can casiering fry your brain

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Can being a tortured cashier for 5 years 2 of which are currently night shift now cause brain damage like not being able to learn much or want to do anything? I want to learn music but its so hard to learn or retain any theory? Or is it that you should have learned it earlier and now at 22 if you weren't taught how to study or research or take notes you're permanently unable to learn? I have no friends and I spend my days sleeping and nights working an occasionally have time to practice piano but I'm slipping backwards and forgetting a lot and I'm becoming ill and I never go outdoors beyond walking to or from my car to go to work. I don't feel like eating either so I wither and I just leave my room a mess and wish I were dead while laying in bed, its weird but thinking about being put to sleep is comforting and helps me sleep when its light out.

No it wouldn't cause brain damage, just possibly emotional stress.

You should edit your title, I thought it had something to do with milk. (You just left the h out.)

My job is kind of mind numbing also, but I don't think it has damaged my brain. IN fact, I'm pretty sure it has helped it some ways by forcing me to follow a routine and deal with people every day which would not be my natural inclination. Also, I excel at parts of it, so that's good for my brain too.

What it does do is leave me mentally and emotionally exhausted so I don't have as much energy to do things I "want" to do, I have to prioritize.

Nobody knows what can really cause "brain damage" (and that's a big concern, that's why there is so much research on things like dementia and alzheimer now) but I don't think a stressful environment would qualify. Humans (and many other animals) have been equipped with a brain for as long as they have existed, and they have been living in a variety of highly stressful environments and conditions it would not make any sense from a biological and evolutionary perspective if "just" high levels of stress could damage it.

The idea that the brain learns better at a younger age, while not completely false, is also vastly exaggerated. The brain can learn and adapt to new stimuli, tasks and environment all through its life ; there are both plenty of neuroscientific evidence for that and plenty of examples of real life people who did exactly that. Except maybe if you want to become some kind of virtuoso musician there is no reason you can't learn music and achieve a good level with some practice, even if you start later or don't have time to focus on it right now.

It does seem, however, that your work makes you depressed, exhausted and globally makes your life miserable. I don't think I can really help without details on your situation, and I imagine there are other contingencies that make you locked into that job, but you should probably consider finding another position. Some form of therapy, counselling or support would also probably be beneficial to you.

Anyway, I commiserate with you. Take heart, and stand up for your life!

When I was burning out my ability to learn became seriously messed up. Depression can also make it hard to learn. It was found in the last few years that stress and depression cause a part of the brain that is critical to learning to shrink and become less functional. The good news is that that reverses when the stress or depression are treated.

IMO you sound depressed so maybe you should talk to a doctor or other suitable person. When I was having trouble I (and others) had a thousand theories but in the end they were all wrong. It's a bit exceptional to be seriously depressed and have seriousacquired cognitive issues, so most people will agree that it's just study habits or something, even if it's not that at all.

I don't know if that job in itself nessisarily causes brain damage, but it is possible that job is too stressful for some people, which means it could make issues they have like anxiety for example worse or contribute to new mental problems. I think in a sense to much prolonged stress can more or less cause brain damage.

Have you looked into any other jobs? Or potentially fewer hours...though maybe you need all the income you are making which would make that hard. Sounds to me like perhaps this job is causing you too much stress. But I doubt it has caused any long term brain damage at this point...but if you're feeling it effects your mental health it may be a good idea to look into other jobs.

If thoughts of dying are comforting to you, you are suicidal and need to seek help.

Customer service in general (and cashiering counts as that) is quite stressful, and night shift work interferes with normal rhythms, so that isn't helping you either. I don't think this is brain damage, but it is clearly having an affect on you. I agree with other posters, if you're suicidal, you need to seek help. Is it at all possible for you to make changes in your job situation?

As a cashier myself (at Walmart--where do you work?), I will say this: it certainly FEELS like my brain is literally burning out on occasion. And yes, there are times when I really have trouble thinking/focusing lately--I get home and am exhausted on all levels, so even if it's still fairly early, the rest of the day is pretty much destroyed.

I avoid the "inability to learn new things" problem with my other job: teaching online (which allows the cashiering position to be part-time, thankfully). (Of course, working through the exhaustion to get things done is difficult, but at least I can take breaks on my own schedule.)

However, no, it's not literal "brain damage"--just exhaustion, burnout and yes, depression. I hope the "wanting to not wake up" thing isn't literal, though--that would be a sign of severe depression and a signal to get some kind of help.

So: what you are feeling is normal, sadly enough. Not quite sure what I can suggest--maybe read as much as you can (if you can make yourself focus)--anything at all: fiction, various subjects, ANYTHING. Keep your brain busy and working. That may help the depression, too.

Feel free to PM me if you want to talk/commiserate.

Ive spent more time standing behind cashregisters than I have spent doing anything else in my life except maybe sleep. It does not 'damage your brain". Its hard on your feet. But not your brain. Dont particularly like doing it, and dont particularly want to go back to doing it. But its not going to damage your brain.

But if your a socially challenged aspie to begin with, and you work the nightshift, that would pretty much guarantee that you would have no social life.