RedmondStash - interesting thread. I've also been FIREd about 6 months and thought I'd share my transition experience to date.
I didn't work in what I would call a "toxic" work place. It included pretty much constant competition, conflict, and drama, all overlaid on a chronic "do more with less" agency culture. All of this generally went on with a veneer of politeness on top that kept me from feeling that I was personally under attack, but I've also known for a long time that I have an unusual ability to not take things personally. Some of my former colleagues probably would describe the place as toxic, but I just experienced it as crazy, extremely fast-paced, and filled with whiplash-inducing changes in emphasis because no one was capable of setting priorities, making choices, and sticking to them. We were determined to do it all, no matter how impossible doing it all might be. I left on very good terms with everyone, but I was so glad to be out of that constant pressure cooker. I was just completely exhausted by all of that and couldn't do it any more.
For the most part, I haven't looked back after I left. A couple of months in I was approached by a company that interacted with my agency and was asked to do some intermittent consulting. I agreed to do it, not because I wanted or needed to work, but because I didn't want to burn any bridges that I might need later if the need for additional income arose. But so far they haven't produced any assignments for me. Not sure why they asked me in the first place, but I'm glad that it hasn't turned into another job.
I haven't missed work at all, and haven't really thought about it at all. It's like I walked out the door and knew instantly that that part of my life was over. I haven't even had any dreams about work (unlike my Dad, who's been retired for over a decade and still has nightmares about work). On the contrary, I'm sleeping better than I have in years. I am thoroughly enjoying my stress-free status, and I cannot even fathom ever returning to the world of constant meetings, emails, and conference calls.
The hard part of the transition so far has been my ambivalence about involvement and engagement. Like most people who aspire to FIRE, I had visions of being busier than ever with volunteer work, side gigs, writing, music, etc. But so far I've had a complete lack of ambition to do anything more than mow my yard, cut firewood, hike/walk, read, watch the birds in the back yard, and other such daily life activities. I'd like to start doing something that is more mentally engaging and involves more interaction with people, but every time I think about engaging in anything more formal, all I can think of is how I'd have to conform to someone else's schedule, ideas, and priorities. And I have no desire to do that. I'm hoping this is a phase that I'll transition out of at some point, because, frankly, it's starting to get a little boring hanging out at home all the time. But I'm not going to push it. I figure it'll come when I'm ready.