Are You a Workaholic?

Aspiring to do the best job possible is an admirable goal, but when your work-life balance looks like a sumo wrestler on a teeter-totter with a two year old, it is time to face the possibility that something is wrong.

“The price of unmanaged, long-term workaholic stress is high,” says stress and wellness expert Beverly Beuermann-King of WorkSmartLiveSmart.com. “Increased errors, family break-up, job burnout, insomnia, fatigue, depression, anxiety, infection, disease, and death are all serious prices to be paid for a misguided assumption that ‘more in equals more out.’” She recommends pondering these questions that may indicate workaholic tendencies:

• Do you continue to work when others have stopped?

• Is your home just another office?

• Are you always in a hurry, racing against time or obsessed with deadlines?

• Do you feel guilty or uneasy when you are not actually working?

• Does work make you happier than most other things in your life?

• Are you frequently ‘problem solving’ work situations, even when you are supposed to be sleeping?

If you aren’t happy with your answers, consider taking action. Schedule in time for your loved ones and activities you enjoy. Treat these commitments with the same respect you would job duties. As you recharge, you may find that your productivity actually increases.

While it may be difficult to confront the possibility, think about how your home life may be contributing to the problem. “The difference between the level of appreciation we receive at work compared to our home-life often encourages workaholism. That is why many workaholics in my workshops admit that they aren’t forced to work, but like to work more than they like to spend time at home,” Beuermann-King notes. Putting effort into resolving whatever issues are keeping you from enjoying time away from work may do more than help curb workaholism, it may give you a whole new appreciation of living all aspects of life to the fullest.

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