Workaholics at work!
When you meet a friend or a family member, the first question they would ask you is this: What do you do? It stresses the idea that your work takes a major part of your identity and role in life. It also creates a sense of lack in self-worth.
This culture context causes people to put increased focus on work and make it as a major primary role in their daily lives. Other areas like rest, leisure activities, having a hobby or spending quality time with our loved ones become a secondary or less important part in life.
Another influencing factor that generates workaholic people at work is their thoughts and feelings toward work itself. What is your idea about work? Do you think about work most of the time? Do you feel guilty if you had to be absent from work for whatever reason? Putting your personal answers to these questions can give you an idea about your internal perspective towards work.
My personal philosophy towards work changed a lot throughout my work experience. Previousely, I placed increased importance and weight on work. Morning, afternoon, evening or night didn’t matter. What matterd was my work checklist, whether I replied my email messages. I remember when I go to sleep, I would go through my work to-do list for the next day and obsess about finishing them.
Although I love my teaching job, this previous mindset affected my life in many ways. First my energy levels would drop. I remember going back home exhaused from the long day work and barely have any left-over energy to spend with my family.
Another impact happened is increased fatigue, tardiness and headaches. With work, a lot of stresses and tensions was accummulated in me and they would express themselves in the form of physical pain and fatigue.
With reflection and processing of thoughts and ideas about work, I realized that work is only a part in life. A person’s life includes other areas too like your personal life, family life, social life, leisure and fun life and rest as well.
Looking at life generally and how it is organized, we have the day and night. The day is designed for us to wake up fresh, do our daily activities whether at work or at home. Then the evening and night comes for us to rest, settle, reflect and sleep.
The nature tells us a lot about the cycle of life, our humanity and that we can slow down and pause for some time.