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Recognizing the Noise: When Boredom Isn’t Just Emptiness
214 Plays20 days ago
Retirement is supposed to be relaxing… so why does it sometimes feel louder than ever?
In this solo episode, I reflect on a conversation with my friend Lynda Camire — and explore what happens when retirement doesn’t deliver the peace we expected. Lynda retired with a plan. But within days, she found herself checking the clock, wandering into her old office, and feeling overwhelmed by a surprising emotion: boredom.
This episode is about the hidden noise that surfaces after the structure of work disappears — and why that noise isn’t a sign of failure, but a signal worth listening to.
What You’ll Learn:
- Why boredom in retirement feels more like pressure than peace
- How unstructured time can trigger unexpected emotions
- The link between boredom and mental clutter
- Why retirement doesn’t quiet your mind — it confronts it
- How to reframe boredom as an invitation to experiment, reflect, and grow
Key Takeaways:
- Structure disappears faster than purpose appears.
- Mental clutter loves a vacuum.
- Boredom can be a bridge, not a wall.
- You don’t need a five-point plan. You need a small spark.
Questions for Reflection:
- Is this boredom… or is this mental clutter in disguise?
- Am I judging myself for not being productive?
- What have I stopped doing that I used to enjoy?
- What am I trying not to feel right now?
If you’ve recently retired and find yourself feeling restless or “off,” this episode is for you. You’re not broken — you’re human. And you’re not alone.
Tune in to learn how boredom might just be pointing you toward your next chapter.
Recommended
Transcript
Rethinking Retirement
00:00:03
Speaker
Retirement. That's what we're all aiming at, right? But exactly what does that mean? conjures up visions of endless days of golf, drinks with little umbrellas in them on a tropical beach, feet up reading a book.
00:00:16
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Is that what it's all about? I don't think so. Life would get pretty dull after a while without anything meaningful to do, don't you think?
Exploring Life Beyond Retirement with Jackie Doucette
00:00:25
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I'm Jackie Doucette, and I'm on a mission to discover exactly what life is like beyond retirement.
00:00:30
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Join me while I chat with people who've already done it, who've retired to something rather than from something. Let's find out together exactly what's waiting for us when we say goodbye to that nine to five.
The Unexpected Challenges of Retirement
00:00:50
Speaker
Hi everyone, welcome to another episode of Beyond Retirement. I'm your host, Jacqui Doucette. And today I want to talk about something that we often underestimate. Something quiet, subtle, but surprisingly powerful.
00:01:06
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Boredom. Not the nothing to do on a rainy day kind of boredom. The kind that creeps in after retirement, when your calendar is suddenly wide open and your mind gets louder instead of quieter.
00:01:20
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This episode is sparked by my conversation last week with my friend Linda Camere. Linda just retired after a long government career. She had a solid plan for when to retire, but like many of us, hadn't given much thought to what that first week would actually feel like.
Linda's Story: Amplified Mental Noise
00:01:41
Speaker
And guess what she discovered? Retirement didn't silence her mind. It gave it a megaphone. So if you haven't listened to that episode, go on back after this one and listen to it, because she had a lot of interesting things to say.
00:01:59
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But to today, i thought I'd talk a little bit more about the idea of boredom. And I've divided it up into parts, because as you veterans of my show know, i love a good list.
00:02:12
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Part 1. The Unexpected Volume of Boredom
00:02:17
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On her first official day of retirement, Linda described the experience as horrible. She kept checking the clock, wandering into her office to check emails, even though she had none, waiting for lunchtime, even though no one was expecting her anywhere.
00:02:35
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And by mid-afternoon, she had a sinking realization. She had no plan for what came next. That empty space where structure used to live,
00:02:46
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was quickly filled with noise.
00:02:50
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What should I be doing? Is this it? Am I wasting time? That's the hidden truth about boredom. It doesn't feel like peace. It feels like pressure.
00:03:02
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And sometimes that pressure shows up as restlessness, anxiety, or even guilt. We aren't necessarily aware of the anxiety or guilt, but it's there in the background, building up.
00:03:15
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It's in the, what should I be doing now, ideas that flow through our mind. Part two.
Emotional Challenges and Identity Loss
00:03:24
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Retirement doesn't quiet the mind. It confronts it.
00:03:28
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Many people think retirement is a reward, and it is. But they also assume it'll be calm. Want to know the truth? Without the constant demands of work the inner noise gets louder.
00:03:41
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It's like the mental clutter that's been sitting on the back shelf, pushed aside by to-do lists and calendar invites, and it finally has room to spread out.
00:03:52
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So you start to notice every little crack in your routine. The mornings that feel a bit too long, the afternoons with nowhere to be, the questions that start with, what's the point?
00:04:08
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This is where boredom and mental health intersect. Because what looks like boredom from the outside can actually be unprocessed emotion, unclear direction, or a loss of identity trying to get your attention.
00:04:24
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So what can you do?
Finding Purpose through Boredom
00:04:27
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Part three, recognizing the noise for what it is. First, let's recognize all that noise for what it really is, not as failure,
00:04:38
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Not as a sign you're doing retirement wrong, but as a signal. Here are a few truths that came out of Linda's story. Number one, structure disappears faster than purpose appears.
00:04:54
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When you stop working, no one hands you a new itinerary. You have to build it slowly. through trial and error. And we all know that trial and error takes time.
00:05:05
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It doesn't happen overnight, and it certainly doesn't happen in an afternoon when you realize you're so bored you're considering trying to get your job back. Two, mental clutter loves a vacuum.
00:05:19
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If you don't give your mind something to focus on, it will create its own chaos. That might be anxiety, restlessness, or overthinking. So find something to occupy yourself, even something simple.
00:05:34
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Keep a deck of cards on hand and find a new solitaire game online that you can learn. Three, boredom can be a bridge rather than a wall.
00:05:45
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Instead of seeing it as something to fix, what if boredom is an invitation? An invitation to try something new, to notice what you miss, to rediscover what brings you energy.
00:05:58
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When you accept this, new ideas will start to emerge.
00:06:04
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Part 4.
Rediscovering Passions
00:06:06
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Small experiments that matter. Linda, for example, found her way back to cooking. It's been a passion since childhood. She's got time now to expand and learn new cuisines.
00:06:19
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She's not starting a business yet, and she's not reinventing herself overnight. She's experimenting. Few hours a day. Learning to stop watching the clock.
00:06:30
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Letting each day teach you something new. And that's the shift. From expecting clarity all at once to welcoming curiosity, one small spark at a time.
Reflecting on Boredom and Emotions
00:06:44
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So, part five. Take this with you. If you're feeling bored and not in the fun, lazy Sunday kind of way, try asking yourself,
00:06:56
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Is this boredom or is this mental clutter in disguise? Am I judging myself for not being productive? What if I gave myself permission to try something without expecting to master it?
00:07:13
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What have I stopped doing that I used to enjoy? And here's one more. What am I trying not to feel right now?
00:07:25
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because sometimes the noise isn't from a lack of activity. It's from emotions we finally have space to hear. Don't shy away from that idea. Give it space. Let it out.
00:07:36
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You may be surprised what you discover.
Guidance on Navigating Retirement
00:07:42
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Thanks for being with me today. If you're walking this path right now, stepping out of work into retirement, and you're finding more noise than peace, you're not broken.
00:07:52
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You're human, and you're not alone. Boredom isn't failure, it's feedback. Let it speak and then maybe follow it somewhere new.
00:08:04
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Until next time, be kind to yourself in the quiet moments. And that's it for this episode of Beyond Retirement. Thanks so much for joining me.
Jackie's Book Promotions
00:08:14
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I hope you enjoyed it.
00:08:15
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Did you know I'm publishing books now? Head on over to placeforbooks.com to explore the variety of titles already published. There are titles in English, French, and Spanish, and new titles like Bunny Confidence for Women and Public Speaking for Introverts are scheduled for release soon.
00:08:33
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Again, that's placeforbooks.com. Check it out.