How Workaholism could Ruin your Life
When you’re a workaholic your sole focus in life is doing your job. You are unable to get any enjoyment out of anything else you do because your whole existence is based around excelling in your career. You convince yourself that taking time off from work is a sign of weakness and that your career will suffer as colleagues attempt to take your place. On those rare occasions when you do take time off all you can think about is work and so you’re constantly anxious and irritable. Clearly, then, if you don’t address your workaholism your life won’t be fulfilling as it could be.
Indeed, you could find that an obsession with work actually ruins your life, since you are unable to form normal relationships and to get the most of life. You work over forty hours a week and bring extra home work with you, which obviously makes it hard to find the time to get close to anyone. Even if you do have a wife and children they won’t get to see enough of you and it is likely the relationships you have with those closest to you will come under a great deal of strain. Workaholism blinds you to all this, though, since all you are able to think about is working harder and for longer, without considering the implications for everyone else.
Besides, even when you do put your work aside you’re so conditioned to work all the time that you are unable to switch off. You might try to avoid thinking about work, but you just can’t do it and so you may lash out at those around you because of the anxiety and frustration you’re experiencing. When you’re away from work you find that you become lethargic and depressed, but it can reach a stage where being at work doesn’t exactly make you feel better either. This is usually because you’re not getting enough sleep or taking care of your health, leading you to feel overwhelmed by everything.
Stress can play a major role in causing premature death and so if you’re never able to relax or derive any pleasure out of your free time you won’t be doing your physical or mental health any favours. If you live to work then you miss out on so much that life has to offer, although you don’t notice this as you’re driven by your compulsion to get as much work done as possible. Leading this kind of lifestyle won’t lead you to feel happier about your situation, though, since everyone needs to get the right balance between their home and work life.
