Workaholic: 5 Surprising Guides To Finding Balance And Happiness

Introduction

Are you a working professional? Do you find yourself spending hours and hours at your work? Do you want to find balance and happiness? Sometimes, when we like the work we are doing, we tend to dive deep into it, losing track of time. For others, deadlines might keep you motivated to complete your work, even if that means working day in and day out. Either way, you might forget to have a balance between work life and personal life. This imbalance can make your burnout faster and impact your happiness level. In this article, let me help you explore what you can do you can do to find this balance as well as happiness.

“What I know is, is that if you do work that you love, and the work fulfills you, the rest will come.” -Oprah Winfrey [1]

What Is the Definition of A Workaholic?

If you are someone who feels that you just need to work like an uncontrollable urge to just dive into the tasks of the day, then you might be a workaholic. You could be someone who is obsessed with  success and go above and beyond the expectations of the people around you in terms of your work. However, for doing that you might sacrifice your personal life, well-being, and relationships. While sacrificing your personal life, you might even feel guilty for ignoring yourself and your loved ones. Any time that you are not working might also increase your guilt levels and give you anxiety. As a result, you might look like the kind of person who is forever on phone calls or work meetings. I understand that you might have a lot to achieve, but driving yourself toward becoming a workaholic is never the solution.

What Are The Negative Effects Of Being A Workaholic?

We are all running a rat race where we want to be the best and give the best to our families. But did you know that workaholism can have adverse effects [4]?

I used to be a workaholic as well. So I completely understand your need to work. You might feel obliged to take care of your family, or you may have a point to prove. I get it. In any case, let me share some adverse effects of being a workaholic [4] [5]:

1. You might have increased stress levels, burnout, and mental well-being.
2. You might not feel contented with your job and work.
3. You might face some physical health concerns like hypertension, sleep issues, heart disease, etc.
4. You might have a feeling of being isolated and lonely.

So you see, workaholism actually goes to the extent of being compulsive and destructive for you and the people around you. Therefore, you might need to learn certain practices that can help you achieve a work-life balance [3].

Why is a Work-Life Balance Important for a Workaholic?

If you are a workaholic with no work-life balance, then there are high chances that you might have multiple issues in your personal as well as professional lives. Here is why work-life balance is important for you as a workaholic [3]:

1. More Time For Self-Care: When you have a balanced life, you will have enough time for exercising, sleeping, having proper meals, relaxing, etc. By doing so, you will be able to take care of your overall health and have a long life.
2. Nurturing Relationships: With a balanced lifestyle, not only will you just physically be with your loved one, you will actually be able to enjoy and make them feel important as well. Hence, all the relationships in your life can be nurtured, and you can enjoy a good quality of life.
3. Explore Other Sides of Yourself: You might have heard of the saying, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” So, when you have a balanced life, you will be able to find a lot of other sides to yourself other than your professional side. That way, you will be able to  lead a more fulfilling life by exploring your creative and innovative side.
4. Increase in Productivity: As a workaholic, you might even slow down and become less and less productive by the end of the day. So, keeping a balance will allow you to take a break and refresh your mind. When you come back to work then, you will be able to find solutions to many problems you were stuck at earlier.

Read more about work life balance and reduce anxiety

How To Find Happiness As A Workaholic?

If you have already reached the point of burnout as a workaholic, then finding happiness might seem difficult. But don’t worry. Let me share what helped me find happiness in life [6] [7]:

1. Cultivate a Positive Mindset: I started practicing gratitude every day in a way that would actually write things that I’m grateful to have in my life. Plus, instead of focusing on the things that went wrong, I started focusing on things that went great in the day. That way, I started having a positive mindset in life, and slowly I started shifting from feeling stressed at the end of the day to feeling relaxed.
2. Find Purpose: Whenever I would start a new task, I would try to find what I could add to it and make it something personal. That way, I was able to find my purpose of life. This made me feel motivated and less stressed.
3. Set Boundaries: I decided to set a clear time limit between work and personal life. I would tell myself that at 6 PM, I have a hard stop. After that, I focused on myself and my loved ones. I got into reading, exercising, and even meditation. You can fix a time as per your convenience.
4. Practice Mindfulness: I started adding mindfulness practices like meditation, breath control, yoga, etc., into my routine. That way, I felt more in the present, calm and relaxed, and less stressed.
5. Celebrate Accomplishments: Whatever small successes I had, I would celebrate them, whether it was at work or in my personal life. This motivated me to achieve more in my life. It built my self-esteem to a point where I was able to do everything without getting tired. Trust me, start counting the smallest of victories.

How To Achieve A Work-Life Balance As A Workaholic?

While managing work-life balance might seem tough, you can surely achieve it using the following tips that I learned in my life [6] [8]:

1. Schedule Time for Self-Reflection:  At the beginning of your journey toward work-life balance, just sit with yourself for a while and figure out what all you would want to do with your free time and what changes you would like to bring in your life. That way, you can set your goals and create a plan to achieve them.
2. Create a Distraction-Free Work Environment: When we sit to work, there can be 100 distractions around us – games, social media, noise, etc. So, while you’re at work, try to keep the distractions at a minimum. You can turn your notifications off, play some music that can enhance your work speed, and create a designated workplace, specifically if you work from home. Doing so will increase your productivity and reduce stress.
3. Use Technology to Your Advantage: With AI tools and applications, it’s quite possible that you can find faster ways to complete your tasks. So, using these tools and apps, you can save a lot of time and energy and use that time for yourself.
4. Take Regular Breaks Throughout the Day: So my suggestion would be to try planning the whole week or at least a day prior. That way, you would know exactly what time what task has to be done and how much free time you have. In your free time, you can take your breaks and add exercises, walks, breath control, etc.
5. Make Time for Hobbies and Interests: You can try finding time to enjoy hobbies and interests. It doesn’t have to be anything extreme like travel. Rather, it can be something simple like reading or walking. By doing so you will be able to get rid of stress and even achieve happiness.
6. Build a Support System: When nothing works, relationships do. You can connect with like-minded people who, like you, are trying to prioritize work-life balance. You can share ideas with them. They can provide you with the support you need to achieve a better work-life balance.

More information about Work life balance-5 Effective Tips

Conclusion

Work is worship, but if work starts taking you away from friends, family, and yourself, then you need to know that it’s time to step away a bit and reflect on what you really want. Work-life balance will help you reduce stress at work as well as in your personal life, and lead you toward happiness. Even when you decide to take a step toward leading a healthy and happy life, you will surely not be able to do that in one day. So, be enduring with yourself and find activities and solutions that work best for you.

If you are a workaholic looking for work-life balance, you can connect with our expert counselors or explore more content at United We Care! At United We Care, a team of wellness and mental health experts will guide you with the best methods for well-being.

References

[1]“Oprah Winfrey Quote,” A-Z Quotes. https://www.azquotes.com/quote/318198

[2] G. H. H. Nordbye and K. H. Teigen, “Being responsible versus acting responsibly: Effects of agency and risk-taking on responsibility judgments,” Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, vol. 55, no. 2, pp. 102–114, Mar. 2014, doi: 10.1111/sjop.12111.

[3] A. Shimazu, W. B. Schaufeli, K. Kamiyama, and N. Kawakami, “Workaholism vs. Work Engagement: the Two Different Predictors of Future Well-being and Performance,” International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, vol. 22, no. 1, pp. 18–23, Apr. 2014, doi: 10.1007/s12529-014-9410-x.

[4] A. SHIMAZU and W. B. SCHAUFELI, “Is Workaholism Good or Bad for Employee Well-being? The Distinctiveness of Workaholism and Work Engagement among Japanese Employees,” Industrial Health, vol. 47, no. 5, pp. 495–502, 2009, doi: 10.2486/indhealth.47.495.

[5] A. B. Bakker, A. Shimazu, E. Demerouti, K. Shimada, and N. Kawakami, “Crossover of work engagement among Japanese couples: Perspective taking by both partners.,” Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, vol. 16, no. 1, pp. 112–125, Jan. 2011, doi: 10.1037/a0021297.

[6] “HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR WORK-LIFE BALANCE AT PRESENT: A DESCRIPTIVE ANALYSIS,” Strad Research, vol. 7, no. 12, Dec. 2020, doi: 10.37896/sr7.12/013.

[7] C. Nalley, “The Importance of Finding Work/Life Balance in Your Career,” Oncology Times, vol. 44, no. S16, pp. 6–6, Aug. 2022, doi: 10.1097/01.cot.0000872520.04156.94.

[8] R. Suff, “Wellbeing and work-life balance should be at the heart of hybrid working: CIPD guidance sets out why and how,” The Work-Life Balance Bulletin: a DOP Publication, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 4–7, 2021, doi: 10.53841/bpswlb.2021.5.2.4.