Exploring the Reasons for Workaholism

If you have increasingly been feeling ‘rushed’ with your work, and filled with anxiety about when and how it will be done, you have probably discovered that you are a workaholic.  Chances are you make rare appearances at family functions, and constantly miss or forget about appointments on your calendar.  What you may not know, however, is why you work yourself to the bone, when most of us try so hard to spend more time away from our jobs and with our families.

Several things could be behind your workaholism.  Some may be behaviors learned as a child, while others may be survival mechanism.  Each of us has the capability of becoming workaholics, and for those of use who do, we also have the capability of overcoming it.  

Here are a few of the most common reasons for workaholism, what you can do about them:

Low self-esteem:  Perhaps as a child, you were told your work wasn’t good enough, that you needed to work harder.  While many parents and teacher think this is a good way to motivate children and students, it can backfire.  This is how overachievers and people-pleasers are usually created.  It is important to remember that the only thing that matters is how you feel about your work and what you have accomplished.  When you lead your life for other people, you set yourself up for constant disappointment, which is why many workaholics still never achieve a desired level of satisfaction with their work.

Competition and comparisons:  This is all too common in the higher levels of education, such as high school and college.  Many students feel school is one giant competition, and the goal is to do better than all the rest.  This feeds into the overachiever’s belief that nothing is ever good enough.  Parents may also mistakenly compare their children’s marks to others, creating a lifelong pattern of never feeling up to par to other people.  The tendency to try to go ‘above and beyond’ and overwork is usually the result.

An escape:  Perhaps your reason for working too much has nothing to do with your desire to impress others.  For some, being a workaholic means not having to deal with issues and feelings that lie beneath the surface.  This could be marital problems, mid-life crisis type feelings, or the desire to substitute one addiction (gambling, relationships, etc.) for another – work.  Dealing with the underlying issues is the healthy and proper way to deal with being a workaholic, because as soon as the work stops, those issues will still be there.

Increased business:  There could be an understandable reason for your tendency to overwork.  Maybe business has really picked up and the workload is too much to complete.  Occasional overtime in order to help with an increase in the overall workload is acceptable for most.  However, when that overtime does nothing to decrease the workload, it is time for you to get help with your job.  Working at home means hiring subcontractors and passing some of the work around.  In the end, you’ll have more energy, increased income, and a steady yet doable workload.

Knowing why we behave the way we do is an important factor is changing negative behavior into a more positive action.  If you can recognize the source of your workaholic tendencies, you can work on the underlying issues.  Hopefully, in reviewing the list above, you have recognized something within yourself, and can put yourself on the road to recovery from workaholism to a balance between your work and home life.