It takes time and dedication to make a meaningful career for yourself. Whether you are working your way up the ladder through a 9-5 job, or building your own business from the ground up, hard work is unavoidable if you’re going to succeed. But sometimes, if you are not balancing your work time with some rest, you can overdo it and become over-obsessed, over-stressed and totally over-worked. Even though many have the no-sleep approach to work and believe that it takes a hustle non-stop mentality to achieve your dreams, this is physically unhealthy and can actually diminish brain function and productivity. If any of this sounds familiar, read more about the top 8 signs that you might be a workaholic.
You are always tired
Sleep deprivation is nothing to sneer at. Skipping on sleep on a regular basis will eventually catch up to you. And when you haven’t been treating your body with care, it can and will shut down on you.
Your personal relationships are slacking
Wonder why your family, friends, or significant other seem to be drifting away or acting more distant? It could be because you never make time to cater to the relationship due to all your focus being on work.
You never do anything fun
If your life has become drab and boring, chances are you’ve let work take over your entire existence. An equal work life balance is essential to maintaining a happy quality of life.
Your effectiveness at work is decreasing
With all the residuals from working too much adding up – lack of sleep, fun or casual human interaction – you will likely start experiencing serious brain fog and are bound to be less effective at work.
Your memory is fading
When you are in a perpetual state of work-related stress and anxiety, your memory will begin to fade. Forcing your mind to continuously work at maximum capacity and remember too much can make retaining future information increasingly more difficult.
Your project results are terrible
Without enough time away from work, you can lose the creativity and drive needed to optimally perform. Without a fresh take, you may lack the fresh ideas needed to work on innovative projects.
You are in denial about how much you work
Because it can be an intoxicating feeling to succeed at work, some people actually become addicted to working. And like with any other addiction, not being fully in control or aware of how addicted you are is a sign you are in too deep. If warnings from family and friends and coworkers, or even your boss, have all fallen on deaf ears, that’s a sure sign you’re in trouble.
You are beginning to experience health problems
It is actually not uncommon for work-obsessed individuals to be put on bedrest for severe colds or flu, anxiety attacks, depression or just plain old physical and mental exhaustion. This is because constant neglect of your body deteriorates your brain function and immune system. Other physical symptoms can include headaches, chest pains, chronic fatigue and uncontrollable weight fluctuation. Overwork can even lead to even worse health issues like heart disease, high blood pressure, digestive complications, or drug addiction.
