Did you find yourself mentally switching off coming up to retirement

Fairly simil

I retired early at 60 from teaching three years ago. I knew I had to go as I was constantly exhausted. So from the February that year everyone knew I was retiring at summer. That meant I didn't have to do any forward planning or attend any meetings relating to the new session. I spent the time gutting and organising the book store which had got into a dreadful guddle. It was my gift to the department who moaned about it all the time ? I also set up folders in the department space online and downloaded all my lessons and resources. I had spent a lot of the last few years preparing lessons on smartboards so all those went on too. I was still teaching classes in between so, no, I didn't give up the brain work! I think it helped me actually, as it gave me a purpose to finish effectively.

I decided to go and left very quickly afterwards. I worked in a university, and I put in my notice in July and had gone by September, so I left when there were no students around and a lot of staff were on leave. It was a bit odd not being able to say goodbye to many people, as I'd been there for a lot of years, but in many ways I think that was for the best.

Instead of preparing everything for the oncoming academic year I was able to do a very thorough handover to my successor. I was 57 when I left. I did go to a professional body meeting before I left and was asked to do some consultancy work and dissertation supervision for a different university, which has eased me into retirement. I will do that for as long as they want me, or until I feel that I am too out of touch to do it well. I enjoy it, as it makes me feel relevant, gives me the buzz of working with and around young people, and supplements the meagre pension that I have to live on until the state one kicks in.

I am also able to go in (literally or via the Internet), do the work and go home, rather than manage or take charge of anything other than day to day things within my limited remit, which took a (very little) bit of getting used to but is actually liberating. I have no regrets at all - the job I left was a million miles from the one I went into. Political changes, public attitudes, the massive threats to free speech and the denigration of expertise have made universities quite toxic places to work, but teaching and being around young people (which was always the best part for me) is as rewarding as I've always found it, so the new arrangement has worked out well. I also have lots of free time to indulge my own interests and get involved in things that I enjoy doing.

I retired because of Rheumatoid arthritis at 62, two years earlier than I’d planned. I woke one morning with a dreadful flare up - totally out the blue. Couldn’t hold a cup of tea, never mind drive. I expected a week’s rest would sort it. A year later, medical assessments convinced me I wouldn’t work again. It was hard to accept and tough to be unable to properly take work to its conclusions. Not to have endings/goodbyes with children and families or colleagues.
My health gradually improved, not least because of my wonderful consultant and new meds. 11 years on , feel fortunate and love retirement

I retired a year ago on my 66th birthday. I was anxious at first only because of money. I did hum and arr for a while but was so fed up with the politics which spoilt a really nice work environment. I also noticed that HR always came down on the side of management. So I was happy to leave and havent looked back. I did wind down, did my job but knew it would soon end and couldnt wait to go.

I loved my work in the NHS but the politics, the nastiness of the SSN, well it was just the straw that broke the camels back. 12 hour shifts coming up at 63 , I was off like a shot.

Definitely Yes. Time to enjoy a different way of life best wishes

We retired three years ago from our family business my husband worked there nearly fifty years. He had worked elsewhere for his required apprenticeship. I worked with him part time for twenty two years.
It was the end of the business that my father in law had started. Our children went their own way career wise so we closed.
I had started helping with our grandchildren so was occupied. My husband knew he would have to plan his days. The only let down was not long after retirement Covid arrived. Two sets of our friends retired the same time as we did not a great start!

I was one of the first to take early retirement (on a good financial deal )in the late 80s.
We had taken a new way of life (religious) so had a lot to plan for.
But I had loved my job, and the social life with my colleagues.
25 years later, I'm still in touch with many of them.
After retirement I was still able to continue with several voluntary jobs related to my past profession.

I made a paper chart with 100 squares, marked 100 going down to 1, the number of salary days until I retired. Pinned up discreetly on a wall at work, crossed them off one by one, (8 years, 4 months),

What a relief when I crossed the last one off, nine years ago now. Sad though, as years ago I loved my (bank) job, but by retirement, so ready to finish.

I certainly switched off from the misogynistic attitudes of senior management when I retired. They made a misery of work for the admin and shop floor staff.

I didn’t switch off from anything else. It was such a relief to be away from the toxic and bullying atmosphere.

I think it's very common Beswitched. When Mr. S. retired, he was the last of his family to run the family business set up by his GGF in 1890!!

Once he'd made the decision like Chewbacca, he felt as if a weight had been lifted and although there are aspects he misses, he was there all of his working life 48 years to be exact, he's never looked back.

I didnt "retire" as such. My contract came to an end and I was only a few months short of retirement age (60 at my time). I really swapped paid employment for self employment. So what had been a side hustle became more important to me.

The only timr I have "drifted" was when I found myself back in the mid 1980s blocked from further progress as a librarian because of changes in the career structure which were beyond my control. Those of us who were time served and experienced were seemingly less valued than kids coming out of the new unis with a degree in Library Science. It was a bit of paper we didnt have. We were expected to mentor these people and then they were promoted over our heads in a few years time. I was not the only one affected and it happened in other professions too - not just librarianship.

I decided to step off the career ladder and apply to universities. While I was doing this I took a definite step back as far as the job was concerned. I did the hours I was paid for and filled up the time, but my heart had gone out of it. The employer got the hours they paid me for but no longer deserved my enthusiasm and loyalty.

After I got my first degree I went on to do a masters and a doctorate so I drifted into academia. Obviously I never went back into libraries. Looking at how the profession has declined now I made the right move.

Absolutely switched off when the decision was made to retire at 60. I’m not saying I couldn’t care less, I was still a hard working employee, but looked forward to when I didn’t have the responsibility of ‘work’. Only things I miss are colleagues and the banter.

I was able to retire early 4 months ago. Very pressured and toxic work environment had made me ill. Was finding carrying on harder and harder so when the opportunity to retire presented itself, I grabbed it with both hands.

The first Monday after I left work, whilst taking the dog out for her early morning walk, I became aware that the birds were singing. I had not been aware that the birds do that in the mornings in winter! As the weeks went by I felt physically and mentally better and am enjoying being able to do things at a leisurely pace instead of frantically chasing my tail!

Your normal is what is right for you.

I think it is. I retired at 62 partly to increase childcare of DGC. I was totally committed to my patients but shut off from politics. Had a boss who had been very good then started being picky and would not let staff have a few hours off to take a sick child to a hospital appointment and then return to work and numerous other things that took people away from actual patient care so decided "bugger this" and applied for retirement. Never regretted it and she moved on soon after. Still don't regret it. I think you get beyond office politics as you get older.

Definitely felt disengaged, and although couldn’t have a pension, I knew it was time to leave.
Loved my work, loved my colleagues but really felt it was time. Health care between lockdowns. No huge pressures. Still have to wait two more years for pension ….agh! I do some volunteer work now and suits me fine.

I loved my countdown. I set up a timer (well okay Steven in the hospital computer did it for me!) on my PC. ‘x’ number of weeks, days, hours & minutes. It made me smile every day I looked at it to see those decreasing numbers.

Plus I’d type a letter saying ‘see this patient again in 3 months’ and me thinking ‘I won’t be here to type that letter!’. Then it would be ‘see this patient in 2 weeks’. Ditto!

And I loved my job. Loved it. The work, my colleagues, my lunch buddies in the canteen from various departments. But oh boy, I was SO excited not to need to work. We did our sums on the back of an envelope and both finished when our budget allowed. That was over 7 years ago now. My state pension kicked in 16 months ago. Life’s good.

I've had Bosses ready to Retire and they were awesome. Happy everyday. Great to work for. Best Bosses ever.

No, I was going hell for leather to the end. I took voluntary redundancy into early retirement in the mid 90s in a very large company (British Gas) that was in the throes of a major reorganisation, which included shedding half its staff and splitting into thee separate companies and moving offices.

I was on a maternity cover secondment for the last six months, organising an office move, among other things where people you were working with suddenly dissappeared, because they were timing when they left to their convenience (as I did).

I then had 6 weeks to sort myself out before departing to university for a year to study for an MA in archaeology, courtesy of my redundancy package. Four months later we moved house, just before Christmas.

I barely had time to breathe, at home or at work.

I am almost 66 and plan to scale back in a few weeks time- possibly returning only on a sessional basis. Theoretically I already only work part time. I feel so very tired!
I've had a real sense of relief that I will be stepping down - officially retiring- but also am busy trying to get things as manageable as possible for who ever follows in my footsteps.
My memory is not working as well ( I remember at night!) as it was and I can no longer cope with the pressures of constant being understaffed/no support/ and working many unpaid extra hours. I simply do not think, scribble or run fast enough! (NHS).
It will be a huge relief to hand over the impossible!

Yes! But hopefully ( as it was for me) you will have a different ( active/ or not) life .
It will pan out one way or the other as per your life thus far.
Best wishes ? ? ?

I have five months to go and I have already mentally check out. I have been frantically trying to upgrade and fool proof our home before I retire but realised it is getting a bit too much. When I retire, I will have all the time in the world to do all these DIY that needs doing.

It’s very normal and a way to prepare and distance yourself from the job before actually leaving. I always thought gradually cutting down days/ hours over a period of months quite useful too.
You won’t know how you found the time to work. Good luck.

Thanks everyone. It's a relief in a way to just stand on the sidelines watching the drama and politics but not engaging in any of it.