Way back in the fall of 2016 I wrote one of the first posts on this blog, “Early Retirement Due to Stress“. At the time, I had planned to be done with corporate monkey-poo by the spring of 2020. Just three and a half years to go, I thought back then.Even though it took an additional three years, I finally met my goal to retire early and live a life completely free of any and all stress. Ahhh… Magic.Right.Just a few weeks shy of my one-year freedom anniversary, I’d temper that notion a bit. Sure, the stress is much less than it was in 2016 and I have some health tracking data to prove it. But it’s not like I just woke up on June 2 2023 into a land of rainbows, unicorns, and stress-free nirvana. My 2016 Stressy-Stress MindsetI must’ve been drinking the Kool-Aid back then. I wrote that you might avoid work stress just by being a good soldier and building-up them Jedi Knight cubicle coping skills.Maybe there is some kernel of truth to that. With age and experience, coupled with a learning mindset, even hacks like yours truly can thrive in a corporate system. The trouble is that even as you master these skills, if you haven’t learned how to fully embrace change and deal with conflict, your corporate pass will inevitably expire.Within the first few paragraphs of that ancient 2016 post, I had the nerve to suggest in #5 that one could simply say “No” and things would work out just fine. Hehehe.I am here to tell you now that saying “No” too many times (to working for a certain manager, working a certain job role, or leading a certain project) will get you tattooed by the upper managers who only understand the word “YES”.In retrospect, my string of iffy “No”s only went from March of 2020 (just before COVID lock-downs) until the fall of 2022. My new advice? Spread out your “No”s until you’ve achieved financial independence. Then you can afford to dole out “No”s until the cows come home.I’m glad I wrote this sentence in the 2016 post:“Sometimes there’s a re-org that simply shakes everyone’s confidence, and morale goes up in smoke.” Welp… The Lurking Stress Beast In Early RetirementLooking back is a helpful exercise. I forgot how hard I had to work at being a better manager and colleague while cubicle-bound. Apparently I wasn’t cut out for the scene. How do I know this? Because I’m naturally disposed to stress.That useful feeling helps you remember to do this or that. Stress can help you anticipate when the shit’s about to hit the fan. But it does drain you before too long. In my case, 25 years was enough of a drainage.Stress for me today is mostly manifested in parenthood. Raising two pre-teen kids is rewarding and I’m grateful for my family ten-thousand percent. But sometimes the bargaining that’s all too common with willful 10 year olds gets, well, old.The data I spoke to above about the reduced stress has to do with my good friend Iritis. This was the first spring I got through March-April without a flare-up in one of my eyeballs. Granted, the trend was going down each year, but it had rebounded to two flare-ups last year after a record low of one in 2022.So I can’t say conclusively that early retirement is mitigating my pesky flare ups. After all, the 2nd flare-up in 2022 hit me last fall, a good four months after I retired. For now, we’ll just take note of the “spring coincidence” and make it a happy story, k??I reckon it’s just a game of managing expectations. Keeping occupied in meaningful and productive ways seems to be a Maslow’s need for most of us. Early retirement is simply a new chapter with different (better) challenges and tests. The cool part is you get to choose your own adventure. The re-org doesn’t have any say anymore. Finding That Elusive “Retirement Groove”Seven years ago I wrote down the following six habits to achieve “balance”. In parentheses I’ve graded myself at the one-year retirement mark:Get at least 7.5 to 8 hours of sleep each night (A)Keep in touch with friends (C. Always room to improve, but always a priority for me.)Avoid processed food and limit meat and booze (B+)Read interesting books and periodicals, keep up on learning (A-)Spend meaningful time with my family (A-. Always choose family over golf holidays with buddies)Date nights! (C+. Finding good sitters can be a challenge. Still, we are enjoying “date days” with our twice weekly pickleball outings.)I’ll add below a few more habits that seem to be helping with early retiree stress avoidance:Meditate daily for 10-15 minutes to start the day. I just started this one exactly a week ago. It’s hard to flick away random thoughts but the results are apparent: Easier to fall asleep at night and easier to process immediate thoughts throughout the day.Moderate activity throughout the day, every day. (B-). Notice I didn’t use the word “Exercise” here. My mix includes some gym work (rowing, cycling, weights) but also chores around the house (gardening, yard work) and walks and runs.Give of yourself and your resources. I’d grade myself a D at this point. There are more ways I can be of service with the time at my disposal. I’ve chosen instead to consume my time with occasional handyman jobs and REALTOR work as an interesting pursuit (i.e., not “job”). I am a work in progress, just like everyone else.So here you have it. Cubert’s 9 Habits of Highly Content Retirees (my little riff off Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.)Notice there are no tips like “Travel the world” or “Buy a bigger house, a boat, or a vacation home”? Nothing about shopping sprees or speculative investing. Not that any of those first few pursuits are wrong-headed if you’re financially independent.But if you have everything you truly need (friends, family, health, and purpose) and FOMO doesn’t eat at you, then it makes no sense to get caught up in the conspicuous consumer culture. Is Early Retirement All It’s Cracked Up to Be?After nearly a year out of the saddle, I’ve come the conclusion that yes, it is. But early retirement is best experienced when one has a plan for day 1.Retire without a plan and you could find yourself bored out of your mind, going broke, or depressed from a lack of purpose and identity. Now that sounds downright STRESSFUL.RelatedJoin the Legion of Cubicle Doom!Sign up to have new posts and special updates sent directly to your inbox.Thank you for subscribing.Something went wrong.We respect your privacy and take protecting it seriously