I'm retired one week and want to go back, how crazy is that

S

sanman87

Confused about dryer sheets
Joined
Jun 16, 2008
Messages
3
I just retired last Monday ( St. Patrick's Day) and already I'm sorry. I have a very decent pension and my wife is still working, so its not the money but the finality of being out of the real work force has me not sleeping . Is this normal? Any advice or comments are appreciated.
 
Did you retire because you had achieved your "number" or because you thought you had achieved all of your career goals and were ready to step out of the rat race?
 
It is normal. Retirement is a big change, and change is hard. Give yourself some time to get used to it and use that time to think through what you want to do with your new-found free time.
 
Hi sanman87,
This could be a great thread. Usually all we see are folks that retire and love it. It would be great to explore the down side a little bit. Maybe we can help you figure out where you might want to go from here. There are lots of folks with different experiences while retiring here so stick around and see what some have to say. Hope you get things figured out so you feel better about your situation. In my case, the last two times I have seen my old boss, he as asked me to come back to work, so maybe something like that could work for you if you decide retirement just isn't for you quite yet.
 
Some measure of unease/misgivings is more the norm than the exception, based on what I've read here over the years.

If you haven't you do need to think about what you want to do with the time that you used to spend at work. Most find it a new-found freedom.

For starters, I'd suggest the longest-running thread on this forum, what did you do today? That'll keep you busy for the next couple of weeks and if you don't get some ideas from that, well, I don't have a good answer for you.

Welcome to the forum!
 
I am going to get that book. I'm also going to stick around and see what others might be saying. Thanks.
 
A friend of mine has recently semi ER'd and he had the same sort of "panic attack" about being aimless and adrift. And he is mildly Type A.. lol

From what I have read it isn't unheard of. When I pull the plug, I'm thinking about giving myself a little vacation time and then having a project or big trip planned that will take up a lot of my time to plan/"work" on, to ease the transition. You might think of tasking yourself with a similar big challenge...
 
I retired Feb. 28, so I have about 4 weeks experience with early retirement. I admit that I still think about the old job but I really don't understand why. I was really stressed out and couldn't wait to get out of there. Instead of getting up at 4:50 AM to get in my exercise before work, I can now sleep in till about 6:30 AM. Other than that, so far, the days seem to fly by, and I can relate to the old saying "how did I ever have time to work 8 hours a day?" I have a couple of projects but I am going to work on them as the mood hits. When nice weather finally arrives I will have way more projects than I can ever accomplish so I won't get bored.

Maybe I would not feel the same if DW was still working. We like the new found freedom to take off on the spur of the moment. It also helped a bit that we just got back from a week down in Key West that was a sort of retirement celebration.

No way would I want to go back to work.
 
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Took me months to be able to sleep. I got over it, I'm sure you will too.
Congratulations,
MRG
 
I don't think it's crazy. I'm planning to RE shortly and it worries me, too. But I won't look back.

After giving yourself ample time and opportunity, if retirement still does not work for you, I hope you can go back to work. Good luck & best wishes.
 
I wouldn't conclude anything after a week, retirement is a significant milestone. It took me a good month to fully grasp that I really was retired. Thankfully it's rare, but I think about my former job occasionally even after almost 3 years retired. And I certainly miss many of the working relationships, but not the job itself or Corporate AT ALL.
 
I'm currently reading How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free and it has some very concrete and useful exercises. Getting some physical exercise often helps with sleep problems, and now you have the time to do it.
 
One of the reasons why I keep working is to have no regret when leaving my profession. I want to make sure FIRE is right at the time of my choosing.
 
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sanman87 said:
I am going to get that book. I'm also going to stick around and see what others might be saying. Thanks.
Click to expand...

I am glad you are going to get that book, because I have heard it is terrific.

I had a very easy adjustment, but those last few weeks before retirement can be a little nerve-wracking. Questions arising from my uncertainty came to my mind like, "Will it happen?", "Will something unexpected prevent me from retiring?", "Am I old and irrelevant?", and "Am I really financially ready?". I can imagine how this barrage of self-talk could become overwhelming, especially if anything even a little negative really did happen to set me off. Just a thoughtless or unkind word from someone early in my retirement might have freaked me out, in that fairly twitchy state of mind. Luckily that did not happen, but it could have.

Oh, did I mention that I felt kind of lost? No direction, nothing that I had to do, free to be me! :eek: I didn't know what to do next (but I resolved that feeling by going to the gym or shopping when I felt "at sea" like that).

Cut yourself a little slack - - adjustment to retirement is a big accomplishment and sometimes takes a while. Your feelings don't mean that you made a mistake; they just mean that you are going to relax, unwind, think about your decision, and hopefully come to some sort of peace with it.
 
Maybe what you are feeling is like buyer's remorse. Sometimes it just takes a while to orient yourself to a new reality and quit second guessing a decision. :confused:
 
Its just another chapter in your life. It took me about 24 hours before I adjusted:cool: I was almost 65 and wanted out. The no stress part is what I really enjoy, especially not having to deal with drama in the workforce and a boss:facepalm:.

My body had aged where I was having a tough time getting through the day. Aches and pains that I did not have when I was young had set in.

If I want now I just sleep late and care less if I accomplish anything. I have more time to walk and read. I also like to play golf and can play most anytime I want. It has been over two years for me and so far I have loved it. I see no way I could ever go back working full time.


I hope I have saved enough but one never knows:cool:. I have no debt which helps. If my wife was not retired I might look at it different.

I have a 1st cousin same age as me that has been retired for 15 months. His wife still works and I think sometimes she gets an attitude on him because he is not working:(. Its seem to be best when both husband and wife retire about the same time.:) Oldtrig
 
I had a rough time the first couple months, but now I am doing way better. Give it time.
 
Give it time. I dreamed about work for weeks and still do sometimes - 6 years into ER.

Hopefully, you have things you are interested in doing now that you have the time. If not, start experimenting.
 
Friend of a friend made a ton of money and retired and bought a yacht for himself and his wife to travel the world. After less than a week he couldn't take it anymore and chartered a flight home and went right back to work. Do whatever makes you happy.
 
See my post of 10/01/13. Basically, same issue as you. Retirement requires adjustment, particularly if came suddenly or as another poster said, if you have "Type A" tendencies. I'd give it a little time.

I ended up going back to work, after publicly wondering if I should on this board. I made a commitment to people I'd worked with earlier in my career, and I really wish I had stayed retired. Financially, I'm fine. I could quit tomorrow and never worry again. But, as I said, I made a commitment. Except with politicians, promises matter.

So, take some time before jumping off a cliff.
 
It took me several months - I actually experienced something close to depression. Now, I can't believe I felt that way lol. It's a major life change. You're going to experience some immediate remorse. Get involved in something else right away.

Need a new phrase for it - something akin to 'buyers remorse'.
 
A lot of people do end up going back to work. I did for another five years but with a significant difference. That time I had the option to quit any time I wanted to.

That makes a lot of difference.
 
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