looking for help

[schell81208]

hi Eric nice to see you joined us here and reached out for support....i am not retired per se..but have been on disability for several years...have had some part time jobs from time to time...currently nothing in over a year and half...i agree with the above ideas of looking for your identity without work....what i mean is it seems that when i meet someone their first question is what do you do? That bugs me...because what I "do" for a job is not who I am or what I enjoy....retirement is that process of learning to disconnect from" your perception of who you were in the work world" and truly finding your real self with all this new free time...which can seem boring and endless....an empty place with nothing to fill that void....in recovery it may be especially hard...i know you did say you attend lots of meetings that is great and great way to fellowship and go out for coffee or lunch and such....recovery is great to be a part of....i have been reworking the steps...step four now...it amazes me how much I procrastinate! It always seems there is something more important to do...rather than putting recovery first! The longer I go without working the more comfort I find in doing what i have always loved to do...the library...lots of book reading...I also started volunteering to foster kittens for a no kill shelter...i get so much joy out of doing that! I have more time for meditation in the morning and daily readings....life is actually so much more meaningful today beyond what I thought...I used to work two jobs at a time...busy busy making money...our life moves on day by day and just for today may you find joy in just being! Peace to you, Schell