Search:

Home | Healthy Lifestyle | Stress Reduction


Stress And Workaholism - How To Recognize It

By: Robert William Locke

I once had a boss who was a workaholic. The truth is that he is still a workaholic - I am not ! Why ? Because I escaped and now work three days a week and am poor but rich in health ! And my ex-boss ? Well, he is doing OK I guess but never sees his wife. But maybe he doesn't want to !

Workaholism is like any addiction which is a human weakness. It is also an illness. The term workaholism should not be confused with hard work which is very strong in the Protestant ethos . Leisure is idleness, toil is good and workaholism is the best ! When do you have to start worrying if you are a workaholic? It is when work becomes an obsession and the main, or only, driving force in your life ! It is rather like a fatal progressive disease and like any other addiction it gets a stronger and stronger hold.

We hear a lot about the 'work-life balance'. I had another boss who had a different approach and he encouraged staff NOT to stay on working for such long hours. He was also able to demonstrate by his own example that he could and did find time to nurture his human relationships. In other words, he had a life and loved ones outside the workplace.

Unfortunately workaholism is rewarded in our society and even encouraged by employers all the time. The damage it does in the workplace is considerable. The stress on the individual who is addicted spreads like am oil stain to his/her colleagues and puts undue pressure and stress on everybody. Does the company have a workplace stress policy ? If not,productivity suffers, in spite of the long hours because the quality of the work done is so poor.

Faster promotion and high salaries are the carrots held out to the workaholic who needs to keep his adrenaline rush going and this is part of the addiction. Workaholics were surveyed recently and 38% claimed they were on $100,000 plus annually. Only 22% of people on lower salaries claimed they were stressed out or workaholics. The workaholic though has problems with his colleagues and is usually very poor at delegating work.

Stress and workaholism go hand in hand. The workaholic will suffer from a range of stress related illnesses which can be anything from panic attacks, ulcers, burnout and high blood pressure. Depression will rear its ugly head and can sometimes result in suicide. The workaholic is more and more dependant on his adrenalin rush. The final result is often a fatal illness such as a heart attack or stroke.

The number of divorces among workaholics is much higher than in any other category. Not surprising in that the workaholic cannot dedicate any time to the marriage. Family members are subject to depression and have a lower self esteem. The benefits of a higher salary may be considerable in having a good lifestyle but at what price ?

The first step in coming to terms with workaholism is recognizing that there is a problem. Are you driven by work? Is your boss driving you too hard and you in turn are being affected by his/her disease ? Time to decide what to do before you become another victim. Your family will thank you for it.

Article Source: http://www.health-fitness-for-all.com

Beat Stress Stop Workaholism Take time out To Save Yourself And Your Family. Visit this blog for Health Tips For Stress

Please Rate this Article

 

Not yet Rated

Click the XML Icon Above to Receive Stress Reduction Articles Via RSS!

Powered by Article Dashboard