cyclical moods

[JmfromTx]

I've been retired for almost a year now and I find that I have a few days a month that I don't feel like doing sh!t. It's some kind of weird cycle and I can't figure it out. I've learned to just wait it out and do laundry and vacuum and what not and in a couple of days I'm kicking a$$ and taking names again. Do any of you experience this?

 

[REWahoo]

I've been retired for almost a year now and I find that I have a few days a month that I don't feel like doing sh!t. It's some kind of weird cycle and I can't figure it out. I've learned to just wait it out and do laundry and vacuum and what not and in a couple of days I'm kicking a$$ and taking names again. Do any of you experience this?

Yes, I have almost the exact same symptoms - except for that laundry and vacuuming and what not part.

 

[W2R]

I've been retired for almost a year now and I find that I have a few days a month that I don't feel like doing sh!t. It's some kind of weird cycle and I can't figure it out. I've learned to just wait it out and do laundry and vacuum and what not and in a couple of days I'm kicking a$$ and taking names again. Do any of you experience this?

Maybe you are overdoing it on the "kicking a$$ and taking names" part of the cycle, and you just need some rest. No chance to rest at work anymore...

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

My father, who retired at 65 and expired at 92, told me that in retirement he was subject to significant mood swings.

I think some of it could have been minimized if he had taken any physical exercise.

 

[Nords]

I've been retired for almost a year now and I find that I have a few days a month that I don't feel like doing sh!t. It's some kind of weird cycle and I can't figure it out. I've learned to just wait it out and do laundry and vacuum and what not and in a couple of days I'm kicking a$$ and taking names again. Do any of you experience this?

I feel that way a few days a month too... usually the 1st through the 10th, the 11th through the 20th, and the 21st through the 30th.

Except for February.

Kidding aside, the key is deciding to do just one thing for just 20 minutes a day, which leaves you the rest of the day to celebrate your accomplishment.

It's also wise to get some sort of exercise during the day, whether it's a gym workout or a martial-arts class or a neighborhood walk or "just" going surfing. Running errands also counts.

 

[veremchuka]

No, but why worry - you are retired! You can do what you want when you want and you don't have to answer to anyone. Enjoy it!

 

[Brdofpray]

I agree with Nords. A wise man (my father-inlaw) once said upon our retirement. "Remember, you only have to accomplish one thing in your day." Sometimes, I get up, make the bed, tell DW, I am done for the day. Other days, I am building a patio in the back yard, or putting in a wet bar in the rec-room. The point is not to stress over what you are doing, or not doing. Whatever you are doing, it is because you want to do it.

 

[Goonie]

I've been retired for almost a year now and I find that I have a few days a month that I don't feel like doing sh!t. It's some kind of weird cycle and I can't figure it out......

No, but why worry - you are retired! You can do what you want when you want and you don't have to answer to anyone. Enjoy it!

There are days I don't feel like doing sh!t either, so I attempt to give my full effort into accomplishing not doing sh!t. Sometimes I achieve success!

In my opinion, it simply a matter that for so many years, through school and then from work, we've been engrained to believe that we 'NEED' to accomplish things every day. And now that we're retired, we still lug that baggage along with us. However, in my view, we 'accomplished' in school, then we 'accomplished' at work, and now in retirement we don't 'NEED' to accomplish anything. All we 'NEED' to do now in retirement is enjoy life!!!

That said, if an emergency arises or something of great urgency, I'll take care of it. Otherwise, things get done as needed, according to my timetable, but not just because I feel that I need to accomplish something.

It's been working fine for me for almost 5 years!!! YMMV

 

[JmfromTx]

There are days I don't feel like doing sh!t either, so I attempt to give my full effort into accomplishing not doing sh!t. Sometimes I achieve success!

In my opinion, it simply a matter that for so many years, through school and then from work, we've been engrained to believe that we 'NEED' to accomplish things every day. And now that we're retired, we still lug that baggage along with us. However, in my view, we 'accomplished' in school, then we 'accomplished' at work, and now in retirement we don't 'NEED' to accomplish anything. All we 'NEED' to do now in retirement is enjoy life!!!

That said, if an emergency arises or something of great urgency, I'll take care of it. Otherwise, things get done as needed, according to my timetable, but not just because I feel that I need to accomplish something.

It's been working fine for me for almost 5 years!!! YMMV

I think you hit the nail on the head. The more I accomplish in a given day the better I feel when I go to bed. Maybe it's a phase I will gradually grow out of.

 

[Moemg]

In my opinion, it simply a matter that for so many years, through school and then from work, we've been engrained to believe that we 'NEED' to accomplish things every day. And now that we're retired, we still lug that baggage along with us. However, in my view, we 'accomplished' in school, then we 'accomplished' at work, and now in retirement we don't 'NEED' to accomplish anything. All we 'NEED' to do now in retirement is enjoy life!!!

You really nailed it ! Whenever I feel guilty for not accomplishing something I think of all those years I ran between work ,day care & managing a family ( cooking ,cleaning , wifely stuff , shopping laundry ,paying bills ,entertaining & being a girl scout leader ) . Wow ! That list exhausted me no wonder I need to chill out .

 

[Mulligan]

I think you hit the nail on the head. The more I accomplish in a given day the better I feel when I go to bed. Maybe it's a phase I will gradually grow out of.

I fight this, too. I dont know if I will ever change or not. A way I have gotten around this, is to " stack the deck in my favor" on certain days. Meaning as I do a bunch of little things that I can accomplish quickly and easy, then psychologically I have convinced myself I got a lot of things accomplished for the day. Also appears for me anyways, if something truly needs to get done, I have to get started on it before noon. If I let the morning completely slip away, I lose enthusiasm to get anything done.

 

[TromboneAl]

I'll bet you've always been that way, but when working, you didn't have time to notice, or didn't have the luxury of neglecting things.

For me, every Sunday is "No responsibility day." That works well.

 

[Midpack]

I'll bet you've always been that way, but when working, you didn't have time to notice, or didn't have the luxury of neglecting things.

+1. Having only retired 6 months ago it may be fresher in my mind. I distinctly remember having wonderful, productive days spotted with days where motivation was [-]a little[/-] very scarce...and so far retirement has been much the same.