Well, I'm an immortal pony: hidden reasons for workaholism (and ways to overcome it)

Signs of workaholism: Pixabay What is workaholism - a path to prosperity or a severe addiction? Scientific research proves that the rhythm of work 24/7 negatively affects a person’s psychological and physical well-being. What are the causes of addiction? How to identify a workaholic and help him return to a happy life?

Is he really that scary?

Workaholism is a morbid obsession with work. Scientists put it on a par with addiction to gambling or alcohol. In other words, this is a disease that has very specific symptoms and methods of treatment.

The term "workaholism" came into use in 1971 after the publication of Wayne Oates's book, Confessions of a Workaholic.

In our society (hello USSR!) it has long been believed that working a lot is good, and the more you work, the better. Thanks to this belief, workaholism has been transformed from a psychological problem into a socially approved behavior. In fact, it is an addiction, which, as in the case of real drugs, greatly reduces the quality of life and destroys emotional and physical health.

Unfortunately, almost anyone can fall into the clutches of work addiction. But there is good news: if you know certain rules, you can minimize this risk.

Treatment of addiction in a drug treatment clinic in Moscow

In a private drug treatment clinic, you can undergo treatment for chemical and non-chemical addictions. Modern addiction treatment programs help achieve rapid remission. Of course, treatment, regardless of the nature of the addiction, is a difficult task, but the participation of professionals and support from loved ones helps the addict overcome pathological cravings for something.

Effective treatment includes pharmacotherapy to restore the functioning of internal organs (for chemical addictions), as well as normalize the psycho-emotional background. Another important stage of therapy is undergoing psychological consultations with a specialist to eliminate the basis of addiction.

• Consultation with a psychologist

  3000 days

  Session lasts 1 hour

Communication is possible on an outpatient basis and online

• Psychologist identifies the cause of psychological dependence
• Creating a resource state
• Help in solving the problem yourself
• Managing High Risk Situations

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Causes of workaholism

First, let's figure out how and why this disease occurs. The prerequisites for the development of dependence on work in a person are most often laid in childhood. Thus, some families literally turn into “factories of workaholism.” From a very early age, love for a child is a reward solely for his good behavior, success in school, sports, and not simply because this child exists. At the same time, the more he tries, the more the demands and expectations from adults grow. Over time, the child develops a desire to achieve greater and greater success, which in adulthood develops into workaholism.

The development of addiction can also be influenced by the family scenario. For example, if parents were constantly absent from work, then the child, becoming an adult, will unconsciously copy this behavior model.

However, not all reasons come from childhood. Psychologists identify factors that can influence us as adults. Here are the main ones.

• The desire to fill the inner emptiness . This happens when a person has nothing in life except work. In this situation, tireless work becomes a salvation from internal vacuum, lack of joy and pleasure.
• Avoiding problems . Reluctance or inability to solve difficulties in other areas of life leads to the fact that a person immerses himself in work. A common story: a workaholic husband and a wife who is unhappy with her husband’s constant absence from home.
• Habit . Sometimes workaholism is a consequence of life circumstances. Example: due to money problems, a person is forced to work very hard. Over time, the financial situation levels out, but the habit of working hard remains.
• Fear of being left without money . It is characteristic of people who have had painful experiences of lack of money in the past. Workaholism in this case serves as a kind of insurance for a person against the repetition of such situations.
• The desire to succeed at least in something . If a person cannot realize himself in other areas, then he completely and completely devotes himself to work. Yes, here we are more likely talking about careerism, but the line between a healthy desire to achieve success in professional activity and dependence on it is very thin.

Generally speaking, at some point work for a person becomes a kind of protection from anxiety, fears, and the need to seriously think about one’s life.

Workaholism provides an escape from suffering just like other addictions. The world is shrinking. Feelings and emotions are expelled from life, and work seems to be a kind of replacement for life itself. Like a drug, the dose of which is constantly growing, work gradually fills the entire living space of a person.

Existing types of addiction

According to psychologist Ronald Burke, there are three types of workaholics:

1. Enthusiasts who prefer career growth, increased self-esteem and give their all to their profession.
2. Passionate addicts for whom external attributes are most important: respect from colleagues and praise from management. They believe that recognition in a team outweighs the investment of time and physical effort.
3. Labor addicts who are very afraid of making a mistake and getting punished. They take overtime and extra workload so that no one dares to call them a bad employee.

We should talk about the formation of dependence at the psychological level in the case when professional activity becomes the meaning of life, the source of the most vivid sensations and emotional disturbances.

At the same time, one should distinguish between workaholism and diligence, which have certain differences. A healthy desire to work is a goal to achieve what you want and brings something useful into a person's life. But dependence on work takes away more: rest, hobbies, sports and creativity, the joy of communicating with family and friends.

Workaholism vs hard work

But there are situations when a person simply takes his work very seriously? Yes, hard work has not been canceled, but there are important differences.

• With workaholism, the fact of work itself is important for a person. Any stop “knocks you out” of the usual whirlwind of affairs, and a person feels lost, unhappy, nervous, “empty”. In a situation with hard work, a person feels the line and does not allow work to fill other areas of life.
• The other main difference between hard work and workaholism is purpose. If a person works overtime for a salary increase, career growth, self-realization, etc., this story can rather be called hard work. The situation is completely different with workaholism, when work seems to be the only safe way to exist. It does not bring satisfaction and joy, but only serves as a barrier to one’s own negative feelings.

By the way, for a workaholic, the result of his work does not always matter; what is important first of all is the process itself. Sometimes workaholism can be disguised as an imitation of vigorous activity: it seems like a person works a lot, but the result is not very good.

Workaholism as a form of addictive behavior

This definition appeared half a century ago thanks to the famous psychologist Wayne Edward Oates. It was he who called the excessive, uncontrollable desire to work, going beyond the generally accepted framework, work addiction. For people who are overcome by such an irresistible attraction, profession is the main value in life and the only possible method of self-realization.

At present, the global scientific community has not yet developed a clear opinion as to whether this addiction should be considered an official diagnosis. But the fact that an obsessive and painful craving for work can destroy psycho-emotional foundations is beyond any doubt.

Workaholics not only love their profession, they can no longer think about anything else. Work becomes that “dopamine” stimulus that causes pleasure. Moreover, to increase the euphoria, more tasks must be completed each time. This is very similar to the picture of any non-chemical addiction.

For example, gamblers get satisfaction in anticipation of winning at a card table or at a slot machine, while for a workaholic the highest pleasure is a completed project on time, praise from superiors, bonuses and certificates. And the labor process itself brings a sense of one’s own indispensability, importance and significance in production.

What if I'm a workaholic?

The main sign is that work for a workaholic is not a part of life, but its meaning. It replaces friendship, personal relationships, hobbies, and other activities. A person cannot stop himself from “doing” and becomes unable to separate working hours from non-working hours.

He doesn't have a full weekend with his phone and/or computer turned off. What a workaholic calls “rest” also has something to do with work. For example, he “rests” by reading professional literature. If such a person does not work, he feels empty and dissatisfied. A workaholic simply does not understand the meaning of rest: time for sleep, entertainment, communication with family and friends seems to him wasted.

The feeling of self-confidence and self-sufficiency appears only during work. Outside of it, a person is left with feelings of emptiness, a certain “incompleteness” and uselessness, which very quickly turn into irritation and dissatisfaction with oneself and others. All work problems and failures are perceived as personal, and the loss of a job is even perceived as the loss of a part of oneself and is compared with death.

Workaholism is a time bomb: at first its symptoms are invisible, but one day it “explodes” so that then you have to put your life back together for a very long time.

As with any other form of addiction, workaholics sooner or later experience a rebound. Euphoria, enthusiasm and inspiration are replaced by depression, apathy, chronic fatigue and health problems. If now it is the norm for a person to work 12 hours a day without days off, then after a couple of years the situation will change: the body and psyche will begin to malfunction. Everyone has their own limit, and it is better to stop before the consequences of workaholism become irreversible.

The life of each of us is finite, and this is a fact. The only question is what kind of picture do you want to see when you look back and cast your mind’s eye over your past life.

Work-life balance

Some people believe that achieving such a balance, a golden mean between work and personal life, is unrealistic. However, U. Vlasyuk categorically disagrees with this. If a person knows how to manage his time, distinguishing between work and other areas of life, then there is nothing difficult for him in harmony. You just need to resort to the same tips as when fighting workaholism: be able to plan your day, separate work and personal life, spend a lot of time with important people and do what you love.

— It is impossible to find balance if there is an imbalance within. We need to start with ourselves,” U. Vlasyuk completed her thought.

Prevention is better than cure

Almost every person has a chance to catch the harmful bacillus of workaholism. But here, as in the case of real diseases, the principle “prevention is better than cure” works.

• We leave work problems at work. How? With the help of clothes. When returning home after a hard day at work, immediately change into your favorite and comfortable clothes. If you have replacement shoes at work, then changing your shoes at the end of the day can become such a ritual. When you finish work, you take off your “work” shoes and leave all your work problems with them in the office. It's the same at home. By putting on home clothes, you seem to disconnect from work and turn on the role that corresponds to this place and time.
• Meditation . This is a daily practice of clearing the mind. It is a restless mind that creates tension that drains all our strength. By meditating for just 10 minutes in the morning and evening, you can significantly reduce stress from work and put your mind in order.
• Physical exercise . Try to approach them consciously, to feel your body while doing the exercises. Let your mind focus specifically on the sensations in your body, and not on the work moments that were or will be. This item can include any bodily practices - bath, massage, walking, running, swimming.
• Digital detox . Daily. For a few minutes, turn off all means of communication, computer, music, movies. At this time, practice conscious breathing. Five minutes of observing how you breathe will be enough to give your body time to recharge.
• Dream . Healthy sleep is the best way to restore strength. Try to gradually reduce your activity in the evening. To prevent insomnia, you can brew a soothing tea with lemon balm, valerian, motherwort or mint. Get enough sleep!

These are fairly simple tips that anyone can follow. It is important to understand that workaholism will not go away on its own. To cope with it, you need to consciously take steps towards a healthy, balanced life. Even if these steps are very tiny, the main thing is to take them every day.

The cure for achievement: time management is dying, psychotherapy is blooming

Literature:

1. Smolnikova N.V. Workaholism: running through life. – Moscow: Staraya Basmannaya, 2013. – 192 p.
2. Ilyin E.P. Work and personality: workaholism, perfectionism. – St. Petersburg: Peter, 2011. – 224 p.
3. Koshelev A. N. “White collar” syndrome, or Prevention of “professional burnout”: strict laws of modern business, what is workaholism. – Moscow: GrossMedia, 2008. – 239 p.
4. Frank Meaney. Weekdays and holidays of a workaholic: how not to destroy your family. – Moscow: Triad, 2010. – 208 p.

If it's serious

If you missed the moment when work began to take up too much space in your life, do not despair, in this case there is a way out. The first, most important and often the most difficult step is to honestly admit to yourself that a problem exists.

The difficulty of “treating” workaholism, like any other addiction, is that the person does not realize for the time being that something is wrong with him

At the second stage, it is important to understand the reason why you devote too much time to work. To do this, answer a few questions in writing:

• When did you start noticing that you were spending too much time working?
• Analyze all the pros and cons of your workaholism.
• What emotions do you experience in moments free from work? At what points in the past have you experienced similar feelings?

By answering these questions, you will gain an understanding of “where the legs grow from.” If the problem comes from childhood, then you cannot do without the help of a psychologist. If the reason is situational, then it can be solved independently.

The third step on the path to healing is your conscious intention to change something in your life. The state of dependence, unfortunately, will not go away on its own: efforts will be required, and considerable ones. The good news is that if you got yourself into this situation, then you can get out of it.

Symptoms of work addiction

The American Psychological Association has defined a person who suffers from an obsessive urge to work. This is a person who constantly thinks about his professional responsibilities to the detriment of other areas of life.

Among the main manifestations of workaholism as an addiction are the following:

• inability to quickly switch to thoughts about something else or another type of activity;
• reaction to lack of work as a sign of laziness;
• the occurrence of irritation when family or friends do not support professional topics in conversation;
• limiting your social circle to employees and family members;
• gaining confidence, peace and tranquility only in the workplace.

Ways to overcome workaholism

The given list of methods is far from exhaustive. You can choose one and stick with it, or try all five alternately. The main key to success is consistency: only through daily actions can high-quality and sustainable changes be achieved.

Regardless of how and by what methods you decide to overcome workaholism, I will warn you about one important point: avoid extremes. If you spent the last 3, 5, 10 years at work 60 hours a week, you should not sharply reduce them to 40, do it gradually. Otherwise, withdrawal syndrome may occur and withdrawal symptoms may begin.

Quality rest

The most common objection I hear from time management training participants is: “I don’t have time to rest.” To which I usually calmly answer: “Will you have time to restore your health for several months?” This is where the discussion usually ends.

It is no coincidence that one of the main rules of time management is that the first thing you need to do is plan your vacation. Not work matters and meetings, but relaxation.

Why is that? It's very simple: imagine two athletes running a long distance. The first of them periodically stops to drink water, take a breath and rest a little. The second one runs without stopping. Which of them do you think has a better chance of reaching the finish line and not leaving the race? That's right, the first one. Quality rest is the “fuel” for us that gives us energy and the opportunity to move on.

How I ruined my health while freelancing, spent 2 months undergoing treatment and lost money

The guru of domestic time management, Gleb Arkhangelsky, dedicated an entire book to this topic and called it “Time to Rest. For those who work hard." The main idea of ​​the author is that being able to well organize the leisure hours available to us is just as important as being able to organize work processes.

A small life hack on how to “trick” your own brain and allow yourself to relax: perceive rest as work. To work effectively, you need strength. Rest is precisely the “battery” that will give the necessary boost of energy. Therefore, when going to the beach with friends, take it not as “doing nothing,” but as an opportunity to “recharge” for future productive work.

Maintaining a Schedule

If your work day starts at 9:00 and ends at 18:00, you shouldn't stay at work until midnight. First, your productivity will be low and you won't be able to do much outside of work hours. Secondly, no one will erect a monument.

Also, only respond to work-related messages during work hours and do not take work home. Do not work during your free time: on weekends or in the evenings. Don't go into work chats while you're on vacation. Don't deal with work issues while on vacation.

If you want to say: “Then I won’t be able to do anything at all,” then you need to deal with the reason. There are two options: either you are distributing the workload incorrectly, or the volume of work tasks is prohibitively large. In the first case, time management and self-discipline will help you, in the second, a conversation with your boss about reducing the workload. Even if he is not delighted with it.

Hobby

If we return to the idea that workaholism is an addiction, then its mechanism is as follows: the brain receives endorphins (“happiness hormones”) from any activity. If there are no other sources of pleasure, then the brain becomes fixated on work as their only source. Therefore, it is important to find alternative sources of joy and happiness. A hobby might be a good option. Find something that will truly make you happy and bring you pleasure. Don't know what to choose? Here are some tips for you:

• remember what you liked to do as a child;
• what you have long dreamed of, but did not dare to try;
• what you would like to do, but don’t have enough time.

Hobbies are not only a source of pleasure and pleasant leisure, but an opportunity to expand their social circle, which is often very narrow for workaholics.

Personal experience: how to be a workaholic and not go crazy from stress

Time optimization

To understand how effectively your day is organized, you can use the “timing” technique: you write down all your tasks and the time spent on them. You can do this in a notepad, on a computer or on a smartphone, using special applications that build a schedule themselves.

Make such notes for a week, or even better, a month. As a result, you will see where your time is actually spent and you will be able to optimize your workflow. Time tracking is not necessary in order to get everything done, but in order to realize and soberly see your capabilities and plans as they really are.

In some European countries, overtime is considered bad manners: the employer regards it as the employee’s inability to effectively manage his time.

Taking into account biorhythms

In your work schedule, you should take into account your usual daily routine. So, for early risers, the peak of activity occurs in the morning hours, so it is better to do the most complex and important tasks in the morning. But for night owls, on the contrary, it is better to postpone solving important problems until the second half of the day.

But this is just the beginning: each person must choose the optimal lifestyle for themselves. For example, the most productive period for most early risers is from 10:00 to 13:00. These are the best hours for making critical decisions, as well as for doing things that you usually try to put off until later. Then, until approximately 15:00, there is a period during which it is better to rest. If you can’t spend those two hours on lunch, you can at least devote time to duties that don’t require much concentration, such as answering emails. From 15:00 to 18:00 is the second productive period, and it differs from the first: at this time it is better to do something that requires perseverance and attention rather than active action: for example, balancing, planning events, etc. 19:00 to 21:00 is a time for active recreation: you can spend this time learning something new. But after 21:00 all work must be completed, otherwise you risk insomnia.

Dependency syndrome: the essence of the concept

For the patient, this condition can result in disastrous consequences. He first partially and then completely loses the ability to control himself and his actions, his emotional background and the criticality of his thinking. In ICD-10, addiction syndrome is defined as a complex of behavioral, physiological and cognitive phenomena in which the use of narcotic and other types of psychoactive substances occupies a central place in a person’s value system.

Relatives, friends, work colleagues, interests and activities that were previously important to the patient fade into the background. After some time, they almost completely disappear from his life. The main characteristic of the syndrome is a strong, sometimes irresistible desire to consume alcohol, drugs and other substances that alter consciousness.

Doctors focus on the fact that people with addiction syndrome, even after a long period of abstinence, return to using psychoactive drugs, and their symptoms become more pronounced. People who do not have this diagnosis can take these substances without such a pronounced clinical picture, provided that the use is episodic and there is no overwhelming desire to achieve euphoria with the help of drugs or alcohol.