Community Chat

[gellen]

Did you experience the same thing or where you happy from the get go? It was my choice. I guess I will need to find more things to fill my time as I am single with a smaller townhouse.

[LindaSal]

I retired with my DH so that may have made it a bit easier than being alone.  I have to say even though there was a bit of an adjustment period I was still quite happy.  As many from our generation we have worked a very long time and most of us started fairly young.   I just love having my days to myself to do what I want to do and when. 

There are always appointments to go to and lunches with friends but for the most part I enjoy being home cooking and reading a good book.  Travel, well thankfully we are still able to do it comfortably and that, we enjoy immensely!  

You will adjust, no worries there.  Give yourself a little time to relax and to stop and smell the roses!  Congrats

[IMW]

How long are you retired. Give yourself time. I was thrilled from day one, but I had physical issues and my job became very difficult.

I started reading and watching movies vociferously, that was 17 years ago. I was able to retire at 56. 

[haddon9]

Right now I'm having breakfast before going off to my crafting class at a local art center.  The class has about 8 women, all retired and we learn a lot of new techniques (wet felting) and it's 3 hours long.  Lots of other daytime classes too from fine art to other crafts.

There is also a local community college nearby that has adult classes too.  If I had more energy, I would join a gym and take classes there.  However the township has exercise classes that I have gone to before and it has mostly retired women (during the weekday morning & afternoons).

Some of the women in my crafting class volunteer at an animal shelter or food bank.

Just before the pandemic I learned how to play Mah Jongg and joined a group with about a dozen women.  We would meet at a local Corner Bakery (out of business now) which had a community room for us to play.

Just a few ideas....

[CalminHeart]

I'm sorry you're having a tough time. It can take time for some people.  

Here are some things I did.

Join a senior center. I exercise there. I've taken yoga and other classes. I've participated in some social activities through the center. I made friends. 

Develop a social life. I have had more fun and a better social life since retiring than ever before.

Try something new. Just because you try something doesn't mean you have to stick with it. If you don't like it, try something else. 

Go to the Library.

Help at a charity once or twice a week.

Help your church with things. Get involved in a group activity through your church. 

I love to mow the lawn, garden, walk my dog, enjoy the sunshine on the deck, read, and do things I've never done before. 

Retirement was pure relief for me. I was happy the second I walked out of the building and never looked back. I was high enough up in a huge international corporation for nearly 40 years and saw the changes and maltreatment of employees firsthand. I used to get reprimanded for not treating my departments the same. 

I admit part of my relief was that I was grandfathered into the defined benefit plan and other retiree benefits - they cancelled all of them at the end of that year. 

[Carmie]

I retired at age 55 and boy, was I ready.  I had had enough of working full time in a high stress job.

I volunteered for about seven years every day for three hours at my local elementary school.  I mostly enjoyed working with the children and it kept me busy, but not overwhelmed.  It was nice to have my summers free.

At age 62, I stopped volunteering.  It took a while to settle.  I did miss the kids.

Now I keep busy with reading/gardening and I take care of a friend in a retirement home.  I am her POA.  I visit her a few times a week and do her laundry and occasionally drive her to a doctor's appointment, then we go to lunch.

If you want to keep busy, there are many things you can do.  You can volunteer or find a part time job that is easy and satisfying just to be around people and feel useful.

It sometimes takes a while to change your routine and get over the schedule of getting up and going to work everyday, but after a while, you settle in and enjoy all that free time.

Best of luck to you and congratulations on your retirement.

[I am still oxox]

My job was eliminated when I was 62 so I made the decision to retire. SInce I had worked at home it was not much different. My hubby worked at home one day a week which was always interesting. I went to the gym and took all sorts of interesting classes at the JCC. My hubby retired May 2020, 5 days before his 65 birthday we were very glad that he pre planned everything. It was the beginning of Covid and he could not have a retirement party so one lunch time we had a Zoom party,

[Major Shopper]

@gellen Congratulations on your retirement!

Do you have a Community Center in your area?

Joining a group will definitely keep you busy!

Sometimes just tapping into one group will open doors to many others. 

Local libraries have many groups with various interests.

Since retirement I have learned to play Pickleball, Bridge, and MahJongg.

I've learned to Tap Dance!

I've joined a book club and a local group that has activities every day of the week!

Happy Hour is tonight!!!

What I am trying to say is Retirement is what you make of it. 

Best of luck!

[vermint]

I was happy from the get-go...but I'd never really been "happy" at any of the 3 jobs I'd held since 1974! The first 2 were "okay" at first, both with very large companies, but the longer I was at each of them, the more things changed...and not in a good way. 

The last 23 years I spent running my husband's office...that was pretty good, but by the time we retired, I was more than ready, and so was he! 

I love being on my own schedule, and doing what I want to do when I want to do it. I have found that other people want to fill up my time, and have had to learn to say "NO", and mean it. I did join a group at my church that meets monthly September--May, and enjoy it a lot. I also volunteer at a couple of yearly events we do. For now, that's enough for me.

Take your time trying new things and, like someone else said, know that you don't have to keep on if you don't enjoy them. 

[Travone]

1. I am recently retired and have no regrets or adjustment issues.  But, I encourage everyone who is planning on retiring to have a plan.  You must know how you are going to fill your time. I planned my retirement for several years. 
2.  
3. I have a friend who retired at 60 with no plan.  5 years later she sleeps until noon and then watches television until 3 or 4 in the morning.  She's not happy but she won't make changes.  She isn't living her retirement she is existing...... She is too young for this.  Have a plan that works for you.

Sorry, I can't get rid of the numbers.