Addicted To Your Job
When Work Becomes Detrimental To Your Life
Welcome back!
I forgot how much I enjoy writing, especially for people to read.
Yes, journaling is great (it's actually what has kicked started my writing again), but being able to help people with what I've written is such a rewarding feeling.
I'm not the greatest writer in the world, however, although I definitely going to strive for improvement, my current aim is to provide content which is hopefully relatable to the majority of my readers.
With this in mind, I am going to touch upon the stresses of work and how to avoid them. I will clarify before I begin, it has only taken me to move to a less stressful job to realise how bad I'd let my last job affect me - especially my mental and physical health.
By allowing yourself to be affected by your job to the point that you've become fat, stuck in a destructive routine and isolated from your friends/or even destroyed relationships - it's time to start making some changes.
In my last job, I was working from home, clocking up 12-16 hour days at my computer. To say that life past me by would be an understatement. I made the mistake of not setting boundaries, routines and positive practices from the beginning... And things spiralled out of control quickly.
I'm sure many of you can relate.
Covid has meant more and more of us have been forced to work from home. Something some of us may not have been used to to begin with.
Employers demanding more because they view it as a 'luxury' to work from home or knowing they can get us to log on almost 24-hours a day - left some of us feeling trapped.
This may not be the case for everyone but I'm sure the majority can relate.
As I sat at my computer day in and day out, I missed so much happening around me. I basically turned into a zombie for lack of a better word. I was addicted to the pay, the unhealthy routine and the utter chaos of the job, which had a detrimental effect on so much in my life.
Much like substance addiction, or addiction to digital dopamine hits, I had become dependent on the 'work drug'.
My employers had full control over my life and I allowed myself to become their puppet. I may only be a few weeks removed from that job but I can see the damaged it caused me.
Weight gain and other issues
With the power I allowed the job to have over me, I began to gain weight because I was simple not moving. I spent nearly every hour of the day at my desk, only leaving to take a loo break. In fact, my wife used to bring me food to my desk and I would barely acknowledge her as my eyes were glued to the screen.
And when the day was finally done, I spent an hour or so with my son before I put him to bed. However, that hour was usually consumed with me chatting to colleagues about things that were done during the day, or had to be done tomorrow. I failed to have quality time with my son because I'd allowed something else to pull my focus.
After putting my son to bed, I would find myself back to work, although not officially! I had become obsessed with setting stuff up for the next day rather than connecting with people or working on Birth of Clarity or more importantly, making sure I was healthy.
It was whilst I stressed about work for the next day that I began to eat chocolate and junk food to ease the pressure I had put myself under. All the while, my phone continued to go off due to the constant bombardment of work correspondence and I began isolating myself from my friends because I had grown to hate picking up my phone.
I failed to set boundaries that would have allowed myself to be free of the hold the job had over me when I wasn't supposed to working. I failed to establish healthy routines such as breaks from my desk, not checking my phone while spending time with my son and I failed to communicate with the most important people in my life.
Like I said, it has taken me to find another job - one which I get paid less to do - to realise the destruction I had caused myself by not setting better habits and routines.
For those that can relate, please do yourself a favour, start taking action NOW to make some changes to the way you structure your day. Don't allow yourself to become broken by your job. It is ultimately not worth it.
Starting now, make list of things you feel have become damaging to your life. Maybe you've put on weight, maybe you've isolated, maybe you've let your hygiene slip or maybe you've neglected your kids.
Now, make a list of changes you could make.
Could you leave your desk once every hour to walk around the block?
Could you make your own, healthy food?
Can you switch your phone off when you're not working?
Could you call someone you love every day?
Can you talk kindly about the people you work with despite how much they may irritate you?
Could you start putting positive practices in place so that your work doesn't rule your life but rather YOU DO.
Your employers should not hold your health - mental, physical and spiritual - in the palm of their hands, only you should.
Wrestle the power back and start taking action today in order to the changes you need.
Conclusion
I hope this email has served as a positive push for those of you in the same boat as I was.
Now I have implemented a few MUST DOs into my day so I do not fall into the same trap as before.
I make sure I exercise every day.
I make sure no junk food is in the house.
I have fruit every day.
I make my bed every morning.
I get showered and dressed for a proper working day.
I write content for Birth of Clarity.
I write a journal every night.
I learn Spanish every day.
I contact a loved one or see friends every day.
I am making these changes in order to rectify the damage I've done to my mental, physical and emotional health and I know you can do it to.
It's time to make positive changes.
Thank you for reading “Addicted To Your Job”.
I appreciate the positive responses I got from my last newsletter “Battle For Your Soul” - I will sit down over the weekend and reply to all the messages sent in response to this week's newsletters.
Also, a big thank you to TM for buying me a coffee, much appreciated my friend 🙏
Take care,
Roscoe
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