career
Many salaried employees are working hard and just trying to survive in the midst of the pandemic. Some who have switched to working from home may find that the balance between work and life has become a blurred.
Those workers may spend the majority of their time at home, working so hard that they fail to relax or do other important things in life. Working too hard may also negatively impact their physical and mental health, leading to premature death. Working hard is something you should be mindful of and urgently take care of.
A study by the Harvard Medical School discovered that when compared to people who work only 35-40 hours per week, people who work more than 55 hours a week have a 13% higher risk of heart disease and a 33% higher chance of stroke.
Even if you love your work, exhaustion from overwork can negatively impact your mental health. Working nonstop for long periods can trigger depression, fatigue, stress, and anxiety, all of which can hinder your abilities in the long run. It will take some time to recover from those adverse conditions and return to normalcy.
People who overwork tend to neglect their health, often claiming that they do not have enough time. This behavior can lead to excessive eating, drinking, unsuitable sleeping habits, causing low blood sugar or dehydration and making them feel exhausted and weak. Initial effects may appear mild, like feeling hungry or having a dry mouth. However, these symptoms can lead to serious illness or death if not treated properly.
Some of those who can’t stop working hard may have developed bad habits, like taking over-the-counter pain relievers, eating more fast food without any exercise, or drinking too much alcohol.
Stress from overwork also affects sleep quality. Getting adequate rest can reduce the risk of getting sick and helps build up your immune system. Inadequate sleep or working around-the-clock can impact the overall body, sapping learning efficiency and creating loss of appetite, mood swings, anger, irritation, and so forth.
If you realize that you are working too hard and really want to stop being a workaholic you will have to restore your work/life balance to avoid the negative effects of overwork.
You should prioritize your tasks first thing in the morning in order to know what must be done, and what must be done first. You should communicate to your team members to ensure a common understanding of the assignments and results expected each day.
Even if you work at home, there may be many jobs coming in each day. If you are too kind and don’t want to let anyone down you will end up with too heavy a workload and won't know where to start. If you don't want to ruin the important tasks you are responsible for, knowing how to say "no" when appropriate will help you avoid unnecessary tasks.
Working at home can mislead your family members into thinking that you have free time for housework, buying groceries, or playing with your kids. You must draw a clear line and tell them your working schedule, and ask them not to bother you during that time so that you can fully concentrate on your work.
There are many things to easily distract you while working at home. It is therefore best to cut off as many of those distractions as possible, like the sound of cell phone notifications from e-mails, SMS, or social media. Try putting your phone away from your desk when your work requires high concentration.
People who work too hard or focus too much on their work often have a habit of forgetting to eat, or are too lazy to get away from their desk, and just eat at their workstations. This habit causes them miss taking a break for destressing and relaxation. This is a mistake. If you want to stop the habit of working too hard, one thing that needs to change is that you need to take a lunch break. Allow yourself to have proper lunch in another place in the house and bask in the nature outside your house to feel relaxed.
Once you have restored your work/life balance you will no longer be a workaholic. Always be aware of your surroundings and tell yourself that you should stop if you can't take it anymore.
