Thursday, March 15, 2012

Workaholism

Workaholism, a pathological psychological symptom that some psychologists view as a serious affliction -- and unfortunately, one that's socially sanctioned. By definition, workaholism is an obsessive need to work, or compulsiveness (obsession) about working, akin to obsessive compulsive disorder -- a broader obsession with orderliness, perfection, and control at the expense of flexibility, openness, and efficiency.

Workaholics are intelligent, ambitious, successful persons and they are prisoners of their own success. The workaholic believes that he is the only person capable of performing their work. The workaholic person is a perfectionist, who will not accept mistakes that are a part of being human, and feels the needs to get more tasks done before he can feel good about himself. It's very difficult for a workaholic to relax, often feeling that he must complete certain tasks.

The concept of workaholism does not apply to individuals who must work long hours as a necessity. A small farmer with livestock that must be tended to everyday may work 60-70 hours a week, but he or she is not suffering from workaholism. A single parent who works long hours and takes college classes in hope of becoming a better provider is not a victim of workaholism.

The persons who display workaholism tend to perform either challenging or creative work, not routine drudgery. These are people who tend to be workaholics:
i. have their own businesses or have management positions in a business
ii. have professions in such fields a medicine, law and teaching
iii. have careers in the fine arts, such as writing, composing, or performing.

Signs and Symptoms of workaholism

  • overly committed and driven to work -- working 50% or more over the standard 40 hour work week
  • no separation for you between work and home eg. talking about work constantly
  • work is on your mind every hour, every minute -- working even when ill
  • being bored and restless when on vacation -- Your happiness is found in your work.
  • obtaining almost all psychological and emotional gratification from work
  • feeling vaguely guilty when not working
  • the "I'm doing this for you" rationalization
  • the conviction that others are incompetent
  • the early-death syndrome

Many firms expect employees to exhibit more than just dedication to their jobs. Corporate culture rewards single-minded workers with fat paychecks, awards, and promotions -- and the status that accompanies success. Yet despite these social and business pressures, workaholism is slowly losing its cachet as a respectable vice. Instead, it is increasingly recognized as an insidious problem that can have life-threatening consequences.

The most common problem as a result of workaholism is straining of relationships and health problems. Being too obsessive in their work, the workaholics neglect their health -- such as their personal hygiene, infrequent meals, not enough water consumption, wrong sitting posture and so on. All these will lead to subsequent reduction in productivity of the workaholic. Common health problems they suffer is halitosis (bad breath), mouth ulcers, dehydration, gastric problems, headache and various stress related illnesses. For oral health, you might want to try Devrom Tablets or toothette oral swabs.

A German proverb says,"What is the use of running when we are not on the right road?" The "I have to hurry because I have so much to do" attitude toward life characteristic of work-addicted individuals is frequently counterproductive. A nervous froth is not the best way to get things done. Remember the fable of the tortoise and the hare -- the tortoise won the race because it paced itself and did not get too excited. Don't bite off more than you can chew.

Listen to your body. Your heart will tell you. You are what you eat and as you are what you eat, your health start from your mouth. Just as Peace Starts With A Smile, a set of clean teeth requires you to take good care of your teeth. Good health, good smile begins only when you feel good about yourself. Can you feel your own breath? JRSmedical.com is a licensed Pharmacy distributor which has over 15000 online medical supplies that provides good online shopping experience for their customers. As part of their excellent service specially catered for their customers, they provide fair prices and quick shipping -- FREE shipping on most orders over $100! As part of their comprehensive service totally committed to provide the best products at the best price and best information to you, they also have their own medical blog which bring special good news!

If you find that you are unable to cope on your own with the maladaptive trait of workaholism, always seek the help of professionals -- eg. psychiatrists and therapists. 

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