Anxiety

Anxiety And The Workaholic

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It is often viewed in a positive light to be described as a workaholic. Working long hours and considering your job the top priority in life are sources of pride and are monetarily rewarded.

Anxiety is a central feature for workaholics. One of the most effective ways to avoid confronting anxiety in the short term is to fill up your time with meaningless tasks. The idea of having to sit with his thoughts and have nothing to do is terrifying for the workaholic. He will stay busy at all costs to avoid this state.

Everyone has experienced this phenomenon. Think back to a crisis in your life where the outcome was uncertain.  People always report that in these situations they find themselves compelled to do something, anything. They clean up around the house, go shopping, or just pace back and forth. The workaholic is in a perpetual state of crisis because he has never dealt head on with his painful feelings of existential anxiety.

This is one of the reasons why workaholics can be difficult to be around. They are more concerned with filling up the hours to avoid anxiety than they are with doing anything of true value within that time frame. Of course they try to convince themselves and those around them that their incessant need to work is a sign of dedication. They try to make people feel guilty for not being similarly dedicated.

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