quote:

I've reached a point where I feel as if I need to make a fairly radical change to my life, but I don't have the slightest idea what it should be.

Right here with you a few years back. I never had a "circle of friends" as I found most people less than tolerable decades ago. I made a conscious decision to become as self-sufficient as I could. (came in handy when the plandemic hit) Took a 160sqft garden to 1000sqft. Grow my own, learned to can, bake bread, got some barnyard critters, etc. The first noticeable thing that happened is all that time I had to be bored went away.

Wish I didn't wait till I was in my 60's to do this. Sometimes muscles I forgot I had are screaming at the end of the day but boredom is a thing of the past.

8 retired people were just discussing " spending time"
at lunch .

Some folks call it
"Being productive" one gal called it " keeping your mind busy" she quilts.
One guy called it " being active"
He volunteers at a local cemetery doing grounds keeping, lot sales. Surveying,
Felling trees, web design, office mgt. You name it.

Another fella called it a hobby, He runs errands baby sits and does odd jobs for his son and step daughter and their two sons, about 20 hours a week.

One poor soul designated him self a health care specialist five days a week ,six hours a day for his elderly parents.
He's a half a wreck and it effecting is marriage.

Two others took part time work only a month after retiring.

My only advice,
Eating everything you want too , when you want too is NOT recommended , avoid that at all costs.

So I’m almost 48. I work full time and I love my job, so that keeps me out of boredom for 45 or so hours a week.
For me it’s after work, when it’s blazing hot outside. While it may still be light out for a few hours, I don’t go off roading hen it’s too hot. If I was to get stuck, I surely don’t want to do that when it’s 102° outside.

You can always tell if my life is busy or bored, as to the time I spend here. I’m not taking a stab at this forum, I love it here and all you guys. It’s just when I have extra time on my hands, this is where it seems to be spent.

Cooking fills a huge gap of time when I am bored. I cook a lot, and it usually brings me a lot of joy.

I have said for 19 years I want to learn Korean. I cannot seem to motivate myself to even try. I speak a few hundred words, and I am told my pronunciation is excellent, however learning the Korean alphabet and the whole language, seems a daunting task. There definitely are times where I wish I could speak to my wife without others knowing what I am saying though.

One bad habit I have is to have a couple beers when I am bored. It certainly makes the evening go by, and I surely feel more content and less bored watching YouTube videos. However this morning I sit here and think, I had two beers and watch videos about wrist watches for two hours last night. That’s two hours I could have spent learning Korean…

Now, when the weather isn’t so hot, I am outside a lot. Yard work, off roading, going for walks. I have quite the plan to transform the front yard this fall and winter. Hopefully it will look amazing when I am done.

Para, I wish I had the magic answer. What I would say though, is if there is something you have wanted to do (like me with learning Korean) don’t put it off. Just give it a try. If you don’t, 20 years may pass and you’ll be asking yourself, “why didn’t I do that?”

I retired 12 years ago. Home chores and personal whim
provide a marvelous balance that keeps me engaged
in a satisfactory alternative to my old work days.

Whatever boredom may be, I remain unaffected. My Sweet Bride
Now 7 years retired, has periodic issues with
boredom. We have considerable differences
in personal theories on the syndrome.

Perhaps I'm the dimwitted in such matters, still
I'm just too busy to worry. I've got my first great grandson
due date 7/25.

The older I get the more selective I am with my time. I avoid boredom by doing the things that matter most. For me that is fortifying my family. There are enough facets of that to keep busy.

Spot and avoid the enemy.

I was thinking about this and I can't remember a time in the last few years that I have been bored.
Work is busy and keeps me engaged and moving while my personal time is filled with enough activity that when there's a lull in the action I actually welcome the quiet time.

I'm having the opposite problem right now.
As I've gotten older, I have more than enough to do and time seems to be speeding up.

Retirement is looming and the thought of boredom scares the hell out of me. I have plenty of hobbies but the thought of not going to work every day will take some getting used to and I don't think I'll like it.

Shooting doesn't even flip my switch anymore, hasn't for several years. It used to be my favorite thing and I never tired of the experiments from reloading. Now it's thought of as an expensive chore and so I just avoid it.

That's the most glaring example I have of relating to your post Para, but in general you've described how I feel most days as well.

My guess is we actually have a form of depression. I don't know about anyone else, but the last thing I want is more meds in my life so I'd love to find another way back to feeling like a day is worthwhile. But damned if I know where to start.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
See a clinical psychologist if you think our are depressed.Insurance should cover most of the cost. In most instances meds are not necessary.

quote:

Originally posted by SIGnified:
Re: radical changes

I’ll tell you, every day I’m inches closer to buying an an adventure bike and doing BDR.

Was nomadic before, not unhappy to do it again.

Life is too short. Just do it my friend!

I love exploring the small towns and backroads on my AT.
It is like a reset button for the mind.

My wife & I are 74 years old, and have been retired for 9 years. While we don't do anything really exciting, we're always doing something.

Walks in the woods everyday, small projects outside or inside, reading, binge watching Metallica or Dwight Yocum videos on YouTube, etc. We can always find something to do. Unless we feel like taking a nap.

You could become a Meme King

After reading Para's post it could have been me writing the same thing. I couldn't believe how it was the same feelings I have been having.

Getting old, not being interested in anything is driving me crazy.

At least in September I go back to being a full time substitute teacher at our high school police academy school. Interaction with other people helps. At 69, I don't know how much longer I will do that.

Buy a motorcycle or a dog.
Both are the secrets of happiness in this world.

As you know I've spent my time volunteering in areas I have interest, first it was raptors and now it's the parrot rescue I never knew was close by.

Also I took up watch repair as a hobby. It's like therapy for my very high strung, extroverted personality.

quote:

Originally posted by Jupiter:

quote:

Originally posted by SIGnified:
Re: radical changes

I’ll tell you, every day I’m inches closer to buying an an adventure bike and doing BDR.....

Life is too short. Just do it my friend!

I love exploring the small towns and backroads on my AT.
It is like a reset button for the mind.

I agree, there are any number of nice adventure type bikes now just find the best one for your needs.

I'm convinced that having lots to do can help with not becoming bored. I'm fortunate (I guess) to have many things to do. As many have guessed, riding, buying and selling motorcycles is a hobby of mine. Add to this walking and maintaining the trails I have through the woods, working other areas of the property with mowers, tractor, and SxS's, recreational use of the SxS's, cutting and splitting firewood, shooting guns (mostly .22's here on the property anymore). I look forward to just sitting with my dog and having a beverage and cigar at my fire pit some evenings in good weather. And when I have time to get away, a longer motorcycle trip(s) each year along with car camping with my friend. Obviously much of the above is Spring/Summer/Fall related but I take advantage of Winter to maintain the bikes, change tires, etc. and I like walking in winter as well as riding the SxS. Reading, I do a lot of that anymore especially in winter. Same with cooking. And spending a few minutes everyday here with my friends!

Unfortunately (and as usual, I suppose), I'm not posting to posit an answer to Para's OP. As has been stated, that could be me writing that, virtually line for line.

I have collected guns, enjoyed shooting and training and then when I got seemingly all I wanted? I lost interest. Started fly fishing, bought all the toys, envisioned myself as a better looking version of Brad Pitt out there catching trout... Then just kinda petered out.

There are boards on my home that need fixing, I could do it, am physically able, but have zero motivation to get off the chair and do it. Sometimes I think I lack the motivation to even arrange a handyman to fix it.

I watch some tv shows with my wife, go eat with my wife, maybe hang out with the family, and enjoy my grandson, but I'm in a deep rut and need a way to get out of it soon. My friends are fading from frequent contact, and I don't really care to go make new ones or renew the old ones.

My dad died back in June, and that one has taken me for a loop. Few if any tears, can't seem to make them flow, but a sense of deep permanent loss with it.

My simple minded plan is to try to force myself out of my rut with some travel, but work always pulls me back. I'm really not feeling sorry for myself, though it might read like that's so. I am concerned that I'm headed into a rabbit hole from which I won't emerge-or at least, not the same as I used to be.

If you figure it out, Para, or get a clue, let me know the secret. Sometimes I wonder if just saying (writing?) what you are feeling isn't therapeutic at some level. Will have to make a note to check myself later and see if I've improved.

And if you get to Beale, Para, let me know and I will buy you a cold glass of milk. Or whatever.

A) Get your hormone levels and vitamin levels tested. It can make a huge difference.

B) What do you like doing? Furniture making, cooking, soap making, writing, gardening, beekeeping, theoretical math?

It depends on the mindset, but I like either gardening, with the intention to make food, or a hobbies aimed to generate revenue - even if it doesn’t turn a net profit.