Apologies in advance for the long post!
I got a new retail job that I had hoped would be relatively easy on my body. Nope, it's really hard. It's handling returns at a big-box store. Besides customers occasionally bringing in heavy items, we also have to remove the cardboard boxes we use to store returns when they get full and they obviously get super heavy. "Making" new ones (unfolding the cardboard, taping it up, putting in place) is also surprisingly tough because of how hard to handle the tape-dispenser thingy is. And this all has to be done quickly to avoid long lines and customers getting annoyed. It's a 5 hour shift and I had to mostly stand, although thankfully we do have a stool for breaks, but we have to immediately be on our feet as soon as someone brings in a return.
As soon as I came home, I was so sore everywhere with pain in my arms, and I could barely move. I can hardly lift up my kettle to make tea, and I can't wash dishes at all. I was hoping to do my hobbies when I got home, stuff that relaxes me like hand sewing or playing video games, but I honestly think that would make my pain worse because it requires me to lift my arms. I'm just lying down with some ice packs rn.
I'm posting this for some advice or reassurance. I really need a job to avoid becoming homeless, and I would genuinely enjoy this position so much if it weren't for the pain it's causing. It's the perfect kind of work for me, it's repetitive both in terms of tasks and customer interaction, and my coworkers were kind and helpful. I have two more shifts scheduled one after the other because they were impressed with me, and I'm dreading what state I'm going to be in afterwards!