Workaholism: Is it a good or bad thing?

WE’VE come to experience workaholism at one point in our lives and for many, it is a way to keep us going when it comes to accomplishing tasks. 

In general, the idea of being a workaholic isn’t necessarily a bad thing as it can make a person productive at work or in school. 

However, just like most things in life, too much of something can harm a person’s well-being. 

As defined by Britannica, “workaholism” stands for “a compulsive desire to work.” Meanwhile with Healthline, workaholism is linked to a mental health condition where an addiction is present, with an “inability to stop the behavior.”  

 Why people become workaholics 

Oftentimes, workaholism stems from the need of being or achieving something (or with being successful on something). 

Being and wanting to be successful in a job is a common factor in work addiction. Work addiction is also typical among those people who are “perfectionists.”

For others, the reason for clinging to their jobs is through the mean of escaping emotional stress. When something is triggered and one couldn’t think of a way to properly cope with the situation, they turn to work addiction. 

Giving in to workaholism provides them the “high” that leads them to keep doing what they’re doing. A work addiction is somewhat like for those who have a drug addiction—despite the negative ways it affects the life of a person, they are unable to detach from the behavior.

While the workaholism is often due to wanting to achieve something in life or through a trigger of emotional stress, workaholism can also be linked to a stressful childhood. 

This is when a belief is conditioned on someone, thinking that their worth is based on how they perform and how much they’ve achieved in life.  

Signs of workaholism 

It might be challenging to identify work addiction in a society that values hard effort and frequently expects success. This is one of the main reasons why workaholism is often confused with being a “hard worker.” 

Oftentimes, workaholics will justify their behavior as a good thing and how doing so helps them to achieve their goals.

People with workaholism may engage in compulsive work, both intentionally and unintentionally abstaining from other parts of their lives.  

The signs and symptoms of a workaholic person includes: 

·  Having the need to put long hours on work when it’s not necessary

·  Not being able to sleep due to the need of finishing tasks

·  Having an intense fear of failure

·  Having defensive attitude towards other people about their work 

·  Using work as a coping and escape mechanism

The good and the bad

Workaholism can both be described as a blessing and a curse. For starters, being work-driven can lead to high levels of productivity which can later result to achievements.  

Being a workaholic helps you to set high expectations and to strive for excellence, as well as be self-driven.

Achieving something is already good, thanks to the productivity from workaholism. However, the success you get from work addiction can come with a price.

 In life, time plays a vital role, and as years go on, we begin spending more time on our jobs. The more we dedicate our time to pushing ourselves to work, the less time we have to hang out with loved ones. 

 We also end up losing time looking after our health and well-being, resulting in sickness and emotional stress.   

Aspirations and addiction

In the mind of a workaholic, distinguishing between having ambition and an addiction is difficult, because it is hard to see the bad parts when your eyes are focused on achievements. 

It’s easy to say that having an aspiration and an addiction are different things but when it comes to workaholism, it’s a different story. 

 We take pride in our triumphs especially when it’s the fruit of our hard labor. We enjoy the validation of being successful, sometimes to the point that it conditions us to believe that we’re only good when our performance is great.  

 July 5 as the National Workaholic Day reminds us that we should take a break from our hectic schedules. This is the day on where we should spend time with our loved-ones and look after our well-being.