Anyone go through retirement Hell?

[The Cosmic Avenger]

My purpose in working was to make money to pay the bills and save for early retirement.

And now that my money makes more money than I do, why would I want to work??

 

[rodi]

I really dislike that he assumes that being retired doesn't offer meaning. Many retired people live very meaningful lives - doting on grandkids, exploring the world, volunteering, watching the entire netflix library. LOL.

A few things struck out from this judgey fluff piece:
1) he was mostly nervous because he'd never paid attention to finances and was nervous their cashflow wasn't ok. When he invested time in learning the facts of his household finances (wife had managed the money/bills) he was fine.
2) He seemed to forget the stress of his previous job (which he was unhappy about) and replaced it with self inflicted stress of needing 'meaningful' whatever.

As Michael suggested - it appears he's just started another career... not really retired.

 

[RobbieB]

Probably another guy w/o any hobbies.

 

[Marita40]

I have never understood the reason why some people seem to find their only "purpose" in work. Such people must be extremely narrow in their outlook. It is a big world out there, with a million ways to find "purpose."

 

[daylatedollarshort]

I have never understood the reason why some people seem to find their only "purpose" in work.

Stockholm syndrome.

 

[Amethyst]

Doesn't it make you wonder what kind of kids they must have been? Once school is out, always complaining "there's nothing to do."

I have never understood the reason why some people seem to find their only "purpose" in work. Such people must be extremely narrow in their outlook. It is a big world out there, with a million ways to find "purpose."

 

[Amethyst]

His way of phrasing things definitely struck me as condescending toward those he labels "comfort-seeking." Sort of a "not that there's anything wrong with that" intonation.

I really dislike that he assumes that being retired doesn't offer meaning. Many retired people live very meaningful lives - doting on grandkids, exploring the world, volunteering, watching the entire netflix library. LOL.

.

 

[Teacher Terry]

I struggled at first because I didn’t have a lot of hobbies and most my friends were younger and still working. Then I found new meaning in teaching a online college class for 8 years. Now my friends are retired and I still do some consulting. At 67 I am much more content with retirement.

Retirement hell was my dad having to retire at 53 due to poor health. At 59 he had a massive stroke and my mom had to retire to take care of him for 14 long years. They had planned on doing a lot of traveling. Thankfully they did some before he had the stroke.

 

[Out of Steam]

I found it very interesting as I seem to be on the journey to finding my retirement bliss. Good to know that others have trouble with the transition and I'm not alone. Seems that all I read here is never looked back and it has been pure joy. It is OK for me to take time to find my place and happiness not having a j*b.

There are adjustments all of us have to make in retirement, and I haven't filled out the set of activities and hobbies to use my time enjoyably. My wife is doing some part-time work from home with the company she retired from. Our situation has been complicated by moving and retiring a few months before the pandemic.

We also let our income fall unnecessarily by not fully replacing a retirement incentive payment from savings after it ran out last fall. We are now fixing that.

Does this add up to retirement hell? No way.

 

[Chuckanut]

At this moment I am at the park with a grand. We already hit up the Farmers Market for goodies. I’m doing this to help my child who is a single parent. What could possibly be more useful and important?

 

[jollystomper]

I have never understood the reason why some people seem to find their only "purpose" in work. Such people must be extremely narrow in their outlook. It is a big world out there, with a million ways to find "purpose."

Sometimes the "perks" of work, which would not be available if not working, are what people value more. Sometimes the "I do not know what I would do if I was retired" from co-workers was really "I do not know what I would do if I was retired that would still make me look important and powerful to other peope".

 

[ncbill]

Prefer hanging with people I choose instead of a random group I didn't, i.e. co-workers.

Never saw any of them again once I left the corporate world to become a full-time caregiver to my mom.

 

[WhenIsItTime]

Retirement hell would be some kind of health issue like mentioned previously.

I retired at <50 years old and get this comment from others, but it is often the mindset of someone working who hasn’t planned for retirement and is trying to justify their path.

 

[rk911]

No. I guess that I am one of those comfort-oriented retirees.

(emphasis added)

us as well so +2

 

[RobbieB]

I'm quite happy having never experienced retirement hell. I'm in retirement heaven!

Where you're supposed to go after your death (departure) from work -

 

[harley]

All that is necessary for happiness is finding out what your special purpose is for.

 

[Calico]

I'm only 7 months into retirement, but so far, so good.

No sign whatsoever of retirement hell - just all comfort, all the time!

 

[tmm99]

It sounds like the author's anxiety was as much about money as keeping busy or having purpose. .

It seems like that's what the article was trying to say, but never got into how he overcame the second problem. It starts out saying he was in retirement hell without any purpose and then ends with he felt better because he realized he had enough money. His book may be good, but the article was disjointed and messages were weak, at best.

 

[Scuba]

Beats working hell....

You bet it does! Well said.

 

[mystang52]

full disclosure, I only skimmed the article, mainly because what I did read seemed to me a crock of spit. To each his/her own, but I'm quite happy.

 

[DrRoy]

I went from B to the hiker. No C.

 

[audreyh1]

You’re as free as a bird. For some—those I call comfort-oriented retirees—this will be enough. But at some point, many retirees will feel a need to do something else—something more meaningful, interesting and challenging. This is when the slide down into retirement hell begins. That brings me to the graph below, which is from my new book.

This illustrates how many working people simply can’t seem to think outside the box. Being retired doesn’t keep you from doing meaningful, interesting and challenging things at all. Work is not the only avenue for those types of activities. It does mean you have to be self motivated and maybe also resourceful. Some people aren’t self motivated. Maybe they do better with a job. I also think some people are afraid to trust themselves to make fulfilling use of a lot of free time (notice I didn’t say “good” use).

 

[Breedlove]

So true , I have been doing so many different things since I retired . I don’t know if I could even do my old job . I would get bored and probably quit.

 

[Chuckanut]

People who enjoy their work are usually people who have significant control over what they do, when they do it, and how it fits in with the rest of their life. Alas, for most of us that is lacking.

Oh, count me in with the oriented group of retirees. Sometimes when I wonder what I should be dong with life after work, I think of what life at work was actually like in those last 5 years. Then I take a nap. When I wake up, the problem is gone.

 

[old medic]

Quote from the article....
I had trouble sleeping most nights and would get this ringing in my ears from all the stress I was experiencing. After falling asleep, I’d usually wake up around 2 a.m. and spend the rest of the night tossing and turning.

THIS IS ME NOW!!!!!!! I'm hoping retiring will fix that... LOL
I have a bunch of friends that we do lots together for years... Kayak river camping trips, offroad riding, just gather and hang out.... lately....most of the time I just get pictures and stories... there all retired now....