The Workaholic
Being a workaholic is viewed in a positive light. It suggests endless energy, dedication and focus, boundless supplies of ambition and achieving of magical goals. It shouts at us that hard work, sleepless nights and pushing yourself to unbearable limits is desirable. Most of us believe it to be true. If we don’t buy into it then we’re viewed as lazy, lacking in competitive edge and just hopelessly unmotivated.
There is nothing wrong with working hard but as with everything in life, a balance must be struck. Balance isn’t something that is sustainable all the time, but it can be attained and sustained for long periods of time at most. This also suggests that there will always be periods of doing life at full tilt and great speed but that at some point you need a pause and a rest in between these bouts of frenzy. The ebb and flow of life is a reality which must be respected. It brings balance and harmony.
I have found in my line of work that workaholics are often people who haven’t been acknowledged as children, as individuals, their emotional needs haven’t been met by their parents, have been made to feel useless or unworthy by not achieving enough, feel small and invisible because they’ve not felt heard or seen. They seek attention, need to prove themselves, be successful but all the while they’re desperate for approval. They need to achieve to feel valuable and alive.
I have also found that people become addicted to work in the same way as they may become addicted to exercise, health foods, drugs, alcohol, gambling, lying, or shopping. A workaholic, like an addict is either running away from something or running toward something. Either way they seek the feeling they find in any habit. If you are a workaholic look carefully at what you gain emotionally by doing so. What you gain may well be instant financial reward that will save your bacon but I’m talking about the addiction to working overly hard. Ask yourself why. The why will point to a void or imbalance in your life that needs facing and solving.
Of course, we can all become an ‘ instant workaholic’ or very hard worker if certain goals need to be achieved in a limited time frame or it’s a life-or-death situation. The key is to know when excess has become the norm. Your body will always tell you way in advance of reaching burnout that you are being excessive about your workload. Listen to your body’s natural intelligence as it knows better than your own mind, but the only way you’re going to prevent physical burn out is by pausing to pay attention and avoiding being stuck in workaholic habitual addiction.
Burnout is the natural result of being a workaholic for too long. Physically this can present as a serious disease or illness. It can end up as a bad accident or fall. Of course, there are other side effects such as losing touch with family and friends or not noticing that your spouse is having an affair because you’re never around. See to it that you don’t become a workaholic. Hard working with breaks in between is the intelligent balanced way to go.
“When my client has learned to answer their own questions, my job is done”
Need to know more? WhatsApp on +27823740940 or email on barbara@barbarascogings.com to book a complimentary 20-minute session to discuss this in more detail.