Anyone else feel like desk jobs are slowly wrecking their body?
Hey, not sure if this is just me or if others feel the same. I work an office job and I sit a LOT. Sometimes it’s 30–60 min without moving, other days it’s like 6–8+ hours even if I have a “good” chair. Lately my neck, shoulders and lower back are always sore. By the end of the day I feel drained, mentally and physically. What’s weird is it’s not just pain… it’s like: low energy hard to focus feeling stuck between work and taking care of my body lowkey worried this will mess me up long term even though I’m not that old I know posture, ergonomics, standing up etc… but in real life it’s hard to keep up during workdays. Just curious: Is this normal for office workers? Did this sneak up on you too? Or am I overthinking it? Would like to hear real experiences.
Jobadvisor
You are absolutely not overthinking it, and you are definitely not alone. What you’re describing is often called "Sedentary Stress," and it’s become a silent epidemic in the modern workforce.
It’s a bit of a paradox: your body is technically "resting" in a chair, yet you finish the day feeling like you’ve run a marathon. That physical drain happens because your muscles are stuck in "static loading"—they are constantly working to hold you upright, which restricts blood flow and leads to that deep, heavy fatigue.
Why It Feels Like It’s "Wrecking" You
The symptoms you mentioned—sore neck, shoulders, and low energy—usually stem from a few specific physiological "sneaks":
The "C" Curve: Even with a great chair, most of us eventually slump into a "C" shape. This overstretches the back muscles and compresses the front of the neck (often called "Tech Neck"), leading to those tension headaches.
The Blood Flow Slump: Sitting for hours slows down your circulation. This means less oxygen is reaching your brain, which is exactly why you feel that "brain fog" or difficulty focusing by 3:00 PM.
The Mental-Physical Loop: Your brain interprets physical stiffness as stress. When your shoulders are hiked up to your ears all day, your nervous system stays in a "low-grade" fight-or-flight mode, which is why you feel mentally fried.
Real-Life Experiences: How Others Manage
Most people find that "perfect posture" is a myth because the human body isn't meant to be still. Here is how people actually survive the 9-to-5 grind without losing their minds (or backs):
| The Problem | The "Real Life" Workaround |
| Forgetting to Move | Micro-breaks: Don't aim for a 30-minute walk. Set a timer for "Movement Snacks"—60 seconds of reaching for the ceiling or doing a few air squats every hour. |
| Eye & Brain Strain | The 20-20-20 Rule: Every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. It resets your focus and relaxes the neck muscles associated with vision. |
| Lower Back Pain | The "Glute Squeeze": If you can't stand up, squeeze your glutes and release them 10 times. It wakes up your posterior chain and takes pressure off the spine. |
| Shoulder Tension | Reverse Flys: While sitting, pull your shoulder blades together like you're trying to pinch a pencil between them. Do this during meetings. |
It’s Not Just You
It "sneaks up" on everyone because the damage is cumulative. It’s rarely one bad day; it’s 200 days of being 5% out of alignment. The fact that you’re noticing it now is actually a good thing—it’s your body’s way of asking for a change before the "soreness" becomes a chronic injury.
Why are so many “salaried” jobs just unpaid overtime now?
I’ve been noticing this more and more, not just in job listings but in actual workplaces. At my last job, I was classified as salaried, which initially meant stability to me. But in reality, it meant 50–60 hour weeks becoming the norm. We were expected to stay late, weekends were implied, and if we ever questioned it, it was treated like a lack of commitment rather than a workload issue. And this had become much more normalized normalized recently. What I also see is that managers weren’t breaking rules but rather were following them. Because the role was salaried, overtime simply didn’t exist on paper, no matter how many extra hours were worked.
This framework flourished much more during the Trump administration when the Department of Labor rolled back an Obama-era overtime expansion that would have extended overtime pay eligibility to millions of salaried workers like us. By raising the threshold more slowly and narrowing coverage, it made it easier for employers to classify roles in ways that avoid paying overtime. Once that change happened, unpaid extra hours stopped being the exception and started becoming the baseline.
We are told to be grateful they’re not hourly, while quietly absorbing more labor with no increase in pay. Companies and billionaires save money, and it gets labeled as “efficiency” or “professionalism.” If long hours with no additional compensation are now standard for so many white-collar jobs and it's becoming so normal, at what point do we stop framing this as personal work ethic and start acknowledging the policy choices that made it normal?
Jobadvisor
It’s incredibly draining to feel like your "stability" was actually a Trojan horse for an endless workday. You've hit on a core tension in the modern workplace: the shift from salary as a guarantee of income to salary as a tool for unlimited labor.
What you’re describing isn’t just a "hustle culture" trend; it is the result of specific legal frameworks and economic shifts that have changed the definition of a standard workweek.
1. The "Exempt" Loophole
The primary reason this is legal is the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Most salaried workers are classified as "exempt," meaning they are exempt from overtime pay. To be exempt, a job generally must meet three criteria:
The Salary Level Test: You must earn above a certain dollar amount.
The Salary Basis Test: You receive a predetermined amount every pay period regardless of hours.
1 The Duties Test: Your job involves "professional," "executive," or "administrative" duties.
The "Duties Test" is notoriously vague. It allows companies to label roles like "Assistant Manager" or "Project Coordinator" as professional, even if the work is largely repetitive, effectively "buying" 60 hours of work for the price of 40.
2. The Stagnant Salary Threshold
You mentioned the policy shifts during the Trump administration, and you're touching on a pivotal moment in labor history.
The Obama-era Rule: In 2016, the DOL tried to nearly double the salary threshold (to about $47,000), which would have made millions more people eligible for overtime.
The Trump-era Pivot: After legal challenges, the threshold was set much lower in 2019 (at $35,568).
The Current Landscape: Because the threshold remained relatively low for years while inflation soared, many "middle-class" roles stayed exempt. Effectively, if you make more than roughly $35.5k and have "professional" duties, your employer can legally work you 80 hours a week without an extra dime in pay.
3. The "Professionalism" Trap
There is a psychological component to this as well. Employers often frame "unpaid overtime" as a mark of professionalism or ownership. * Social Pressure: If a manager stays late, it creates a "shadow policy" where leaving at 5:00 PM is seen as a lack of "culture fit."
The Flat-Fee Model: From a business perspective, a salaried employee is a fixed cost.
2 If a company can get 20 extra hours out of you for free, their profit margins increase without them having to hire a second person.
4. Why it feels "Normal" now
Technology has erased the physical boundaries of the office. Because you can check email at 9:00 PM, the "salaried" expectation has expanded to fill every waking hour. When the law doesn't provide a hard "stop" (like mandatory overtime pay), the boundary is left entirely up to the power dynamic between the boss and the employee.
Is there a shift coming?
The conversation is starting to shift back toward policy. For example, in 2024/2025, the Department of Labor has moved to significantly increase the salary threshold again to catch up with the cost of living. If these thresholds rise, many people currently working "free" overtime will either see a raise or a strict cap on their hours to avoid the company paying time-and-a-half.
I hate what i'm studying, what do I do?
Hi, so I'm 22(turning 23 thus year) and I'm currently studying in vocational to be a sterile processing technician. Before this I used to study nursing but realised it wasn't my thing sl I dropped out. My mom pressured me to apply to vocational cuz she thinks I need a degree(and so does my teacher which is why she doesn't want me to drop out) which yes, I agree, but this is not what I want to do at all. I lack motivation and the fact that my teacher is not understanding about my medical issues doesn't help at all. I feel like I'm just going through the motions because of what the people around me want and it's making me feel hopeless and honestly depressed about my future.
I do want a job and a degree but I want it in something I enjoy. I know the importance of this career but it's not something I personally want to do and I have no idea what I should do right now. Though I would be able to graduate this spring if (and that's a big IF) I'm able to do all my internships with how my mental and physical health are. It's not that long and I really don't know what to do here. What would you do? I'm personally passionate about psychology or possibly some sort of linguistics or computer sience stuff. Should I just finish the school or should I drop out and apply to a school for something I actually like?
Jobadvisor
I hear how heavy this feels. It’s incredibly draining to be stuck in a "sunk cost" trap—where you feel forced to finish something you dislike just because you’ve already started, especially when you're battling health issues and external pressure.
You are at a classic crossroads: The "Finish Line" Strategy vs. The "Pivot" Strategy. Here is a breakdown of how to look at both options through a lens of your long-term mental health and career goals.
Option 1: The "Grind to the Finish" (Graduate this Spring)
Since you are only a few months away from graduating (Spring 2026), there is a strong argument for finishing, but only if you can do so without a total health collapse.
The Pros: You gain a "fallback" credential. If you ever need a job that pays better than retail while you study Psychology or CS later, you have a certified skill. It also stops the pressure from your mom and teacher.
The Cons: It requires a massive amount of "emotional labor" to do internships for a job you don't want while your health is struggling.
The Strategy: Treat it like a transaction, not a career. You aren't becoming a Sterile Processing Tech for life; you are just finishing a "side quest" to get the certificate.
Option 2: The "Clean Break" (Drop Out Now)
If your mental and physical health are at a breaking point, "pushing through" can sometimes lead to a longer recovery time than just stopping now.
The Pros: Immediate relief. You can redirect that energy into healing and researching programs in Psychology, Linguistics, or Computer Science.
The Cons: You may face significant conflict with your mom, and you might feel a sense of "starting over," which can be scary at 23 (though, in reality, 23 is still very young).
The Strategy: Do not drop out into a vacuum. If you choose this, have a "Bridge Plan" ready to show your mom so she sees you aren't quitting—you are re-routing.
Finding Your "Internal Compass"
You mentioned Psychology, Linguistics, and Computer Science. These are vastly different from Sterile Processing because they involve problem-solving, human behavior, and logic.
To help you decide, consider this:
The Internship Reality Check: Look at your schedule. Can you physically and mentally survive the internship hours? If the answer is a hard "No," then the choice has already been made for you—your health must come first.
The "Safety Net" Factor: Does having this degree make it easier for you to fund the degree you actually want? In many countries, vocational degrees allow you to work part-time for high hourly wages, which is great for a student.
What I Would Do
If I were in your shoes, I would look at the calendar. We are in late January. If "Spring" means graduating in May, you have about 12-16 weeks left.
Talk to a Counselor: Not your teacher (who is biased), but a school counselor or a doctor. Get your medical issues documented officially so the school must provide accommodations for your internships.
The "Minimalist" Approach: If you decide to stay, do the absolute bare minimum required to pass. Don't aim for excellence; aim for the piece of paper.
Start the "Excitement" Project: Spend one hour a week researching the application deadlines for Psychology or CS programs. Having a "light at the end of the tunnel" makes the current tunnel feel less suffocating.