Thread by @AVONHMO

Are you chained to the desk?

It's okay to be ambitious and driven to be the best in your chosen field but if you're not careful, this lifestyle can be a slippery slope that can lead to detrimental long-term consequences.

So are you a workaholic? Read this #Thread to find out.

1. You work longer than your colleagues

Workaholics are typically the first to arrive in the office and the last to leave, or they log in after-hours and work into the night.

But do extra hours equal productive hours? Studies suggest that this isn't always the case.

Instead, experts say that breaks, time off and self-care enable more productivity in fewer hours.

2. You can’t turn off

Workaholism isn’t simply defined by working long hours. True workaholism, is the inability to turn off thoughts of work.

The more you can turn off outside the office and stay calm during work hours, the less stressed you are and vice versa.

A workaholic is someone on a beach who is dreaming about being back in the office. You'll expect them to be relaxed but they're not. This is why it doesn't matter where you are, it matters what's going on inside of you.

3. Your body feels unwell

Workaholics have a lot of bad habits that can hamper health. Constrained for time, some turn to junk food, some inhale lunch at their desks and others skip meals altogether. Exercise is often abandoned and sleep habits get thrown off schedule.

Mental health experts who specifically treat work addicts consistently see the same ailments among the overworked: gastrointestinal problems, headaches, weight gain or loss due to poor diets, increased irritability and tiredness, heavier drinking as a form of stress relief.

When your stress response is trumping your rest and digest response, what happens is our body secretes cortisol, adrenaline and a lot of other hormones that are really detrimental physically. These things lower our immune system, clog our arteries & create all kinds of illnesses.

4. Your relationships are strained

One of the most obvious signs of workaholism is the relationship between a workaholic and his family and friends.

Family members and close friends are often the first to feel their absence.

When people who love you say things like, "I never see you" or "You’re never around", it’s time to reevaluate our work-life balance.

Workaholics tend to miss important life milestones like anniversaries and birthdays because of work.

Eventually, marital issues tend to surface. According to research, the divorce rate is 40% higher for people in marriages with one or more workaholic.

And the damage doesn’t stop there. Children of workaholics tend to have more anxiety or depression.

5. You tie your worth to your work success

Workaholics define their self and self-esteem by achievement only and the culprit is perfectionism. When there are unrealistic expectations, a worker will rarely feel satisfied with themselves.

Learn to see your worth beyond your work.

With this said, here's how can you achieve better work-life balance.

1. Unplug
2. Exercise and meditate
3. Limit time-wasting activities and people
4. Restructure your life. What changes could make life easier for you?
5. Let go of perfectionism

These are just five signs but there are many other red flags for workaholism.

We found a test you can even take to find out if you exhibit other signs of workaholism. Just click below to take it:

thecounselingteam.com/interactive/te…