Retirement

If you don't feel ready to retire and you are able to keep working, then do so. An old school friend advised me not to retire unless i really wanted to; we were both teachers; she loved her job but had been forced to retire due to ill-health in her early sixties and hated it. I took her advice and retired only when I had to, age sixty-five. I was worried more about the financial aspect but managed well, and like every one else, wonder how I found time to work. I certainly realised how tired I had been.
The important thing is to go when you feel ready; don't be hassled into it because people say you should.

I worked until i was 63 when i found out i had COPD which as i was a home support carer i was finding the work caused me to be breathless most of te time and slowing down. so retired and now at 70 have not regreted it , i drive so spent time visiting places i never had time to do at 67 i moved to the countryside to help my health by getting away from the pollution where i was living and started walking and visiting new places, my health has not gt worse i take a day at a time due to covid and look forward to being ab;e to visit the places on my list no dont regret retiring but would of liked to continue with my volunteering with Dogs Trust but due to covid this is on hold

I took early retirement aged 57. My then husband, who had retired 5 years earlier, wanted ‘a fresh start’ after I’d discovered his adultery. We moved away and a year later he was at it again and left. I started working freelance for my previous employers and, now approaching 63, I still do occasional work for them. I also tutor online as I’m a qualified teacher. I enjoy working and am able to choose how much I do. When I’m not working, I have plenty of hobbies to keep me occupied and once we’re allowed out again I’ll start enjoying trips to the theatre, museums, galleries and the like again.

DH and I planned my escape from workinglife with meticulous care and lots of investigation. My plan was originally meant to take 5 years but eventually it took 7 before we were ready to retire. Part of the plan covered downsizing the house, ensuring our adult children were settled, and making financial plans to support ourselves.

I eventually dug the tunnel out of corporate life last April, aged 59. Despite things being quite different to what we had planned we love every day! Walking in the local countryside, listening to birdsong, with time for our hobbies and crafts ... and just being, is more wonderful than we could have imagined.

It is essential to work out what matters to you, ie material things, travelling etc., and how you will use your time. Of course it would not suit everyone - but we both love each day, even though we cannot travel as we had planned, and we miss our children dreadfully.

Still, we count our blessings each and every day and I can honestly say I have not missed the stress of my former career once.

I was looking forward for a long time to my retirment, and then the world exploded !!!!! Every single club or organasion I was going to join; closed down because of covid; I dont have much money and that makes a big difference to what you can do with your time,My husband is not a well person, so often we cant go anywhere anyway.
I didnt have the funds to buy stuff for a new hobby, so my experence of retirment has been very miserible and i have just got more and more depressed, now my health wont let me even volunteer. whats the point of any of it. I have learnt my lesson; just dont make any plans or hope for better times. they never come true !!!!!

I hated my job and love my retirement. Since I retired I have gained a degree, am learning Swedish (which I love) always doing something or other to the house. Long walks with or without friends. Spending more time with the pets. The list is endless. The big plus before Covid was looking after GC but as long as we all get through to the other side fit and well I can wait to look after them again.

I describe myself as old, as I have often said. I retired, if that's what it is, ages ago. I am 61. I wonder how I ever found time to go to work.

I absolutely love retirement! I have never had a days regret and I am now 71 (having retired at 58). There is so much to do out there (I live in London so it is probably easy for me to find things but my sister who lives in a rural area also keeps herself busy). Having time to yourself is wonderful and you can do what you want. It may take a bit of adjustment but I hope you take to it as well as I have.

I retired from a full time stressful job in December 2014, went into retail 16 hours a week, never worked in a customer facing role, found I loved it and was quite good at it. Now work as a GP receptionist (started just before covid) and enjoy that. Lucky enough not to need the money, do it for companionship, to feel useful and get away from my husband occassionally!!

I retired two and a bit years ago aged 67. I have no regrets as my job was beginning to exhaust me. DH retired 6 months after me and is also happy not to be working. We were both leading busy lives pre-covid and had lots of plans to travel, take up new hobbies etc etc which of course are now on hold. Have I any regrets? No, absolutely none whatsoever.

Ydoc

I think to retire you have to be a motivated person. My husband retired very young it has been a disaster for him. He has gone downhill, very badly. Now his memory is badly affected and general cognitive behaviour. He is not someone who would do much left to his own devices though. But it has been vastly to his detriment. I consider the word retirement a ten letter swear word.

Speaking professionally, it might not (indeed is unlikely to be) that his cognitive decline is because he retired. It may be that he needed to retire because he wasn't coping at work? has he had any kind of medical assessment?

I am so glad you posted this - I am in exactly the same position. My dh is retiring and we have bought a motorhome in the hope that we can travel. However for the most part I love my job but as it is in a school the holidays are a problem.
I am also worried that if I dont do it know will I live to regret the fact - there comes a time when you might not be able to do lots of the things you want to due to health etc. Lots of thinking to be done

do I regret retiring? Hell no!
I get that some people really love their jobs but i think if your job (or any one thing really, including partner or family) is your WHOLE life then this is not a good idea. Jobs change or vanish, partners die, families move away because they need to. Everybody needs some resilience and ability to be independent. I say this from experience, My husband died shortly after he retired. I coped but barely. It would have been much harder if I hadn't had other things in my life as well as him.

I think to retire you have to be a motivated person. My husband retired very young it has been a disaster for him. He has gone downhill, very badly. Now his memory is badly affected and general cognitive behaviour. He is not someone who would do much left to his own devices though. But it has been vastly to his detriment. I consider the word retirement a ten letter swear word.

I retired six and a half years ago at 60y and got my SP last summer. We have a small apartment here and another in Spain and wanted to be able to flit between the two whoever the fancy took us. Absolutely no regrets about retirement. And yet, I loved my job at the hospital where I’d worked for over 30 years!

can’t wait for retirement fuck yeah

Everyone is different. There is no set age that you should retire, so retire when you think it is right. Don't think that you retire and then do nothing. I retired early but I am busier now than when I was working.

I'm 71. I retired at 60. I didn't have a plan. It just sort of happened. My husband retired the year after me. I've never regretted it for one minute.
I don't really have hobbies but we do as we please. It's great.

Family business, so I can’t see a time when either of us will fully retire.

We are aware that most of the innovation and ideas come from younger family members now, and we’re never really going to keep up with technology, but we’re happy to be doing what we do, and although I would like to get a day off now. I wouldn’t want to retire yet.

If you enjoy work you don't need to retire yet. We are all different.
I was keen to retire as I was stressed and exhausted. Even so, I did feel a little nervous about having no job after so many years. I loved retirement. I used to feel bored quite often at work but am never bored at home. I was always busy. Covid means much less to do but I am happy reading, going online and pottering about at home.

I was made redundant just before I was 60. My DH is 9 years older than me and had already been retired a few years. I chose not to look for another job and retired. I only have a small pension, but luckily my DH has a good one and I also have a rental property for a bit of income.
Being retired has been great. When not locked down, we visit our DS and family in NZ for several months a year. When at home I go cycling 3 times a week (with others), meet up with friends, do gardening, decorating...
It also means that I can be there for the grandchildren and for older relatives when they need me. I haven't regretted it once.

I retired 7 years ago and I love it. No regrets. I really enjoyed my job but it was demanding and exhausting. I love having more time for hobbies and seeing friends and family

grannyrebel7 I was happy to retire to begin with but it was a bit too early for me chronologically and personally. I have found that I needed a meaty voluntary role to plug the gap. I would look out for something now.

I retired from teaching at 60. I loved teaching, it was the passion of my life for many years but I did not miss it. I planned to downsize when I retired so having a project was good. At first I struggled with not rushing about but now, two and a half years on, I enjoy taking my time. I took up art and other crafts and have enjoyed those too. It also helped that my first grandchild was born six months into my retirement so he has kept me busy. I was ready to retire though, and that made the difference. If you aren't ready, then keep working. Good luck whatever you decide.

Same here, have worked in supermarket for the last 4 yrs, I can retire in October this year. But doubt if I will.

Not sure how SP and still working will effect me financially
as I don't earn enough to pay tax at the moment.