60 is this it.

[FairViewRosie25]

I turned 60 last March so nearly 61. Was in an IT job but fairly physical (a lot of crawling under desks etc). Resigned from that which has taken basically a year to give up. Still doing high level consultancy when required.

I’m so tired struggle to get up by 8.30 used to be in work by then. Worry that I’m not filling my days. i clean the house top to bottom each morning. I have a new piano which i play for 30 minutes a day. I dog walk and I knit while watching too many pure cremation ads.
what else can I do?

Sounds like you need a group/community?

You need to volunteer I think! Your IT skills will be prized I am certain.

Find a new hobby-something you might enjoy .I got a PT at 58 and started going to the gym fairly seriously to help with strength, flexibility and bone health. At 60 I started ice skating-I’m taking lessons and practice 3 times a week.62 now, work part time( teaching) . Just try something you have always thought you might enjoy. And if it you don’t enjoy it-try something else.

I’m so tired struggle to get up by 8.30 used to be in work by then. Worry that I’m not filling my days i clean the house too to bottom each morning

You’re tired because you’re not sleeping! You don’t need to be getting up at 8.30. If you’re setting an alarm, stop it. And you certainly don’t need to be cleaning your house from top to bottom each morning.

Do you feel guilty about retiring early? Honestly, you don’t need to. Just relax. Step away from stuff and just chill.

Let yourself sleep in. Don’t worry about cleaning the house. Read a book. Go and watch a film. Contact some friends and go out for a long, boozy (if you drink) lunch. Give yourself permission to just do fuck all!

Unclench.

U3A? My dad used to go to all sorts with them and was busier than me!

Gaming. Get yourself any games console or even just a steam account and away you go. Life sorted for the next 20 years.

Please don't waste your life cleaning the house every day! It's not necessary and there are a million more fulfilling things you can be doing! Why not join a group like U3A, WI or ladies social group? Or a walking group, knit and natter, yoga class, dance class, badminton, nature walks or nordic walking, walking football, volunteering? Look on local Facebook pages, your local library notice board or local council.

Haven’t you any friends? Arrange to do stuff with them.

Enjoy the lie-ins. Get up at 8.30, make yourself a coffee and take it back to bed. Luxuriate in how fortunate you are to be able to do this.

Stop the fucking cleaning.

Get out of the house and start meeting people.

You don’t have to get up any earlier than you do. Lie longer if you want. Everyone’s body has its own natural rhythm. My mum continued to get up at 6am well into her eighties. My MIL sits up half the night and gets up mid morning as she’s a complete night owl. I find if I have long chunks of time when I don’t have to get up, my natural time is about 8am, even though I love the feeling of being awake earlier than that. As for filling your days, that depends how sociable you are. Apart from the cleaning, I could live with your days as they are😅 Also agree with pp re gaming. I only stopped when I had my first child at 41 (17 years ago!) My dad was playing computer games in his seventies. Whatever floats your boat.

Is this it? Yes. If you allow it to be.

Do you have friends/family around?

Aside from work, how did you fill your time previously?

Read this again and again. Do you have plans to travel? If so, do it while you can. What’s your passion? Do you love art, theatre, walking? Indulge those passions. Go to bed for an hour or two with a good book, cook something amazing. Do some of the things you’ve never had time for.

Why are you trying to fill your days?

Maybe you retired too early?

Join a walking group. A theatre group. Join the U3A - they have loads to do! Go to charity coffee mornings. Volunteer. Offer to collect dc from school if a neighbour is struggling. Join any interest group!

Learn to cook new dishes and bake bread.
Set time to walk or run somewhere come rain or shine.
Create structure as many of us thrive on it.

I’m 53. I am part time but retiring this year.

We have an allotment.
Admittedly we have one at uni who comes home a lot and will live at home for post graduate. We have a teenager.
Filling my days will be:
getting son to school and helping with homework and his hobbies eg rugby etc
walking the dogs
going to the allotment or gardening
reading and doing a book club I have set up travel with DH
playing board games with friends
NT and nice day trips out

I will also volunteer in my local secondary school because I want to

We are members of the local history society and rugby club and scouts organisation and we will give back.

I’m the same age as you OP and really feel the difference physically from 50’s to 60. It’s like my strength fell off a cliff . I assume it’s because I worked on my butt stagnating at a desk for decades and not needing physical muscle usage . Now I’m retired it’s bought it home to me how weak I’ve become . I went to an aquarium not long ago and crouched down low to take photos , only to struggle getting back off the floor . I have really increased my social groups and made friends , one group being a walking group to get moving again . I walk my dogs daily but they aren’t a breed that likes long walks , about 3/4 miles and they’ll sit down and refuse to do more . I want to start swimming and a friend has joined a gym to work on her strength so I should do similar . As for filling days I’m never bored . I’ve got loads of people to socialise but if I’m not out I love just ‘ being ‘ . I do my Lego , garden , box sets , plan my travels , cinema , read , podcasts , I do art / craft classes aswell , there’s so much to enjoy . It’s just finding your interests and once you start something it’ll just spiral .

Do a course, one where you meet people.

This, every word of it. Whether you fill your days or not doesn’t actually matter.

From a fellow early retiree!

I like to have some time just to relax but immediately after retirement I went to an exercise class as well as walking my dog. Keeping moving for health is important to me and the class was daytime, all women of roughly my age and pretty thorough. For a few years I also walked dogs for the local rescue centre, several times a week.

I then visited a nursing home and a primary school regularly with my dog (she passed as a pet therapy dog), attended an afternoon class at the local university and started Spanish lessons.

Along with meeting friends and theatre and concerts now and again I have enough, (don't like to be too busy!) with plenty of time to read or be lazy.

And if you like holidays, travel, why not plan a trip.

Feeling pretty lonely. I am 64 still work, husband is retired, kids have left home and my house feels really empty when I get home after work. I miss my kids, I miss the noise, the shouting about doing homework, I miss being a taxi, I miss being a mum and feeling needed.

Sex!

Enjoy 😉

Hth

Bird watching, pottery, ballroom dancing, drive a steam train, become a hacker 👹... join the U3A?
Round here the U3A seem to do all sorts... help out in archeological digs locally, astronomy, there's a group of them that arrange a theatre visit once a month - including the transport - apart from the obvious stuff like bridge, chess, cycling...

Clearly you need reformer Pilates!!