Boredom and retirement

Retirement at the beginning is not easy for some of us, we are so used to doing it at work, at home at leisure. But after a few adjustments, we find our rhythm and I have heard so many say something like “I am so busy; I don’t remember how I did it all when I was working.”  Once you are retired you may need to make adjustments that ensure that you can enjoy your retirement.

After years of living mostly separate lives on most days, spouses sometimes find that retirement affords too much together time.

I have heard some women friends state that the hardest part of retirement at first was having their husbands around all of the time. While some of my men friends make resent the idea that because they are at home, they are expected to contribute and because they are not cognizant of what needs to be done, they may be given a list of chores which they call the “honey-do” list.

Once retired your time is your own, and some people miss the routine that work imposes. When you are retired, one does not see as may people and so others miss colleagues. There are a few people who genuinely enjoyed their work more once they are retired.

However, there are some retirees who are so worn out, used up, exhausted, and burnt out from their careers, that they don’t have the energy to make the most of their time in retirement.

As we get older, we cannot do what we used to do with the same energy and some of us resent the challenges that ageing brings. But as one of my friends pointed out, “Old age isn’t so bad when you consider the alternative.”

We are a sandwich generation; we are living longer and all of us have older relatives that are living longer as well. While many people consider care giving to be a privilege, there is no way around the fact that giving care to older relatives is incredibly difficult. The time and energy it takes can be a burden for some.

One of the hardest parts of retirement is saying goodbye to family and friends that pass away. Loss is very hard. However, it can also serve as a poignant reminder to live the life you want.

Many retirees can relate to the quote from Bill Watterson, author and illustrator of Calvin and Hobbes, “There’s never enough time to do all the nothing you want.”

When you first retire, the hardest parts of retirement are retirement boredom, feeling that there is nothing to Do, and Feeling Irrelevant.