My family keeps forcing me to help at our shop. I'm exhausted and no one seems to understand.

I used AI to rephrase here and there as my initial text was all over the place.

I (21F) live with my parents, and my dad keeps forcing me to help at his shop. I’ve been helping a lot this past month (almost daily) but I genuinely hate going there. Every time they ask me to go, I end up crying uncontrollably. It’s not laziness — it’s just mentally exhausting for me. I really cannot find a particular reason of why I hate it this much. I'm doing CA inter and right after exams, I just wanna get on tracks with my books but going there doesn't help me a bit at all. My next attempt is in January and I haven't even started anything. We have small shop in which my entire family 'helps' my dad. Our shop is a known name in our area and has kinda grown a bit in these last 5 years and hence there is a requirement for helping.

They initially told me that they need my help for the entire month of September. Since my exams just got over, I agreed too. They always said it was just for 2 hours..but I ended up helping them for 6-8 hours straight most of the days. No, I don't get paid anything. Initially I just did it as they pay all my fees and considered it as a consideration for that. If I ask them if I can leave early from shop, they immediately frown and ask me to stay a bit more. I've been suggesting hiring a helper for 3 years now and they keep talking about how helpers aren't trustworthy and they cannot be trusted during season times. If I ever say 'no' upright, they keep talking about how ungrateful I am and how other kids are helping their families and are grateful to their parents. I've told them “no” so many times, but they keep pushing. If I refuse, they get angry or guilt-trip me, and it always turns toxic.

Now yesterday my dad casually asked me to help them with the shop for this entire week again (they said last week the end of the season and they don't need my help anymore) and I couldn't help but feel angry and cry. My mom seemed to understand for a while, but when she realized I cried because my dad asked me to go for just two hours, she got mad at me too saying this isn't a big deal and I'm overreacting.( It's never 2 hours. It goes for 6-8 hours for sure).

I feel trapped. It’s like no one at home understands how much this affects me. I've always topped in my schools and never expected this phase of mine. Somewhere I feel like it's my fault. I’ve failed my CA Inter exam multiple times already, and I’m struggling to find the motivation to study again. My boyfriend has been supportive, but even then, it feels like I’m just dragging him down with my sadness and sometimes I feel it's so childish of me to even cry about it.

That business just isn't for me. I simply do not want to go. If I have free time, I probably just like to sit and do something else or sleep like everyone else and don't want to go to shop. Now I even feel guilty to sleep in the afternoons because I'm afraid if they ever see me sitting simply, they'll think I'm just free and ask me to help with the shop.

I don’t know if I’m overreacting or if this is actually a big deal. But every time they force me to go, I feel like I can’t breathe. Is this even normal? I literally shut down myself to everyone now and I don't know what to do really.