I asked a retirement counselor why men fall apart within two years of retiring - she said it's not boredom, it's the first time their nervous system has no structure to hide inside - Silicon Canals

""For the first time in their lives, their nervous system has nowhere to hide. Men have been using work structure to regulate their nervous systems since they were boys in school. It's external regulation, and most of us never learned to do it from the inside.""

""The first year of retirement often feels like an extended holiday. There's novelty in sleeping in, in having nowhere to be. Men tell themselves they've earned this rest.""

Retirement often brings unexpected emotional challenges for men, as they lose the structured environment of work that has regulated their lives. The absence of external demands can lead to feelings of aimlessness and identity loss. Many men initially perceive retirement as a long-awaited break, but the reality can be a struggle to find purpose and self-regulation. The transition can mirror experiences of significant life changes, such as divorce, where familiar routines are suddenly absent, leading to feelings of free fall rather than liberation.

Read at Silicon Canals