Workaholic indicates a person who is addicted to work or who has a compulsion to work. There are those who consider workaholism as a pathology of serious dependence on work. A workaholic person tends to be very involved and motivated by their work, but at the same time they have low pleasure in it.

This is the type of behavior that can affect an individual’s life in various fields, including social relationships, mental and even physical health. Knowing that overwork is just the first step towards a clinical condition of burnout, it is extremely important that you realize that being a workaholic can lead to health problems, and should not be seen as a status of glory.

Working longer hours, to the detriment of enjoying free time with the family, for example, does not make you a better professional or a better person. It does transform you into someone who deliberately puts their health at risk and who needs help to find a balance in their life.

However, we leave here the caveat: you cannot, and should not, confuse a workaholic condition with an isolated moment of greater volume of work. Let’s see, in a situation where you are working on an event or product launch, for example. It is normal for there to be a spike in work and overtime. But, being something isolated, being committed to this project does not make you a workaholic. Just someone dedicated to the job.

How do you know if you are a workaholic?

In this article, the VillaRamadas team leaves some tips on how to understand if you may be getting into an obsession with work. If you find yourself meeting many of these points, stop, take a breath and reset priorities. Just as it is important to move forward with new things, it is important to know how to calm down and stop to stabilize.

1. Long hours. First vs last

There is no rule against arriving early at your place of work, or even leaving later if it is justifiable, but the important thing is the norm. If you are always the first to arrive and the last to leave, it may be time to reflect on the number of hours in the workplace. This habit of long hours at work will start to have an impact on the work itself but, above all, on the quality of personal life.

2. Non-existent breaks

In addition to the issue of the number of hours in the workplace, it is important to be aware that you should have breaks. Not just because they are your right as an employee, but because they are actually extremely important to your mental health. During the day you should always have breaks for snacks and lunch should really comply with the legal time. Don’t get carried away by peer pressure and do what’s good for your physical and mental health.

3. Lack of Hobbies

It’s late at night and you don’t know what to do? Or on the weekend you don’t find activities that captivate you? Perhaps this is a sign that you are too focused on work. The lack of non-employment activities and hobbies is the result of too great a focus on the professional world, to the point that I can no longer think about anything else besides this topic.

4. Constant Stress

As we mentioned earlier, occasional stress over a specific project or objective is not serious, but ongoing stress is very worrying. Constant worry is harmful to health and can lead to other conditions such as anxiety attacks or even panic attacks.

5. Constant need to be online

In an era where everything is done through messages and online, one of the biggest indicators of being a workaholic is the constant checking of emails. Especially when you’re already out of work and insists on checking your inbox and replying to all your work messages, not enjoying family time.

6. Inability to carry on a current conversation

Although not many people notice it, it is possible to notice that someone can be becoming a workaholic when they cannot have any kind of conversation outside of work. If you start to feel that you only talk about situations that happened with clients, co-workers or in the workplace, it is a sign that you are not achieving a balance where you fit hobbies, family moments and leisure.

7. Sleep/rest disorders

Constant work may be changing your brain’s rhythm, with it trying to stay active 24/7. A behavior that should not happen, the truth is that this is often the origin of sleep disorders. If you notice that you find it increasingly difficult to rest, combined with other points mentioned above, it is clear that you may be suffering from a dependence on work. Try to slow down.

If you feel like you need help finding inner peace and finding a better balance between your personal and professional life, talk to us. The VillaRamadas team can help you!