Knowing your skills and interests

So sorry to hear this harry1960 especially because I felt the same, as has been said by others it has been volunteering that's given me a new lease of life, feeling useful for me was the key as well as having somewhere to go again that was "my thing" this is a really good site if you're interested
do-it.org/
OR there are so many 'social' clubs and the like, you might try your local library as they have lots of information. All the very best!

Harry1960 is there a leisure centre near you -you might want to try a class.
You have time now to start something completely new - try an evening class or local college.

Sorry to hear your sad news Polnanx

Oh polnan that’s incredibly sad to hear and must be an awful shock to you.
?

Regards retirement harry1960 I think anniezzz has the right idea here. Find something that makes you happy is key.

I’ve been retired 5y now and feel incredibly lucky that (so far) my husband and myself enjoy good health and need no medication. That’s a bonus in itself, I do realise.

That said, I felt a bit ‘lost’ when I retired at 60y. As if I were playing hookey from work and didn’t really belong in this club of retirees I saw out and about! It didn’t help, so I thought, that I didn’t seem to have hobbies/enjoy crafting/didn’t want to volunteer.

This lack of motivation stuck with me and made me feel guilty. My lightbulb moment? I shared my ‘doing nothing apart from my love of reading’ with a busy friend who crafts/makes cards/looks after her grandchild one day a week and her answer? ‘Well, are you happy?’

And do you know what? I was! And am!

There’s no need to compare yourself with anybody else. Find within yourself what pleases you, a walk, a class and relax into it.

I wish you well going forward!

So sorry to hear of your sudden loss polnan.Hope you have family or friends to support you.

polnan
So sad for you. You know it is going to happen one day but don't expect it when it comes.

me slightly different, had 20 good years retirement with my dh..
he died on Tuesday, in hospital, just as we thought he was getting better and nearly ready to come home... such a shock..
what do I do now? I am 83, and reasonably good health.

struggling

Its such a huge transition isn’t it. And one I will be going through soon as well. I do wish society gave it as much attention as other life changes. I don’t think it’s necessarily easy and what ‘works’ for one person, can be meaningless to the next. For me, no matter what, being out in the fresh air makes me feel a little better. So if you’re feeling lost today, and can manage it at all, I would say go out somewhere, even if it’s for a walk, or maybe to a local park, library, or somewhere for a coffee. Then, maybe expand on that a little each week, and add in something where you can talk to others -a group perhaps-and try out a couple of activities-it doesn’t matter if they turn out not to be for you. Try to plan a little something for each day either by going out, or trying something new at home, and I think when you get in your stride, you will gradually have started to build a life for yourself. Good luck!

I feel the same. My life seems to be constant cooking/housework and looking after elderly parent. I’d like to be doing something purposeful but what? DD says only I can decide. Have lost my oomph these past few years. Not very helpful I realise, OP. But just to let you know you’re not the only one.

Try to have something to do from Monday-Friday so you keep the weekend special. Book a holiday for next year so you have something to look forward to.
I'm sure you'll have been told about U3A. Could you set up and run a group for them? That takes planning and organising.

Keep busy to stave off depression.
Make sure you have something to get up for.
There are volunteer websites where you can fill in online questionnaires to remind you where your skills and interests lie.
A friend who felt like you, found a new interest helping with a canal boat charity. They take parties of disadvantaged youngsters on the canal boat. He loves it.

Sorry to hear you’ve lost your dad gmarie don’t be too hard on yourself with the motivation or lack of at the moment - I’m sure it will come back soon.

Your idea of getting one thing done each day is a good one, no matter how trivial it is the sense of achievement you’ll have that evening will spur you on the following days. By the end of the week things will look better on reflection and help you to make plans for the future. Best wishes x

I'm in the same boat but perhaps under different circumstances. I'm retired and love not having the constant stress of trying to keep 100 plates spinning. There's a lot I've been wanting to do or try but, so far, I've only gotten as far as getting some things fixed up around the house. I retired early at 63 because I wanted to spend more time with my dad and he just suddenly passed so I'm very glad that I didn't wait until I turned 65 this year and that I got to spend the time with him.

Now that he's gone I find I'm dealing more with a bit of depression and lack of motivation. I'm alone, divorced for 20 years, and my kids are all off on their own. I seem to be fighting a "what's the point" mentality which I don't like feeling. Lately, I've been telling myself to get just ONE thing done or started each day. I have a dozen great friends but they are scattered all over with no one close by, so I probably use the laptop too much to connect to the "outside" world - reading, watching animal videos, checking out Gransnet, etc.

Volunteering has been my absolute saviour

It's a difficult moment Harry. Here's an article I once read that set out a lot of ideas about getting to grips with retirement, the comments are worth reading too.

How to retire successfully: 'You need to ask what you want out of life'

www.theguardian.com/2017/mar/06/how-to-retire-successfully-you-need-to-ask-what-you-want-out-of-life?

It's not so much what skills and interests you have as what makes you feel happy and inspired. Simple list making is often a start, 6 things I've always wanted to do but never been able vs 6 things I'm glad to see the back of. You can develop a skill in life but it was a means to an end, work, it may be that you never want to use it again. Take your time, talk to people, read, try things, aim for a feeling of enjoyment in life. Good luck.

Volunteering worked for me.

Did you enjoy your work before you retired? Were you good at it? If so I'm sure you can find a link to using your experience and skills in the voluntary sector.
You might even be able to earn a little to boost your pension.