The Difference between Hard Work and Workaholism

If we look back at all the great minds of our time, we will see that almost everything invented and discovered was a product of hard work. How then to recognize when the line has been crossed? For one, hard workers generally maintain a balance in their lives. They work hard, but also rest, engage in leisure, and have responsibilities outside of work. In the case of a workaholic, the obsession is all-occupying. This obsession prevents workaholics from maintaining healthy relationships, outside interests, or even taking measures to protect their health. They typically neglect their health to devastating results, and ignore their friends and family. 

Symptoms of workaholism

Here are the most common symptoms of workaholism:

• Do you consider your home to be just another office, where you continue your job?
• Are you hard-driving, competitive, and overly committed to your work?
• Do you usually take office equipment with you wherever you go, even on vacations?
• Does your everyday work make you happier than anything else in your life?
• Can you sleep normally or you consider sleep and playtime a waste of time?
• Do you find that vacations are just a waste of time, and, even when you take them, you get restless and sometimes cut them short?
• You don’t have a lot of friends and they do not call you frequently because they figured out that they are not so wanted in your company?
• Do the people close to you call you manic or workhorse?
• Do you suffer from constant tiredness, social isolation, and might even have physical stress symptoms such as headaches, insomnia, shortness of breath, racing heart, muscle tension, or ulcers?

If your answer to the most of these questions is positive, then you probably are a workaholic and should seek professional help.

Worhaholism: The source of the problem

According to the majority of experts on this subject, a sense of work-related guilt usually arises from our parents' pre-adolescent hard treatment. This isn't abnormal, but it can leave unwanted consequences. It is relatively common for parents to teach their kids to be achievers, and strive toward optimum performance constantly. It isn't hard to assume what happens later in life...

Stress is something we still don’t know a lot about, but we recognize it as a major health problem that men face today more than ever. It has been linked to heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, cancer, and other serious illnesses - even impotence. According to the American Institute of Stress, up to 90% of all visits to doctors are for stress-related disorders.

How to fight the problem?

One of the most difficult problems in recovery is that the workaholic's hard work is often viewed as good, especially by their superiors, so they are rewarded for it. Fortunately, many people in business organizations are learning to recognize the signs of workaholism and to realize that, ultimately, the addiction hurts the person's performance; the perceived benefits are often only temporary.

The hardest step is admitting to yourself that you have a problem. Workaholism keeps you scared to death, maybe if you take a day off someone else will take your job, or if you take a vacation they will discover that you are not as important as you think you are. The best thing to do here is put an end to all that stress.

Relaxation tips  

The first thing that every workaholic needs to do is to add some balance to life. This can be only done if there is a synthesis between the work and non- work-related activities! As few as 30 minutes of intense cardiovascular exercise immediately reduces body tension.

Weightlifting can also neutralize anxiety and depression, and boost self-esteem, as can aerobics. A workaholic must choose a relaxing activity that he or she personally considers relaxing.  

• Try to get in touch with yourself!  If meeting deadlines is a problem, always give yourself at least 20% more time than you think you really need.
• Don't live beyond your means. Sometimes workaholics believe that they can achieve almost anything, even the impossible. But you should never live a lifestyle you cannot afford; it will lead to health problems sooner or later.
• Be careful about bringing your work home. Avoid taking your office documents back home with you. You should consider keeping your home a sanctuary, and your loved ones its blessings.
• Make time for your friendships. Try to call your old friends from high school and avoid socializing with your office buddies for a while.
• Take care of your body. Visit the local gym from time to time – maybe you will like it. Just to be sure, you should get a physical exam to rule out other potential problems. Three basics things you should keep in your mind are eating, sleeping, and exercising. 
• Re-examine your long-term goals. Is that much working really necessary?