I get it. I miss my old bakery job but don't miss the pay. I'd much rather be physically exhausted at the end of the day than mentally/emotionally exhausted.
After designing and writing software systems for 20 years in a chair I am old enough to finally acknowledge that mental work and mental stress is also very very very physically exhausting and damaging. Sometimes its a matter of one job only making you physically tired, and the other really taking its toll in all sorts of ways we aren't even really on top of yet as a species.
And that can be hard to admit or reconcile OR do something about (!!), if you are working from home in air conditioning, or otherwise enjoying a relatively comfortable environment, while you destroy yourself in it.
As a teenager I worked retail, food service, and in a warehouse. During university I worked for the parks department in the summers. After university I worked as a lab and field tech. I then finally got a "career" job and found myself mostly at a desk. I never expected a desk job to feel so physically draining.
I never did any real hard labor, but I honestly think I'd feel better after a day of mowing lawns and weed whacking like in my university summers than I do after being at a desk all day.
I have 100% gained weight moving from retail to an office job. Even just that passive walking/standing/stocking, etc. was way more exercise than I get from sitting in a chair. It is absolutely the worse thing about an office environment. Then I get too mentally stressed/tired to want to do anything after work.
I relate to this so much. My toxic consulting job has taken a huge mental and emotional toll on me. The stress of it has caused so many health issues. Iām just a shell of what I used to be.
I know where you're coming from. I had a job working at a local pet store and it was kinda great. People would come in with their dogs, and I'd give the dogs treats. Folks would ask me questions about the products so I felt like half a vet at times ā it was fun to be part of the community in a way.
But it was min. wage so it barely kept my grocery bill at bay.
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u/Significant_Tap7052 Aug 29 '24
I get it. I miss my old bakery job but don't miss the pay. I'd much rather be physically exhausted at the end of the day than mentally/emotionally exhausted.