different experiences'.

The categories to consider to let go of are:
* activities
* possessions and obligations
* people
* attitudes 

That's how I'm seeing it.  I am genuinely excited to move onto the next phase.  At 53 I certainly do not see this as the final phase.  Have been listening to a podcast called 'middle man' recently which has captured some of my feelings wonderfully and explained some of the things that I've been experiencing the last few years, despite having what many would consider a great job with loads of autonomy.

It's just today is quite momentous in that journey.

Sarahspangles

nicknameless said:

BrilliantButScary said:

SouthCoastBoy said:

Sarahspangles said:

nicknameless said:

Well just had my vol redundancy confirmed.  Have 2 weeks to sign docs.  Will finish end of June.

Am literally in shock right now.  Not sure how I thought I would react and it has been absolute mental torture waiting for the outcome.  Now it's confirmed am a bit numb.

Is there a psychiatrist in the house?

I’m not, but a) Congratulations and b) I think I know what you mean. I said to OH yesterday that, as a life stage, retirement is as big a thing as leaving school. The same sense of going into the unknown, followed by anticlimax and trying to find some replacement structure.

I would say it is bigger than leaving school. When leaving school you have your whole life in front of you, with many possibilities, I found it all very exciting. With retirement you know the majority of your life is over and you are in the final phase of your life, hoping you have enough money to live and you stay healthy for as long as possible. The prospects aren't great,tbh the more I think about retirement the more I find it less appealing

You are a right 'Job's comforter' !
Retirement should in my opinion be called Reinvention!

Some advice I find helpful is
' The key to living a happy, fulfilling retirement, is not just about what you add into your life, it's about what you let go of, in order to create new space for different experiences'.

The categories to consider to let go of are:
* activities
* possessions and obligations
* people
* attitudes 

That's how I'm seeing it.  I am genuinely excited to move onto the next phase.  At 53 I certainly do not see this as the final phase.  Have been listening to a podcast called 'middle man' recently which has captured some of my feelings wonderfully and explained some of the things that I've been experiencing the last few years, despite having what many would consider a great job with loads of autonomy.

It's just today is quite momentous in that journey.

I think even if the outcome is actually what you want, there’s still a parallel universe where they declined your VR and you’re continuing in your current role and life. And there’s a sort of grieving for that too. With all the five year anniversaries currently in the news I’ve been revisiting our plans that were scuppered by the pandemic, which would have involved me working another 2+ years, but as a more relaxed and less burnt out version of me today. 

I’m listening to Meditations for Mortals (Oliver Burkeman) which is meant to be approached as a sort of ‘Thought for the Day’ over a month. In case it inspires a bit of reinvention!

LHW99

Theoretically "retirement" is surely the point at which you can say **** you to the lot of'em.

Whether you then actually stop working, go part-time / consultant, sell up and become a hobo or treat it as a never ending holiday is entirely up to your own inclination / personality.

Once you reach that point, at whatever age, you're out of the "got to do this because..." stage and into the "yeah that'll suit me if I do that" stage. Much more fun!

Smudgeismydog

nicknameless said:

Well just had my vol redundancy confirmed.  Have 2 weeks to sign docs.  Will finish end of June.

Am literally in shock right now.  Not sure how I thought I would react and it has been absolute mental torture waiting for the outcome.  Now it's confirmed am a bit numb.

Is there a psychiatrist in the house?

I think your feelings are perfectly normal and natural, it will take time for it to sink in. There is no rush, you have over 3 months of starting to slowly adjust to your new life.

I had a 6 month notice period, and the work and expectations reduced over that time, so by the end I had in effect already started living my retirement life.

This does not mean you will never return to work either, I remain very open minded, although over the last 9 months, as I settle more into my new routines, that does look increasingly unlikely, but who knows.