" For workaholics, all the eggs of self-esteem are in the basket of work. "
-Judith M Bardwick
Romanticizing exhaustion has proven to be the motto of today’s society. The epitome of success is a 4 letter word called Busy. Does not matter what we choose to fill our lives with - so long as they are filled. Free time? Ya you better not have too much of that one for risk of losing your I’m-busy-and-cool status. It baffles me that the hashtag #workaholism is used on all kinds of platforms, but it isn't tied with any shame or negativity. Yet the truth of the matter is that workaholism is an addiction. Would an addict of substance be looked upon the same as a workaholic if he were to use the hashtag #drugaddiction? Food for thought.
While workaholism isn’t (yet) classified in the DSM, that does not take away the fact that it does fit into the category of addictions as it is a type of destructive behaviour that can impact someone’s life in a negative way. When you work yourself to the bone, it is only natural that your mental, emotional and even perhaps physical health take a downfall. So next time you pride yourself out of overworking your 26 friends, think about that for a sec.
Displaying your busyness doesn’t make you any better or cooler than someone who chooses to prioritize their lives differently. When your life revolves solely around the word “work” , you may have trapped yourself in the web of one risky habit to hold. Just like an addict puts forefront the substance of his choice to the detriment of all the other spheres of his life, you are perhaps doing the same, even if it’s on different terms.
There is no such thing as one addiction being “less” than others. While some may surely be different in their degree of brutality, all addictions at their core are characterized by suffering and the way by which the addict chooses to “alleviate” that suffering is what makes him drawn toward the addiction of his choice.
If only the society in which we lived in didn’t give precedence to external appearances, such as status and money. Work is ultimately central to these two, and the more people will be obsessed with status, money and power, the more people will feel like proud little fuckers for carrying their 72 hour work week back home.If mental health and emotional health were to be equal competitors, perhaps the conversation around work would take a different and healthier turn.
Because after all, your emotional health matters more than your work. Overworking yourself isn’t healthy, nor should it be a desirable standard to look up to. It’s a toxic habit that serves as a means to escape something. Your value as a human being does not increase by the number of hours you work in a given week.
