To give up work - making me ill!

No problem Anja! Useful advice about NHS pension - wouldn't be much as have only done 10 years but every little helps!

I'm with Stella here. Your health comes first above everything else because if you leave it too late it'll take longer to repair and where's the enjoyment spending your retirement having all sorts of tests etc ? Bite the bullet and go, they'll manage. I too am a retired NHS worker, though stupidly missed my work and went on to help in a dentists practice until at 66 landed in hospital after suffering a " burn-out " through doing too much. It affected me greatly until I finally told myself sod it, I've had enough. Sold my home, gave the family lump sums rather than them wait until I was dead, thus clearing my conscience of any inheritance " owed " to them as it was more useful to them at the time.

Your last sentence says it all, your daughter will certainly;lay prefer a happy mum in a smaller house than a stressed one in a bigger one. It happened to me, and apart from the stress at the time, i have absolutely no regrets. Seek advice from your union. If not a member then join. Good luck.

Maggie I took early retirement and have never regretted it. I work from home now and it suits me. I used to have a notebook in my bag for 12 months before I did retire, and I had a plan of what I was going to do in order to make it happen. I can remember going to work on the train, feeling absolutely worn out, looking at this plan and ticking things off when I could. It cheered me up.

I would speak to the various people within your organisation i.e. Unions etc as suggested above. I would also not hesitate to go to my Doctor and ask for some help there, you need to take sick leave in order to look at things without feeling stressed.

Good luck with everything, you will make the right decision given time. Get your plan in order, it will all work out. Your health is so important

Lots of good advice here ...especially Cornergran and Mawbroon's 'don't jump if you can arrange to be pushed'. You have worked hard ...done more than your bit ...see your GP if you haven't already and get signed off because of the stress of all this. Use the time to consider all your options. Good luck.

You are all so lovely and so interesting to hear your stories - I can identify! I think a good first step is getting signed off with stress for a couple of weeks. I have a meeting with my financial advisor next week which was planned before this all blew up so that's good timing. Just a bit worried about going off sick (I never do) but my GP already knows about my work and they can't treat me negatively if I do, can they?

I found my last job as a receptionist very stressful. I had started an OU degree prior to retirement as a retirement project. I thought later long and hard about handing in my notice for the two reasons mentioned above. I have to say there was a huge amount of bullying and belittling by senior staff to more junior staff.
I finally decided I had enough savings to see me through until my pension kicked in. I was lucky to get my pension at 62 and 1/4 but I decided I’d had enough.
I was so pleased to leave. I’m loving retirement following my hobbies and caring for family.
Talk it through with your daughter and go for it.

I left the NHS two years ago for similar reasons.I claimed my NHS pension early to tide me over,the amount and lump sum are slightly less than I would have received but I have no regrets.I would definitely advise you to have some time off sick,it will give you time to think clearly about your options.My children and husband encouraged me to leave as my job was making me unwell.As my daughter put it,if you have to have nursing care at anytime there won’t be any inheritance for us anyway!I have found I don’t need as much money now I am not working and downsizing plans are on hold for now.Good luck with whatever you decide,please put your health first.I cannot believe how much better I feel since leaving my job.Stay strong?

You have been given some very good advice here. Under normal circumstances you would have carried on working until you were 66 but I think things will probably get worse in your current workplace and you don't need to put up with it. I started temping in my early 60's. DH had been retired a few years and loving it and we used to head over to Spain for the winter. When we came home for the summer I never saw him as he was a golfer. DD suggested I should start temping. Of course I thought I was too old but it was great. I met some lovely people and really enjoyed it. I was actually "begged" to stay on in a couple of posts - as if!! Spain was calling but I think it would be worth a try for you. It really gave my confidence a boost.

I had similar problems in the NHS and despite promises of help via occupational health nothing really happened. I decided to 'mothball' my NHS pension and work elsewhere. Now aged 60 I have 2 part-time jobs which are not working directly for the NHS but still contribute to my pension - very happy.
Maybe if you are concerned about finances a change of job could be the answer for you too.

If you can afford it do it. Perhaps you have other capital apart from your house? If so, this will help.

Don't stress about daughter's inheritance as I am sure she wants you well and happy. It's nice to be able to leave one's children something but I don't think you should organise your whole life, health and happiness round what you'll leave after you die.

I retired from the NHS at 56 as I was worn out. Never regretted it. Love retirement. A lot of things are cheaper when you retire eg petrol , clothes. It is easier to save on food too as more time to cook from scratch.

I work as a nursery nurse on low pay but do enjoy the job and have taken on longer hours till we become more financially stable. Husband works long hours so we are both so tired. Use weekends to catch our breaths and back to work on a Monday.ni know if we had any chance of downsizing we would go for it and get advice. Good luck.

Why not give up the stressful job and do something less demanding. I am sure with your experience you will be able to find something. I retired from a management job and had a couple of years of freedom then went to work as a bank staff care assistant and i love it. I pick and choose my hours, no late shifts or weekend shifts, i do only early shifts. I love it, i do my very best with the people i deal with but leave the job behind once i have finished for the day.

You could always get a part time or other less demanding job, to help finance you until you draw your state pension.

I would think carefully and explore all options. Such a shame the job you once loved is making you ill life's not fair! Ditto gillybob know how you feel X

Just checked thought id heard this thread before!

Whatever you decide make the decision for you, not based on saving your daughters inheritance