Retirement & Mental Health ........ ( Tips, Ideas )

[mezzaninedoor]

I'm retiring on 9th October. Think I've luckily got the money side sorted so that I can do that. However I've got nervousness about navigating my BiPolar during my retirement.

https://tonyamis.blogspot.com/2019/09/regrets-ive-had-few-but-then-again-too.html

If you have any good ideas for me then please do post. I'm thinking about getting a home exercise bicycle for instance.

[DustingMyselfOff]

Hi Mezzanine.
Went through / going through the same thing. I have been working long days and high-stress jobs for over 30 years now and was completely burnt out, it was affecting me physically and negatively. I had not planned on retiring at 62 but I hit a wall where I almost had no choice, I could not go on the way I was going. I went through many months of soul-searching, financial analysts, therapy appointments, etc. all trying to help me figure out if I should retire or not. It was agreed that I couldn't keep up the pace I had been much longer, but I wasn't sure my husband could sustain us without my income, and there was a lot of guilt mixed in with that, but mostly I worried what would become of me if I no longer had those 14-hour days of corporate stuff demanding my time and attention. Too much time on the hands of a person with anxiety can be a terrible thing. Took me months of crying, sleepless nights, talks with my husband and friends, and finally knew I had no choice.... I gave my 2-months' notice.

The first two months of retirement? HEAVENLY! No commitments, no deadlines, no pressure, sleeping as late as I wanted, not leaving the house at all if I didn't feel like it. I had promised myself I would take 6 months to take care of ME, physically and mentally, and then I would decide if I wanted to go back to work (a different, less-demanding job) or if I wanted to continue retirement. I did so many home projects those first two months, remodeling, painting, cleaning out closets, etc. I was a ball of energy, but on my own timeline. Then in the third month, I fell into a funk. I didn't feel like doing home projects anymore, all I wanted to do was watch TV or read. And I turned into a tired, lazy, couch potato who felt depression and anxiety creeping in. I started looking online for part-time jobs in a field I'd enjoy that would force me to get out of the house a few days a week and put some "fun money" in my pocket. The idea really excited me but I couldn't find anything that really appealed to me with do-able hours and driving distance. By the fourth month, I started to think that I was glad I hadn't found anything because I was finally falling into an acceptable routine. I would wake up at a decent hour, lounge for a while, then take on a project or some errands, take a break, then go to the gym, make dinner, do some chores, and then relax with my husband for the evening. At that point I started hoping the few resumes I had sent out would NOT call me because now I was enjoying no commitments again!

And the call came (one week ago today). "Are you still interested in the part-time position? Can you come in for an interview?" I said yes (because that's what I do) and long story short, I started training yesterday. I think I'm going to love it but it's too soon to tell. It will be three afternoons a week, and one weekend a month. Very do-able on paper, but time will tell.

ANYWAY, the morale of my long post is that I read that it takes 6-months to a year to adjust to the retirement lifestyle and I believe that's accurate. You will go through lots of ups and downs and confusing feelings, and you just need to ride them out and let time pass. At some point you will know what you feel like doing with your time, but don't make any strong commitments in the first few months. When we are accustomed to being in high gear for many hours a day, every day, for many years, suddenly waking up and having no commitment is like hitting a brick wall. It hits hard. Take your time exploring your new lifestyle, and congrats on the retirement!
Sue

[mezzaninedoor]

Sue,
Thank you for being so honest with me, I really appreciate you taking the time to tell your retirement story so far. I'm sure you are right that it will take time to get used to retirement and I plan to do that, ease myself into the days and nights. My Wife is retired as well however she does now work 1-3 days a week as the mood takes her as she is a bank Nurse Practitioner in the UK. We will miss my money but I can replace some of it with my Pension/Package so hopefully that will help stress levels as well.
I think, with my BiPolar, I have to be careful about mania, anxiety and low mood and so I need to have a shape to my days and try and avoid laying in as thats especially what I do when my low mood kicks in. I have a dog and my plan is that I will be up and walking the dog by 8.30 am) every day, will see how that beds in.
My meds have seen my metabolism fail me and I've put 3 stone on in the last year, I need to arrest that in some way as well.
Thanks for your kind words and taking the rime,

Tony

[DustingMyselfOff]

Hi Tony.
Good luck with the dog walking! I, too, told everyone that walking my dogs twice a day, every day, was the only commitment I was making during my early retirement. And I failed pitifully. LOL I spent the first few months of my retirement sleeping in much too late, and by the time I had my coffee and "breakfast", there were other things that needed tending to and before you know it, it was time to think about supper.

But now, after 6 month of being home and starting a "healthy lifestyle" 3 weeks ago, I am definitely walking my dog at least once a day, and instead of two walks, I'm making sure that the one walk is at least 1.5 miles. Good for me, my weight, and my dogs.

The fact that you are already aware of the potential issues with retiring and are planning ahead and scoping out options is a good thing - you'll do fine. I think it's the people who naively assume retirement is wonderful and don't foresee any downsides are the ones who get blind-sided by the negatives.
Sue

[Noivous]

I'm retiring on 9th October. Think I've luckily got the money side sorted so that I can do that. However I've got nervousness about navigating my BiPolar during my retirement.

https://tonyamis.blogspot.com/2019/09/regrets-ive-had-few-but-then-again-too.html

If you have any good ideas for me then please do post. I'm thinking about getting a home exercise bicycle for instance.

Congratulations on your pending retirement, Mezz. If you can handle being BP and having a career (which BTW kudos for that) then I would expect you can handle retirement.

What if anything do you expect to do in retirement? Hey Trump could use some volunteers for his upcoming re-election?😉

[mezzaninedoor]

Congratulations on your pending retirement, Mezz. If you can handle being BP and having a career (which BTW kudos for that) then I would expect you can handle retirement.

What if anything do you expect to do in retirement? Hey Trump could use some volunteers for his upcoming re-election?

I suspect political campaigning is something that i'll leave to others though I'm sure I will have time to join in many healthy debates
I plan to read, write, make music, probably volunteer at some point for something I believe in ( libraries maybe )

I'm hoping that I can navigate my BiPolar when I have perhaps less stricture to my life than I have had

[mezzaninedoor]

Mez… Why not get a real wheels-on-the-road-fresh-air-in-your-lungs genuine bicycle? Set yourself some circuits and get out of the house and away from all those mithersome distractions, like politics… This is my one and only ‘good idea’!

PS: You could also use it to actually go places you might usually travel to in your car – and help save the planet into the bargain…

Kindest well-meant regards.

I have a bicycle, I need to pump them tyres up Pain