Is anyone bored in retirement?

I was bored working. I never knew what boredom actually was until I was 25, at work, and.... the rest you know. Bored stiff. What is this that I'm feeling, I asked myself? Boredom.
 

Pepper said:
I was bored working. I never knew what boredom actually was until I was 25, at work, and.... the rest you know. Bored stiff. What is this that I'm feeling, I asked myself? Boredom.
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Hi Pepper.
If you are asking what the feeling of boredom is, besides the usual explanations such as lack of interest, it points to a common subtle fear we all have. As humans, our primary fear is being judged unfavourably (followed by rejection, segregation, abandonment, and lastly annihilation). Being seen as not coping with something is a very common unfavourable judgement. This fear can stop a person in finding anything challanging, like dealing with something different or unknown.

Fear of past unfavourable outcomes, repeating themselves, can lead to depression (no hope of change); a common outcome of being bored.

There is only one way of overcoming fear. That is to take a risk and face it. Often the simple decision to face it starts unravelling new hopes.

Deep down, we all are either in a subtle state of fear or love, many times in a day. Fear can be rivetting (dead), and love can be exciting (living). It's our choice.

Here is the thing about our fears. They all come from ourself! We created them! In essence, they are just a story of not coping. Our secrets (things we don't accept about ourself) feeds our not-coping stories and keeps us from coping with the truth. A person who can totally accept themselves, warts and all so to speak, has no fear of being judged unfavourably. Once this primary fear is overcome, the following fears of rejection, etc., disappear. They know and accept their truth, and it set them free from their fears. Life becomes exciting, wonderous, and supporting.
 
jimintoronto said:
Depending on where you live, a radio frequency scanner might be something to get into. A scanner can be set to listen to various frequencies, like the local fire, EMS, police and public services agencies like the highway services, and of course the local airport air traffic control tower. A used scanner can be found for around $100, and there are numerous online frequency lists that you can down load for free. AS long as you are a passive listener and don't go out and rush to accident scenes or fires, you are legal.

Obviously a really small town won't have a lot of radio traffic, but there are online websites that let you listen to big cities, like NYC, Boston, Chicago, or Dallas emergency channels. I live in Toronto, and I have pre set channels on my lap top computer that let me listen to a dozen US big city police, fire and EMS services as background in my headphones. JIMB.
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You don't need to buy a scanner these days, do you? I'm wondering can I use my PC to listen to various frequencies?
 
Sandie5 said:
You don't need to buy a scanner these days, do you? I'm wondering can I use my PC to listen to various frequencies?
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Sure. Just do a search for " Police and fire frequency lists in your state ". For example this one for Tulsa city and county.
linkhttps://onlinepolicescannerhq.com/tulsa-police-scanner-online-listen-live-calls-free/

JIMB.
 
I work part time. I thought it might give me some peace of mind. It hasn't. What I need to be is rid of all these people that were supposed to be family. I don't want to think or have any responsibility for anyone. After the stepfather is gone, I plan to go no contact with my abusive brother.

Then I hope my mind might be calm enough to do more. I'll have to see.
 
I'm never bored. I have a routine. I'm in my home office in the morning with my coffee, but leisurely going through emails instead of being bombarded with them. Most of my day is spent at the gym listening to music in my AirPods while working out. I'm also always looking for new meals for dinner. Late afternoon is spent putting them together and catching up on streaming shows with the cats in my lap.

I originally thought I would like to do some consulting work and I've received numerous requests, but now that I've been out of my industry for 4 years I no longer feel I have the expertise. If I ever feel I don't have enough to do I just remember when I was working and never had enough time for myself. It makes me happy that I now answer to no one but myself.
 
Not bored. I've re-discovered my awe of the natural world as I had as a child. Plants, trees, wooded areas fascinate me still. I'm lucky to live at the edge of a wooded area.
Cooking a few times a week delights me. It's like an art form for me. TV documentaries and humor are also fun for me. Music, of course.

Just being away from the extreme stress of my job is a joy.
 
reteP said:
Here is the thing about our fears. They all come from ourself! We created them
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Not entirely true for all of us unfortunately especially childhood fears. I didn’t create the screaming, yelling, furniture-throwing rages my dad and one older sibling scared me with. And I didn’t create the fire-and-brimstone, “this life is a tightrope walk over the flames of hell” brand of religion one grandparent was always scaring us kids with (and probably at least partly why my dad had rage).

So some of us got introduced right away to fears totally NOT of our own creation.
 
I cannot say that I am bored. I love to fill my days with simple pleasures.
I like to spend my time at home.
I like to garden, cook, read, exercise, watch documentaries, but most of all I like to spend time with my family and cats. I love to spoil my husband, my daughter and her family. Making their lives easy makes me happy.
 
officerripley said:
Not entirely true for all of us unfortunately especially childhood fears. I didn’t create the screaming, yelling, furniture-throwing rages my dad and one older sibling scared me with. And I didn’t create the fire-and-brimstone, “this life is a tightrope walk over the flames of hell” brand of religion one grandparent was always scaring us kids with (and probably at least partly why my dad had rage).

So some of us got introduced right away to fears totally NOT of our own creation.
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I was once beaten to the point where my body shut down my feelings to pain, since I was not able to escape from it. Then 'my story of not coping' disappeared and I stopped screaming and crying etc. Pain showed itself as it really is, a nervous sensation. A pain sensation warns us that the body is being attacked and we need to avoid the situation. If we don't, won't, or cannot, then the mind panics because it does not know how to cope with it. We, as social beings, instinctually scream (for help).

We humans thrive on hope that what is unacceptable will become acceptable, and at times will endure the unacceptable in hope it will change; that too is a choice we made. Personally, I endured a lot of pain out of fear of the consequences of rebelling my guardians. As a child, my parents were gods (always knew what was best for me)... but in reality, they were simply young folks who also did not know how to cope.

Pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional. Pain is a physical-chemical bodily reaction. Suffering is a choice to not cope with the pain. Unfortunately most don't realize that the 'truth' about pain is simply a sensation without meaning, until we choose to put meaning to it.

Not long ago I was in hospital for a pain to my mid-body. My perceived pain level was 5, but slowly increased. I was given a dose of morphine, but it did not help. After the third dose, and my perceived pain had reached 8, they decided to put me in a MRI scanner. They asked me to put my arms above my head and stretch out for proper image taking. My body went into shock and I shook like a leaf. The staff asked if I was cold, I simple said this is level 10. I then passed out. They saw in the scan that I had a ruptured appendix. During emergency surgery, they removed 800ml of gangrene puss. So it had already ruptured for awhile.

Throughout the ordeal I experienced pain but I did not scream, cry, or became im-patient. I was coping with it because I had no stories of not not coping with it. I remained calm and told the truth of my circumstances when asked, I was no afraid.
 
reteP said:
I was once beaten to the point where my body shut down my feelings to pain, since I was not able to escape from it. Then 'my story of not coping' disappeared and I stopped screaming and crying etc. Pain showed itself as it really is, a nervous sensation. A pain sensation warns us that the body is being attacked and we need to avoid the situation. If we don't, won't, or cannot, then the mind panics because it does not know how to cope with it. We, as social beings, instinctually scream (for help).

We humans thrive on hope that what is unacceptable will become acceptable, and at times will endure the unacceptable in hope it will change; that too is a choice we made. Personally, I endured a lot of pain out of fear of the consequences of rebelling my guardians. As a child, my parents were gods (always knew what was best for me)... but in reality, they were simply young folks who also did not know how to cope.

Pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional. Pain is a physical-chemical bodily reaction. Suffering is a choice to not cope with the pain. Unfortunately most don't realize that the 'truth' about pain is simply a sensation without meaning, until we choose to put meaning to it.

Not long ago I was in hospital for a pain to my mid-body. My perceived pain level was 5, but slowly increased. I was given a dose of morphine, but it did not help. After the third dose, and my perceived pain had reached 8, they decided to put me in a MRI scanner. They asked me to put my arms above my head and stretch out for proper image taking. My body went into shock and I shook like a leaf. The staff asked if I was cold, I simple said this is level 10. I then passed out. They saw in the scan that I had a ruptured appendix. During emergency surgery, they removed 800ml of gangrene puss. So it had already ruptured for awhile.

Throughout the ordeal I experienced pain but I did not scream, cry, or became im-patient. I was coping with it because I had no stories of not not coping with it. I remained calm and told the truth of my circumstances when asked, I was no afraid.
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I am part of a Zoom support group for Peripheral Neuropathy. About 30-40 people Zoom in. Their stories, and difficulties, and solutions are all different. Finding ways to be functional is quite a creative venture. It isn't boring.
 
reteP said:
I was once beaten to the point where my body shut down my feelings to pain, since I was not able to escape from it. Then 'my story of not coping' disappeared and I stopped screaming and crying etc. Pain showed itself as it really is, a nervous sensation. A pain sensation warns us that the body is being attacked and we need to avoid the situation. If we don't, won't, or cannot, then the mind panics because it does not know how to cope with it. We, as social beings, instinctually scream (for help).

We humans thrive on hope that what is unacceptable will become acceptable, and at times will endure the unacceptable in hope it will change; that too is a choice we made. Personally, I endured a lot of pain out of fear of the consequences of rebelling my guardians. As a child, my parents were gods (always knew what was best for me)... but in reality, they were simply young folks who also did not know how to cope.

Pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional. Pain is a physical-chemical bodily reaction. Suffering is a choice to not cope with the pain. Unfortunately most don't realize that the 'truth' about pain is simply a sensation without meaning, until we choose to put meaning to it.

Not long ago I was in hospital for a pain to my mid-body. My perceived pain level was 5, but slowly increased. I was given a dose of morphine, but it did not help. After the third dose, and my perceived pain had reached 8, they decided to put me in a MRI scanner. They asked me to put my arms above my head and stretch out for proper image taking. My body went into shock and I shook like a leaf. The staff asked if I was cold, I simple said this is level 10. I then passed out. They saw in the scan that I had a ruptured appendix. During emergency surgery, they removed 800ml of gangrene puss. So it had already ruptured for awhile.

Throughout the ordeal I experienced pain but I did not scream, cry, or became im-patient. I was coping with it because I had no stories of not not coping with it. I remained calm and told the truth of my circumstances when asked, I was no afraid.
Click to expand...
There are pains other than physical pain. And suffering isn’t always optional; ask any concentration camp or torture survivor.
 
After retiring I spent a few months doing a variety of things on our farm. I ran out of things on my list and got bored. So I got a minimum wage job to have some outside contact. That messed me up on taxes so now I volunteer and the V A Hospital thirty miles from home two days a week. I enjoy meeting and talking to vets and sometimes I really am able to help them get where they are going. Feels good to give back a little since I've been going to that VA center for years and received great care.
 
RadishRose said:
Not bored. I've re-discovered my awe of the natural world as I had as a child. Plants, trees, wooded areas fascinate me still. I'm lucky to live at the edge of a wooded area.
Cooking a few times a week delights me. It's like an art form for me. TV documentaries and humor are also fun for me. Music, of course.

Just being away from the extreme stress of my job is a joy.
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Connecticut IS exciting ! LOL Our son picked us up here in Mass, brought us to his home in Conn. for a few days. Family cook-out/party on the 4th and fireworks on a lot in nearby Hebron. Brought us back home on Friday. A 200 mile round trip for him. It was fun for us to visit with all of our Conn. family made up of folks from 64 down to 2.

Back home, one of my grandaughters drove me to and from the optometrist today, while my grandson borrowed my car to get to work while his was being repaired.

It's all about family. You get what you put together in your early days and if you happened to get it right, it removes a lot of the boredom and needs that old folks have - - - -or at least is has in our case.
 
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LoveTulips said:
Not at all, I have way too many hobbies to be bored
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I know what you mean. But I had been depressed in the past and when that happens there isn't much one can do when all the pleasure in ones interests just evaporates. Glad I got that out of my system at 25. Good to go since but people like my mother who suffer it repeatedly have all my sympathy.

BTW I just posted a bunch of pictures to the first time blooms on a new plant in my garden you might enjoy. Gardening for nature, walks with my dogs and the books I’m reading.
 
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