9 months in and I don’t know how much longer I can make it

I’m 9 months into my Analyst stint and I don’t know if I can physically last much longer. Aside from the 80 hour weeks and hostile work environment, I’ve developed some serious chronic pain problems in my hands, wrists, shoulders and neck. It’s only been getting worse and I’m afraid if I don’t leave now this could become a permanent issue (if it isn’t already). On top of that, my diet is shit from eating takeout almost every night and I never have the time to workout besides the weekend. Needless to say my physical health is declining much more rapidly than it should be at 22 years old.


Ideally, I was going to stay till my next bonus ~1 year from now before jumping into a corp dev/strategy job, but I’m realizing that I might need to stick it out until my signing bonus clawback is up in a few months and take some time off. I’ve considered taking a 3 month leave to rehab but I feel like my coworkers / seniors would treat me worse after I come back. 
 

Financially, I can easily afford to take a 3-6 month break to do rehab/PT/job hunt, but with a gap that big and just a year of experience from a MM bank without a great reputation, I don’t know if I would even be able to land a decent corporate role. For what it’s worth though, I’m getting good sell side experience (too much experience in my opinion lol).

Has anyone been through something similar? What would you do if you were in my shoes?


**Before anyone asks, I’ve already seen plenty of doctors to rule out Carpal tunnel, nerve issues, etc. I have an ergonomic setup at my desk but I’ve come to accept that my body just can’t handle the constant typing and computer work for 14-16 hours every day. 

 

Man I can’t even play a few holes of golf without feeling like I just pitched 9 innings against the dodgers, my right arm gets sore just from brushing my teeth. I’ve been dealing with this since last fall so it’s considered chronic because of how long I’ve been dealing with it.

 

Movement is all you need to feel better. Take a break every 30 minutes and just roll your wrists, roll your shoulders, get up and stretch, whatever. You might look stupid but it'll help you feel better

 

Tough to hear. No job is worth your health. Start slacking off to a level you can handle. Maybe they’ll keep you, maybe they don’t. Only upside 

 

Rec letter for what? MBA is a sham and a black hole for money so wouldn’t advise that regardless. Unless you’re staying in a high intensity finance job or similar (which I don’t think you should based on your experience and ability to handle it) then no one will care

 
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Haven’t broken into the industry yet still in school so take this with a grain of salt but I might be able to offer some help. In terms of getting activity, maybe get up every so often or volunteer to grab coffee for your team as an excuse to stand up and move around. Also if you don’t have time to workout try doing a 10-15 minute core workout in the early mornings when you wake up or do 10-15 mins of high intensity skipping to get your heart rate up. As for pain, try doing some static and dynamic stretches before bed. Doesn’t have to take long, just spend maybe 10 minutes and hold each stretch for 20-30 seconds. Drink lots of water throughout the day, cut back on other drinks such as coffee and alcohol. Try and meal prep on Sundays for the week and aim for light foods (also keep portions in check as you’re not getting as much activity). Even a vegetable or fruit smoothie in place of takeout could provide nutrition in a pinch. Not sure how your office layout is but if there’s a kitchen with a fridge try and stock up on smoothies etc for the week when you arrive Monday. Not sure how packed your Sundays are but you could probably juice some things for the week or quickly toss salmon in the oven while waiting for comments. Hope this helps.

 

Given that you don't have a lot of time, do home exercises. Pullup bar, pushups, indoor cycling if you can afford a bike. You have to train your body for this. 

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
 
Isaiah_53_5 💎🙌💎🙌💎

Given that you don't have a lot of time, do home exercises. Pullup bar, pushups, indoor cycling if you can afford a bike. You have to train your body for this. 

Second the bike, treadmill, or walking pad.  Get that movement in and steps in.

Weights wise - push up, situps, and planks/dips to start.  Tone out your body then do weights.  Exercise bands are key.

 

hey OP, I also left as an AN2 post AN1 bonus late last year. you probably already know, but the job market is ass right now, and it is taking even strong candidates 3-6 months to find a solid corporate gig. obv, totally fine to take a corporate gig and rerecruit when the market gets better. 

feel free to DM if you want to vent or talk through quitting and recruiting for corporate jobs post banking

 

OP here, I would definitely appreciate it if you could dm me. Any advice on escaping ib would help

 

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