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Overtime, strong concentration of thoughts and goals on work and neglect of contacts with loved ones – these are the main symptoms of workaholism. The loss of pleasure in other non-work areas is also a clear sign. On the occasion of the International Workaholism Day, we talk to Marzena Sekuła, a psychologist and psychotherapist from the Harmonia Mental Health Clinic of the LUX MED Group, about when work turns into addiction.
- The expert explains the typical signs of work addiction
- She emphasizes that workaholism affects not only mental health, but also physical health
- According to the psychologist, when work becomes a drug, professional help is necessary
- You can find more such stories on the TvoiLokony home page
MedTvoiLokony: What is workaholism and how does it manifest itself?
Marzena Sekuła, MA, psychologist and psychotherapist from the Harmonia Mental Health Clinic of the LUX MED Group: Workaholism is one of the so-called redundant behavior, meaning forced labor, despite the lack of external pressure. It manifests itself in the exclusion of activities from other life forms and the neglect of various areas of private life.
Common symptoms we see in workaholics include increased working hours and difficulty in stopping work, strong focus of thoughts and goals on work, and regular neglect of contact with family and friends. The loss of pleasure in other non-work areas is also a clear sign. Workaholics cannot switch to “off” mode.
If someone does not know how to rest, it is probably not indifferent to his health?
That’s right. As a consequence, workaholics experience severe stress and feel overload, which is manifested by somatic ailments: chronic fatigue, headaches and chest ailments. These people can suffer from stomach ulcers, nausea, insomnia, trouble concentrating, and mood swings.
Sounds serious…
It’s even more serious! We often observe the typical mechanisms of addiction in workaholics. Characteristic is the increasing and getting out of control of the need for work. There is also an increase in tolerance associated with the need for ever greater “doses” of work to obtain satisfaction with what is being done. At the same time, workaholics are accompanied by the mechanism of illusion and denial, based on the belief that they have no problem at all and keep their work-life balance, that they can leave their professional duties at any time and take care of another area of their lives. In practice, however, it turns out not to be that easy. On discontinuation, they develop the usual signs of withdrawal, such as feeling anxious and feeling depressed.
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So it can be said that work becomes a kind of drug?
That’s right. Worse, the problem is so difficult because redundancy of work is a socially acceptable phenomenon.
How can this be changed?
It’s important to talk about it. If you experience typical workaholism symptoms in yourself or in someone close to you, seek help from a psychologist or psychiatrist. Talking to a specialist is very important. During a visit to the office, a workaholic can count on help including support, psychoeducation and learning techniques to calm the head and stop running to return to psychophysical balance.