Did you regret retiring too early?

I retired at nearly 62 when I got my state pension. The last few years were a great struggle with the stress and workload and feeling completely exhausted with no life outside work. I would definitely have gone earlier if finances allowed. I'm so glad I didn't have to wait until 66 as I don't know how I would have managed to carry on.

I retired at 60 after restructuring in my work place left me facing managing an admin team of 8 and bringing in a new computer system. I was completely disillusioned with the senior managers coasting and avoiding responsibility for said computer systems. This was 17 years ago.
DH carried on working for another 8 years which gave me freedom to join various daytime groups and organise lots of travel and golf holidays. I also enjoyed looking after my 2 youngest grandsons.
The first 6 months took time adjusting - but I really enjoyed having time for me.
Now we are coping with the aftermath Of DH's stroke so I am getting used to being considered his carer.

I took a voluntary redundancy at 60 then set up a consultancy. I retired from that 2 yrs ago & then at 67 joined an agency that provide me with temp. work!

I retired at 56. No regrets. I love being retired!!!

Interesting reading all these - I am finishing work at the end of the year due to a company buyout by a huge conglomerate - they have taken over every aspect of the work I did so the 'job' is redundant. At 64 I don't want to start retraining so have agreed that I will retire. My husband is the same age and still working 4 days a week - he is planning to gradually cut down over the next year as they don't want him to leave but after nearly 50 years of working he's had enough so will stop completely in the next 2 years. Neither of us know what we will do with our time which is slightly worrying.

We were with family yesterday and one couple both took early retirement in their mid 50's - 20 years later they have never regretted it and have traveled extensively over the years and still take their caravan away regularly. My FIL finished at 55 but I think that was possibly too early for him as they both seemed to thrash around for some time flitting from one project to another but never seeming to settle until in their 70's when ill health took over.

I guess life is what you make of it - if you have hobbies and things you want to do then take the time to enjoy them. Some are not lucky or well enough to be able to afford to do it.

Money is not necessarily needed to pursue a hobby - or not very much - Membership of my local archaeological society, my hobby, is £15 a year ad that gives me access to talks and field work for no extra cost. can (and do attend) lecture courses, but many members do not.

Sewing, knitting, socialising through special interests online. There are a host of interests one can pursue, at minimal cost and whether one is in good health or not.

Retirement is what you make it.

Having worked full time always, I didn't have any all-absorbing hobbies and to retire fully seemed like hitting a brick wall. So, at 60, when I did receive SP, I dropped to 2 days a week. I was happy to carry on for a further 6 years, by which time my work was getting in the way of my social life and now I am a very active fund-raiser. This feels like a job and I love it.

Morning 35inmyhead, I was 57 when I retired after working a good part of my working life. I was keen to get away as Local Government was going through re-organisation, not the first either. However if you retire with hobbies and interests you would like to pursue and family/ people you would like to see more often I don't see why you should worry about retiring. As far as money is concerned you make do with what you have and adjust accordingly hopefully not too much but by the sounds of things you have planned well. Grab it by both hands, take time to consider what you would like to do and get on with it. You will miss your work/mates but life adjusts accordingly. Look forward and not back. Enjoy and hope it works out well.

I regretted it for all the reasons you have mentioned. Having said that there is loads to do in a retirement life.

My father died when I was 55 and as I had worked full time all my life (whilst also raising 3 x children) I retired. He left me some money making this a possibility. However after 15 months I went back to part-time teaching and never regretted it, it was a good way to wind down and I eventually left the job when I was 72! Not because I wanted to but because all part-timers were made redundant. A year later my husband died and I am now fully retired, living alone on a modest but manageable pension and loving it.

I retired at 62 and haven't regretted it for a moment! I worked for years for a housing association, the constant 'I want' attitude of the minority was good to get away from.

I retired at 62 after being a senior leader in a school. I am lucky because we are comfortable on our pensions and can do the travelling we liked. I don't know anyone in our circle of friends who has regretted retiring.
But it does require some planning and thought - what do you want to do? How are you going to fill your time? How will you meet people/make new friends? Do you have hobbies? Are you prepared for some loss of status possibly - how do you cope with that? How will your life have purpose - could you do voluntary work or become a trustee of a charity or become a school governor?
Do you want to keep learning new things - what are the facilities for that? If you think those things through first it makes retirement much more fulfilling.

I have to work until I am 66. Can’t wait to retire. Don’t know how I am physically going to keep going until then. I love to travel, retire and travel ASAP. My relative at 62 had a headache for a week, collapsed and died 3 months later of brain tumour. Enjoy your life whilst you can. Travel, join U3A , join walking or running group. Keep active and have fun. Good luck with your decision.

Running my own business I had to find my replacement in order to retire. So, I started looking when I was 50 years old.

After 2 disappointments (poor selection on my part) and ten years I found someone who shared my passion for the business.

So at 60 years old I entered semi-retirement (40 hours a week instead of 60 hours a week) when I handed over control of the business to my successor.

After 5 years I was fired (too expensive!) to enjoy full retirement with my wife and five grandchildren and volunteering at our three local public libraries.

I learned that it can take 15 years to prepare for retirement.

I loved working most of the time, but at 58 had to give up to care for DH. Not much worse off on benefits, but took on a paper round to get me out of the house and force me to exercise. Did it for 16 years - loved summer rounds, but finally gave up at the end of the winter before last - miss my customers, but not the dark early mornings in winter and the everlasting falls on black ice and it is nice to choose to lie in till 7 or even 8 if I so wish!

Gosh! A lot of teachers comenting. Not me! Jack of all traids / done a lot of diffrent jobs. Now, I am manager of my own home = housewife. We moved to a beach house for our later life. It is great! Few minutes walk to the sea/ beach with our dog.
Winter can be very long and dark by 3.30pm.

Like MiniMoon I too was a nurse for 40 years. Mostly spend in paediatrics and neonatal nursing. I also did some teaching of student nurses. I retired for a combination of health reasons and the job, at 59. I will unwell for a few years, but then got better and now travel, pet sit and visit with grandchildren. I definitely miss caring for people but if I feel any twinge of 'guilt' at retiring early, I just give myself a good talking to about the thousands of night shifts, 12 hrs on my feet shifts, bodily fluids (I won't go into detail) and the many other grim aspects of nursing. I did my part. I feel entitled to a rest.

My work restructured & offered all of us over 50 to go with a reasonable deal & our whole team bar one left. I was in education too & the burden of so much govt imposed change & related paperwork killed enjoyment of the job. I was a bit lost at the start & missed the social aspect, so went on to do two other interesting less stressful P/T jobs in other areas. Looking back I'm still glad I went very early. It opened up other opportunities & my old job was making me ill. Like others say it very much depends on your personality & interests & how much you will mind managing on a lower budget.

I retired at 58 from a very demanding job as a DHT in a large primary school. I’d just had enough. shocked everyone in school with my decision- resignation letter written in the October so school had plenty of time to find the ‘right’ person and I had time to adjust to the thought of leaving. Have never regretted it but did do supply in the school for a year and became a governor, so I didn’t cut the ties completely. Have stopped supply now, shall just go and help on a volunteer basis once a week.
Now have the time to do what I want, when I want. I look after youngest granddaughter two days a week, have joined aqua fit and body balance classes and am about to attend spanish classes once a week. It took me about a year to adjust properly and I no longer think in terms or school holidays. Because I’ve gone in regularly the stress staff are under is visible and I’m glad it’s no longer me!
Embrace retirement, take your time deciding what’s you want to do with your time, enjoy it!

I took voluntary redundancy in April (wasn't worth me working the payout was very good), which enabled me to 'retire' a year earlier than my retirement date. I am now working part time again (3 days a week). It was fine in the good weather, and a novelty being able to do what I wanted, BUT I missed working. The structure, the ;getting up for a reason'. I'm not ready for groups etc. Part time is great, and a nice balance, which suits me at the moment. It also makes it easier not having to work, and knowing I can give it up at any time.
Everyone is different and you may love retirement....and I'm sure I will......when the time comes that I've had enough of working.

I retired from a stressful school job at 62 when my premature GS was born. I helped my DD and looked after GS when she went back to work part time. I’ve never regretted it as I love being at home and have many hobbies and interests. I have elderly parents and now 2 GC so I’m kept pretty busy. I occasionally miss the office banter and have kept in touch with one or two ex colleagues but and always thankful that I don’t have to work at the school anymore. But I guess it depends on your personality, if you’re a very social person you may not like being retired as much as I do.

I miss working - it gave firm and purpose to life - I’ve found without it I can just drift and my family laugh at me trying to create schedules and lists to fill the void with housework and activities. I’ve also found I got older quicker once I stopped working - I tried getting back to work whilst still in my fifties. If youre over 40 now forget it, the agencies laugh at you. Likewise no part time work retail and receptionist are no longer hiring being in sectors that are struggling - one agent told me they want staff now that will work more than full time not less and if there is part time work it’s for the twenty somethings - so I have no chance!! If you have a purpose or something to achieve go for retirement - if it’s just to languish and wait for God.... don’t.

I don’t think your age actually matters that much, as you say you are financially secure and able to retire now. I do think you need some sort of plan as to what you might do instead. It doesn’t need to be either detailed or rigid, but having sort of drifted into retirement, I am now having to force myself out of my comfort zone to find both activity and companionship. Unfortunately my hobbies, such as they are, are all solitary pursuits, which doesn’t meet the same need they once did, which was just for a bit of quiet time.

With a bit more planning (and thought!) I could have developed other ideas and interests etc in advance, and I wouldn’t have days now, that are to be frank, a bit pointless and boring. Also, if you have plans for travel, I would say do it now, while you are able.

I wish you well with your plans.

I took Early Retirement at 50, DH had retired on SP at 65 a couple of months before & had health problems. My Civil Service Department relocated just after I retired which would have more than doubled my travelling time.

I became DH's Carer but we had a good life, 5.5 years later we downsized & moved to a new area, sadly DH only had a year there before he first went into Hospital & then a Nursing Home. I was a widow at 57, so no I didn't regret retiring early.

I moved again to be closer to my DD & DGSs, I've made new friends, social life is good & I love the area I live in, loads to explore. I still have almost 3 years to wait for SP thanks to Retirement age rising to 66. Income is tight but I have the freedom to do what I want, go where I want, when I want

I retired at 57. I was doing a job I had once loved but was beginning to really dislike due to all the changes that had taken place, making it not the job I originally started doing. My health & temper were starting to suffer and my husband asked me why I didn't just leave as there was no financial necessity for me to carry on.. so I did! How liberating it was! Total freedom to do what I wanted when I wanted & answer to nobody. 3 years later & I'm still loving life as a retiree, if you feel it's time to go, don't wait, just do it. Life's too short. I won't pretend that I didn't miss my workmates to start with & even the more pleasant aspects of the job but other people & things soon filled the gaps. Go for it!