Anyone else who finished their PhD feel like their old life doesn't fit any more, friends and so on?

It's as if since finishing - passing viva in April - I've done this massive update of systems (like a computer) and people don't fit the same way they did. Like I need a whole new life.

It's not even about career stuff, which is what I expected.

Sounds familiar, although with the friends bit it was more that my studies coincided with the wedding and babies time for friends and that's where our interests diverged. I still feel a bit 'lost' two years on to be honest.

Yep I know the feeling well. Makes it worse that most of the other PhD students I was close to were international students and have gone back home.

I still have a circle of good friends that I had before the PhD, but I feel we are on different trajectories now, especially as they are all married with kids now like CR1980 said.

I feel less understood I guess. Don't really know what the answer is.

I did my Phd in the UK, and brought up my kids there as well.
I came back 2 years ago to my country to work and pay off the scholarship.
For me, I will always miss the environment in the UK. The quality of life seemed better in the UK. Here it is always rush rush rush !
My current friends are senior teachers who are teaching on contract basis :)
I miss the kind of friends I had in Glasgow as a graduate student...heh !

Thank you! Do you think getting an academic post helps at all?

I am aiming for a work-life balance actually, and it's kind of hard with having an academic post. Where I am working right now, the doctorate holders are expected to supervise their Masters and Phd students on Saturdays. And saturdays are the time when I really spend time with the family.

Hello Charlie Brown. Hmm. Yes I was hoping that being around other self-directed research types in you subject area might help. I suppose it's all about adjustment and change. What you say resonated with me a lot though. Something we all face really. I mean I started doing this whole thing because I love the research but if the means of doing its makes me unhappy (i.e., the academic job), what then? I've been working in university admin and it is a much nicer if very boring - so far - life. It is, in fact 9 to 5, on the dot. With an hour for lunch! I may try and stick with that and get my stuff published in my comparably copious amounts of free time. See how it goes after that. Thank you again for all your responses.