|
Get Out From Behind Your Work
"Workaholics are out of balance," says Bryan E. Robinson, a therapist in Asheville, North Carolina, and author of Chained to the Desk: A Guidebook for Workaholics, Their Partners and Children, and the Clinicians Who Treat Them. "They don't have many friends. They don't take care of themselves. They don't have any hobbies outside of the office. A hard worker will be at his desk, thinking about the ski slopes. A workaholic will be on the ski slopes thinking about his desk."
You won't find any workaholics on the balance beam.They are at the office, at their desk, nodding in agreement to the following statements:
- I work long hours.
- I take my laptop, Blackberry, and cell phone on vacation so I can check in frequently.
- I let work interfere with my family time.
- I find it hard to relax.
- I judge my self-worth by my work experience and accomplishments.
- I will be liked more if I do more, for myself and others.
- I must always be busy.
- I am a perfectionist so I can't stop working until its perfect.
Workaholics are not gender specific nor are they occupation specific. They are simply people who display a compulsive need to work hard and for very long hours. There are not enough hours in the day to get all their work done so they rob from Peter to pay Paul. They disengage from family activities, have few friends, and rarely have hobbies (or if they do, their hobby becomes work), as they remain in denial of their workaholism. This disorder has been linked to "a variety of health problems, including exhaustion, stress, and high blood pressure, and can take an emotional and mental toll on a worker's family", says Joel Slemrod, a professor at U. of Michigan.
What's a workaholic to do then?Dr. Robinson has a four-step self-care plan to help you combat this disorder. This is excerpted from his book, Don't Let Your Mind Stunt Your Growth.
- Work moderation. Abstaining from excessive work is the goal here. Try to set a more steady work schedule with regular hours, avoiding "binge working." When possible, confine your work to eight hour days, five days a week.
- Outside interests. Establish outside links to new friends and new ideas through such things as hobbies, social contacts, and recreation. Expand your interests and talents beyond your daily work role to develop a richer life.
- Renewed relationships. Overlooked relationships are often in disarray or defunct. Identify friendships and intimate relationships that have become stale and renew those close ties. Take time to enjoy long walks and heart-to-heart talks with coworkers, friends, or loved ones whom you have neglected.
- Keen introspection. Take a deep personal inventory into the roots of your drive to overwork, and ask yourself if there's something you're trying to escape from. Sometimes overdoing it can mask a range of feelings from anger and depression to low self-esteem, fear of intimacy, or an obsessive need to control.
Give the WORK tips above a chance to change your life for the better. Your LIFE is waiting. Work to live; stop living to work!
|
