I Am Addicted To Work, What Can I Do?
Being addicted to work, a term also known as “ workaholic, ” is a phrase that defines some people. Although this might at first glance be seen as an advantage, since they work and produce more, in their personal lives, workaholics have a number of issues.
As the article Work Addiction: Characteristics, Detection and Prevention from a Comprehensive Perspective points out , the addict becomes a very intense person who seeks to fulfill his work responsibilities in a compulsive manner. He is therefore unable to maintain a balance between his personal life and his work.
What does work addiction feed on?
Society does not disapprove of being seen as a workaholic. Self-sacrifice, linked to spending less quality time with family, children and partner, is endorsed on the pretext that we are looking for the best for them.
This is a problem, because it is often one of the excuses that a workaholic invokes. “ I’m doing it for you ” is one of the phrases he repeats most often. It doesn’t matter if he’s sick, on vacation or if his working time is limited to 8 hours. The addict works overtime, goes to work even if he feels bad and, if possible, rejects the holidays.
For all of these reasons, many work-dependent people tend to be self-employed professionals. So they can work the hours they want and not take a vacation. They completely forget about their social and family life. Their relationships grow cold because work is everything to them.
Advice for a workaholic
Being a workaholic has health consequences. It is therefore advisable to put in place a series of measures that are generally welcomed by companies when they detect that a worker is spending too much time working overtime that does not correspond to him.
Counseling and psychotherapy
The first advice for a workaholic is to seek advice and initiate psychotherapeutic treatment. As stated in the article Workaholism Addiction. The psychosocial pathology of the 21st century , it is positive to move towards a cognitive-behavioral approach that promotes changes in the daily life of the person.
Likewise, the dependent is advised to perform the following actions:
- Attend workshops where he can work on his emotional skills
- Learn techniques to deal with stress that prevents them from working
- Participate in support groups with peers in the same situation
- Understand why he seeks refuge in work
Family therapies
It is necessary that the family gets involved and attends the therapies at the same time as the addict at work so that the latter can evolve and improve. The reason is that this dependence generates an unhealthy dynamic within the family nucleus where arguments can become frequent.
The incomprehension of those around him can encourage the workaholic to seek even more refuge in it to escape the problems born in his home. For this reason, family therapies are essential.
The role of business
Although the addict must perform personal work where psychotherapy and family therapy will be important, companies also have an action protocol to implement as soon as they detect that a worker is working more hours than expected in his contract and exceeds its commitment.
Some of the strategies to limit the excess work that an addict tends to indulge in are restructuring their job, making their hours more flexible, taking breaks and promoting cooperative work. Likewise, those who work the most should not be rewarded.
Think you are addicted to work? Don’t have time for your family or friends? If the answer to both of these questions is “yes”, we recommend that you seek advice. If you are addicted to work, there are different ways to find balance in your life.
Maybe your job has become your refuge because you’re overwhelmed by the idea of running out of money, or maybe it’s a way out of arguments at home. Either way, there is a solution to this problem. All addiction is a problem, and even if it eludes you, there is a need to work out what is causing you to fall into it.
Our thoughts Addictions are all behaviors that generate dependence on certain substances, risky behavior, or people …
