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Last posts on private forums:  sare  2008-06-16 09:56:33 matthew 2008-04-12 21:25:59 pieniadz 2008-04-12 20:52:26
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Last posts on private blogs: matthew 2008-04-12 21:25:17 mary 2008-04-12 19:27:47 |
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Lastly added medical terms:
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You are in: Main Page / Medical articles / Lifestyle / Workaholism
Workaholism is an addiction that destroys the whole life. Are you a workaholic or maybe you're living with a workaholic husband or boyfriend? Do the test and try to understand this problem.
Addiction to work - what is it?
Everybody knows that hard work pays, job is a value in itself. Work is important, however, if its worth is misunderstood it can lead to serious health problems: other issues become less significant. We suffer from lack of time, just work and work.
What's wrong with spending much time at work? Nothing! The question is: what for?
Our life is divided into periods of fun, learning and working. The life of an adult person concentrates on work, school years are supposed to prepare for that. Children often act the roles of parents, their work while playing with each other. Teenagers, on the other hand, need to make choice of their job or find the first employment, they're learning responsibility and become financially independent. They cross the line between the teenage and adult years, travel abroad, and above all, they take lots of pleasure in that.
What does workaholism look like?
Workaholism is an addictive behavior and although it does not involve physiological dependence (e.g. alcoholism, drug-addiction) it is based on emotions. Therefore it destroys the balance in everyday life, because it can't be controlled. A person addicted to work loses its sense of reality or time. He feels like a machine that can't be switched off. The sense of duty prevents such a person from passing himself up, 'I can't live without work', he claims. There's always something to be done, such a person works to escape from boredom, sadness, frustration, rejection or any kind of failure.
Although you want to stop, you almost go out of work but you're unable to do that. You come back to check something, prepare or alter and even though you promise to yourself to stay only 10 minutes longer you stay longer than an hour. You begin forgetting about the family, children or you no longer do anything for yourself. At fist, work becomes the source of joy and satisfaction but it soon becomes the source of problems which ruin your life.
Are you a workaholic? Do you work too much or overtime? Maybe you simply have two jobs at a time? The answers yes to those questions don't necessarily mean that you're addicted to work. It is said that you can recognize a workaholic on holiday. On the beach they run to and fro with mobiles while in winter in the mountains, although they ski afterwards, they stay in the hotel rooms to make decisions, send e-mails or addend online conferences. Their poor partners stay on a slope or on the beach and stay less successful at the same time.
Let's make a short test to check whether you have the tendency to become a workaholic. Read the sentences and decide if they apply to you. Although there's is no result key to the test you will be able to diagnose yourself. Your subjective opinion about your own behavior is the most important. Pay attention to your feelings you notice while reading the sentences.
1. Work takes all my time and attention.
2. I don't feel well when I don't work.
3. Work is my main purpose in life.
4. I'm bored when I don't work.
5. I can't imagine life without work.
6. I resign from other responsibilities to work longer.
7. I work overtime.
8. I work during weekends and your free time.
9. I'm unwilling to go on holiday as I believe that it will cause problems at work.
10. I'm demanding for yourself and others.
11. I love talking about work.
12. I think about work all the time.
13. I don't notice any problems in my life.
14. I live in a constant hurry, I do something all the time.
15. I believe that success demands sacrifice.
16. I feel I'm loosing my relatives and family.
If you feel that you are a workaholic it means that you probably are addicted to work. The real problem is with differentiating hard-work from addiction. We shouldn't diagnose somebody with workaholism on the basis of the amount of hours spent at work. The most important question you should ask to yourself: How do you feel without work? Can you stop working to relax? The workaholic thinks about oncoming holidays with fear and anger, he believes it is something which is indispensable, he would prefer staying at home to be in touch with his company. A person who is just overworked will plan and dream about going on holiday.
The thing you should also consider is the extend to which you value work more than anything else. If you cancel your family meetings and appointments with friends because you need to work on something or alter a project and you feel guilty afterwards it means that you are a workaholic.
What causes workaholism?
They are ambitious people who love competitions and taking up challenges. Their main purpose of life is success and social prestige. These are people whose parents didn't compliment nice drawings, they were satisfied only with perfect and astonishing drawings. They had to be the best to attract parents' attention. Such children were growing up with the belief that they have to work all the time to be better than others. No wonder they don't want to waste time on unnecessary activities, work is the most important. Another cause of workaholism is the escape from problems people can't cope. Work becomes an alibi for relationship crisis, failures, loneliness, shyness and low self-esteem. Successes at work make up for the failures in other fields of life.
Workaholic is the most desired employee
Workaholic is willing to work overtime, such a committed worker can be trusted upon, he will devote everything for his company. In long run, as a perfectionist, a workaholic demands obedience and accepting his own ideas. He is always dissatisfied with his work and he believes that the things can be done better but after some time he feels tiredness and the satisfaction from work is less likely to be achieved. He becomes less creative and he suffers from various diseases. The burn-out syndrome leads to the situation that he is no longer useful for the company.
How to treat a workaholic?
A workaholic rejects to admit the addiction, he treats family suggestions like unfriendliness or lack of understanding. Usually, he sees the problem when others leave him, he becomes alone, without close friends and family.
Added by:
mary
not connected with health care system
Added on:
2008-06-09 11:59:05 ,
Updated:
2008-06-09 12:21:29
Bibliography:
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