Are You a Workaholic?

• 28.03.2022
• corpus
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It’s been a long day. You’re tired, and your brain is fried. Still, you stay late at the office to finish just one more project because you know that if you do, you’ll be able to free up more time to work tomorrow.

You don’t recognize your 60-hour workweek as a problem. When loved ones advise you to cut down on your work to get some rest, you brush them off. Besides, what do they know?

They don’t have to do everything seamlessly to be up for that next promotion. They don’t see that the extra time you spend working from bed answering emails is your version of rest. After all, you become easily stressed when you’re not working, so why stop now?

Is any of this ringing a bell? If so, then your work may be tipping the scales of your work/life balance, which is no good for your relationships and health.

Then again, you may not even realize you are a workaholic. Although there are many signs that you can look out for:

• You no longer make time for your hobbies because you’re “too busy.”
• You feel guilty taking a break.
• Your work consumes most of your thoughts outside of work hours.
• You view working weekends as normal.
• Your job is the first and last thing you think about each day.
• You experience physical symptoms such as fatigue, headaches, or stomach problems due to stress from work.
• You’re starting to feel like you would rather stay at work than spend time with family or friends.

Workaholics thrive off their work and put in more hours than is necessary or healthy for them or others. They may have trouble delegating tasks because they want control over everything, leading to burnout if not managed well. Workaholics also tend to feel like they don’t deserve breaks, leading to depression when they finally get some time off.

If you are starting to recognize that your work/life balance may be out of whack, here are some tips for creating a healthy balance between all aspects of life – including work!

• Take an objective look at your life and see how much time you spend on different activities each day—notice misalignments between your life goals, needs, and priorities and where you spend your time. Figure out where you can create more space for other things that matter.

• Set some rules and boundaries for yourself, such as not checking emails after hours or taking work calls on weekends.

• Take time for yourself every day to relax, whether it’s reading, going for a walk, or just taking a break from technology.
• Talk to your supervisor about finding a better way to manage your time, such as working from home one day a week.
• Invest in tools that will help you automate or delegate tasks (email templates, scheduling software, etc.). Try using technology such as Siri and Alexa to help with household chores while at home so that you can spend more quality time with loved ones!
• If you feel like your work is consuming most of your time outside the office, make a list every night before bed to plan what tasks need to get done tomorrow. Do the best you can to push the low-priority tasks to the next day, and so on.
• Take at least one break each workday! Even if it’s just for 15 minutes to walk around the block or drink some water.
• Seek external support; talk to someone you trust about how you’re feeling and what you’re struggling with, or attend a Workaholics Anonymous meeting to start taking steps toward recovery.
• Set up an appointment with a therapist to help you set up the best treatment plan for you.

Creating a healthy work/life balance is possible, but it takes time, effort, and sometimes outside help to get there. If you are starting to feel like your work is taking over your life, remember that no amount of money or career advancement can only take you so far if you don’t have your health and happiness!