While there is no shame in being committed to your work and your career, becoming what is defined as a workaholic can be a slippery slope that you do not want to find yourself on. Spending too much of your time and energy obsessing about your job can be severely detrimental to both your physical and mental health. Here are a few signs that indicate that you may be becoming a workaholic.
 

You Stop Taking Work Breaks

One of the first signs that you are becoming a workaholic is that you realize you are not taking breaks. Regardless of if that is small breaks during the middle of each workday or longer breaks such as vacations, everyone needs a time to pause and reset. Periodic breaks throughout the day will give you energy and provide a clearer sense of direction. Even if this is just getting up and walking around the office or stepping out for some fresh air, these breaks are vital to your mental health.

Longer breaks where you completely get away from the stress of work will also provide more long-term satisfaction with your job. Workaholics tend to fall into the trap of thinking their work is too important to pause. Do not let this happen to you.
 

Unhealthy Life and Work Balance

You will be more happy in life overall if you are able to achieve a healthy work-life balance. Workaholics typically struggle with finding this happy medium. If you feel as if your personal life is suffering because of the demands of your job, it could be that you are a workaholic. It is understandable for your work to take priority during certain times of stress or when up against an important deadline. This becomes a problem when you notice that you are regularly having a difficult time managing this balance.
 

Inability to Say No

Successful professionals have learned to set healthy boundaries. Workaholics are known to be able to say no to requests from friends and family, however, they may experience issues saying no to work demands. Learning how to say no to requests from your boss or other co-workers is an important tool to learn if you want to have a healthy balance between your work and personal life. While it is acceptable to help out in a pinch, constantly saying yes will wear you down.
 

Constantly Available

Workaholics are also prone to making themselves constantly available. Whether that means responding to every email regardless of the time of day that it is sent or never turning down an extra assignment, always making yourself available to your coworkers is a sign that you may need to take a step back. Of course, it is important to be accessible and willing to help out at the last minute when needed. This only becomes a problem when you are never able to say no and you end up being taken advantage of by your colleagues.
 

Loss of Interest in Outside Activities

One of the most telling signs of being a workaholic is when your work takes over your personal life to such an extent that you have lost interest in activities that used to bring you joy. If you notice that you are not wanting to do anything outside of work, particularly if you used to find these activities enjoyable, be sure to consider the fact that you may be a workaholic.
 

Chronic Levels of Stress

A finite amount of stress is normal and even healthy for most careers. However, feeling chronically stressed is a red flag that you may be a workaholic. Too much stress at work will leave you feeling anxious rather than challenged and fulfilled. How much stress you can take on without it negatively impacting your health varies between individuals. Only you know when the stress is becoming a major hindrance in your life. This is when you need to step back and be intentional about restoring balance in your life.

You should never prioritize your work over family and your personal health. It is important to recognize if you are showing signs of becoming a workaholic and take steps to address the issue before it becomes a more serious problem.