For some people, the workplace – and work itself – seems to dominate every facet of their being. Of course, this type situation is not a healthy one, but diagnosing a workaholic is difficult in our society as working long hours is often viewed in a favorable light. However, if you work too hard for a considerable period of time, this situation can lead to burnout. Burnout, itself, can result in fatigue, cynicism, irritability and related negative symptoms in individuals.
Moreover, while you may think that being a workaholic may be good for an organization, workaholics in fact may not be good for companies as many workaholics do not work well in teams for instance. All that said, there are certain signs that you can look for to determine, in fact, if you or someone that you are close to is a workaholic. Some of the signs of working too hard at your place of employment include these behaviors:
- You do not make time for personal relationships outside of the workplace.
- You are not able to clearly distinguish between home and your place of work.
- You ignore personal health problems.
- You are only happy when working on the “latest” new work project.
- You always set such high standards that they are almost always impossible to meet.
- You try to avoid taking personal vacations.
Do you exhibit these particular symptoms? If so, do not fret as you can overcome your work addiction - really. To successfully combat this problem, simply take these steps:
- During the next work week, make a commitment to come home one hour earlier. After you are in the habit of leaving one hour early, increase the duration to two hours – and so forth.
- Start going to the gym and/or engage in another type of physical activity. Besides the obvious physical benefits, engaging in exercise will also help you to release stress and think more clearly.
- Take up a new hobby and/or take a class that you find interesting. After all, it is important that you engage in activities that are not work-related.
- If you have a family, spend more time with family members. Moreover, do let them know that you will not be spending as much time at work in the future, and that you are open to engaging in activities with them.
Overall then, while being a workaholic is definitely not a healthy nor a sustainable endeavor, there are steps that you can take to alleviate this type of addiction.
By: Larisa Redins
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