Photos courtesy of Fritz Gilbert, James R.
- While many retirees say retirement has been great, there are hard parts.
- Finding ways to stay social can be a struggle for many retirees.
- And figuring out how to spend your time is another part of retirement that retirees struggle with.
- Want to share your retirement experience with Insider? Email reporter Liz Knueven at lknueven@insider.com.
Retirement is generally great, retirees say. They love the freedom, flexibility, and control over their lives they have after working.
But, it has its downsides, too. Insider talked with real retirees to find out what the biggest struggles of retirement are.
Here’s what they said are the biggest challenges of retired life.
1. You have to find ways to be social – it may not be built into your day-to-day life anymore
In talking with retirees, it’s become apparent that there’s a trend: Retirement can be a bit isolating.
Once you leave work, there isn’t the same type of camaraderie you once had with coworkers and colleagues, and socializing and seeing other people may not be built into your schedule anymore.
Retired college professor James R., who doesn’t use his last name online, says that he had to intentionally learn how to be social in retirement. Though he still works online, retirement felt isolating in the beginning.
“I’m an introvert and I’m not particularly social. I figured working at home all the time was perfect for me. But, even a person like me occasionally needs to be around people a little bit,” he told Insider.
2. You have to choose what you want to do with your life
While having total control over your time sounds like it’d be a great thing to many people who are working, it can be a big struggle for many new retirees, says Fritz Gilbert, who retired in 2018 at age 55.
“Most people are so focused on the financial [aspects] that they don’t really take time to stop and think about what a major life change it is to move into retirement and be in a situation for the first time since before you were in school, where you no longer have anybody telling you what you need to do. That’s entirely up to your discretion,” Gilbert told Insider.
As liberating as that sounds, it can also be a struggle mentally for those transitioning into retirement.
He suggests thinking about it in advance. “Thinking about that while you’ve still got three years left or more of work is incredibly important,” Gilbert said.
“Start to think about what really matters to you, and what do you want to do with your time? What do you want to get involved with? Where do you want to expand your interests? Where do you want to make a difference in the world?” Gilbert said.
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