You’re probably wondering why you should consider work addiction a silent killer. This is because society views workaholism as being productive. Sometimes, the behavioral addiction even allows you to snag that elusive raise.
Make no mistake though. Work addiction is a real mental health condition. It happens when you cannot to stop working, even if it‘s past your work shift. You may use recognition and job success as an excuse, but workaholism may damage your physical and mental health. You’re addicted to work because you experience a certain ‘high’ each time you receive praise. If you think only smoking and drug addicts crave for the next hit, admit it; you work long hours to get even a tiny whiff. Watch out, similar to an alcoholic, a workaholic is in denial they are one.
The Signs and Symptoms of Work Addiction
All right, you’re not yet sure if you are a work addict. The University of Bergen researchers, headed by Dr. Cecilie Schou Andreassen, developed a system to determine if you are a work addict, and called it the Bergen Work Addiction Scale. Derived from this scale, here are questions you should check whether you have addiction to work.
1. You think of how you can free up more time to work.
2. You spend much more time working than initially intended.
3. You work in order to reduce feelings of guilt, anxiety, helplessness and depression.
4. You have been told by others to cut down on work without listening to them.
5. You become stressed if you are prohibited from working.
6. You deprioritise hobbies, leisure activities, and exercise because of your work.
7. You work so much that it has negatively influenced your health.
How many questions could you relate to? Andreassen’s research says, if you admit to ‘often’ or ‘always’ to at least 4 of the 7 items, it may suggest that you are a workaholic.
How to Quit Work Addiction: A Basic Guide
If you don’t want to belong to the work addiction statistics, you must take steps on how to overcome it. Here are tips you may do:
1. Admit You Need Help.
If you admit you need help, congratulations! You are now a step forward towards a more successful version of yourself.
2. Seek Guidance and Support.
Now that you admit you have a problem, it’s time to pick your support group. Who are the people whom you can trust to remind you and be in your journey towards self-recovery? It can be God, the Universe your relationship partner, your family, or your friends.
If you need professional help, try entering a rehab program either as an inpatient or outpatient. You may also refer to Workaholics Anonymous, an organization which helps overworked individuals claim work-life balance.
3. Recognize Your Flaws.
With your core group defined, it’s time to test. What are your mistakes? Do you have colleagues whom you have hurt during your work addiction? When you recognize your mistakes, you must make a conscious effort not to repeat them.
4. Make Amends.
Your next step is to make amends. It’s never easy to admit you made mistakes. It takes a successful person to learn from his or her mistakes. Your step towards recovering from work addiction is when you are working to have a balanced lifestyle. When you right your wrongs with the people around you, you don’t only ask others to forgive you. You must forgive yourself.
5. Change Your Focus.
You must go back to the reason you became a victim of work addiction. This should be your time to change your focus. While you are working on achieving your goals or solving your problems, it’s best to have other areas you can focus your attention to.
Other Options to Overcome Work Addiction
While others have proven that the tips above are effective for them, others have found other ways to reroute their way around work addiction–they take extended leaves; not just a one-day holiday. You could take sabbaticals. Some even quit their existing jobs to find a more relaxed work atmosphere, which would not compromise their work-life balance.
If after your well-deserved vacation you have decided that you need a new, meaningful work, or it’s high time to pursue your secret dream job, let Resume Prime help you do just that. Speak with one of our teams to tailor your resume. Just remember, it’s okay to be a success addict, you just need to remember that there is more to success than work addiction.
Sources: healthline.com | workaholics-anonymous.org | projectknow.com | psychologytoday.com | foundationsrecoverynetwork | ncbi.nlm.nih.gov | verywellmind.com | psychcentral.com | recoverybootcamp.com | uib.no | addictionexperts.com | thriveglobal.com | huffingtonpost.com
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