Are You Addicted To Work?

I have been feeling quite overwhelmed and disturbed about my inability to meet deadlines and get enough rest. When I start feeling that way, I get an uncontrollable urge to keep working, especially when I don’t have to. I just must find something to do, It doesn’t matter if it is a home or work task, something must be done. I always have this nagging desire to keep my phone handy, in case someone calls me, it has become a matter of great concern to me.

I find myself working long hours with less time for other activities. What started as a pragmatic approach to work, a desire to develop and sustain a good work ethic has now become an addiction. I have become obsessed with my job and academic performance;  I work long hours and I find myself taking more than I can handle per time. This has left me feeling irritable; anxious and I sometimes feel, I am borderline depressed! The unfortunate effect of this is that it has affected my productivity; I have bouts of chronic stress every now and then; I suffer insomnia and I feel burnt out.

I missed a couple of deadlines at the beginning of the month, and I couldn’t really point out any primary reason, cogent enough to cause these failures. I can truly just admit that I was so busy with any result!

I opened up to my sister about my frustrations and wanted to be like the ostrich with its head in the sand, trying to blame my academic pursuits but she challenged my line of thoughts, pointing out that I had simply lost structure and had stopped being intentional about my schedules. This she explained, festered my decreased level of productivity and the growing frustrations I was having. She noted that I had become addicted to my work, which in turn affected every other aspect of my life and had begun to affect my work tasks, to which I had become addicted.

Just as with every truth, her “diagnosis” stung but I knew I have to do something and like the Bible says “for though a righteous man may fall seven times, he still gets up…” I don’t want to continue feeling the way I had been feeling. The good thing is that my sister encouraged me to do a few things to help break the vicious circle of the counterproductive addiction I had.

While advising me, my sister encouraged me to be intentional about time management. She enjoined me to work on my time management techniques like scheduling work and home tasks and sticking to the schedules; learning to say no or wait, as the case may be when I am given more when I am working on another; and that I should develop healthy hobbies and more relationships out my work environment. This, she explained would help me unwind, have a sense of balance and improve my overall well-being.

I admit that I never thought about what I was experiencing, with such clarity and I feel absolutely blessed that I have someone, who would rather use the rod on me than stroke my ego.

I am working on myself; taking small steps and setting realistic and achievable goals. Most importantly, I am learning to say “no” to extra work while prioritising my work and home tasks based on their respective level of importance.

Are you or were you addicted to work? Please share your experience in the comment, I am open to learning! Have a great weekend.