An old adage declares, ‘Work is worship’. One is often encouraged to have respect for one’s work. Ironically, in today’s fast-paced world, working efficiently has become the major cause of stress. Excessive workloads have started taking a heavy toll on one’s well-being, often leading to breakdowns. However, another serious work-related ailment has become rampant now-a-days. Workaholism is an obsession with keeping oneself busy at work for an inordinate time. Workaholics feel that they ought to be working without a break. They are spurred on by a deep fear that time will run out before they achieve their goals. Workaholics are differently wired as compared to people who are focused and sincere in their jobs. They don’t really enjoy the work they do. They feel a compulsive need to work because of self-created pressures that they cannot comprehend. The standards they set themselves are formidable and often unattainable, and this constantly sets them up for failure.
Such people feel guilty if they are sitting idle. Family outings, rest and leisure activities, time with friends, holidays etc., feel like a sheer waste of time to them. Often, after some non-work event, they will try to recover ‘lost’ work time by overworking, even to the point of a breakdown. They have constant thoughts about their work and find it difficult to mentally disengage from work-related thoughts- planning their projects, analysing past errors or, ironing out eventualities in their head. This takes a toll on personal relationships and makes them socially inept.
Workaholics will take up more work to avoid meeting people casually. They need to be constantly reminded to bring balance in life and work. Workaholics seldom enjoy fun and frolic related activities. Often, when thrust into a fun-filled activity, they become quite uncomfortable and anxious. They feel the need to show everyone that they are having fun and often play-act, whereas the performance becomes another stress-filled task for them. At times, they make such activities into a competition that they need to do perfectly, and win, spoiling the fun for others. Workaholics will overwork themselves beyond what is reasonably expected at great cost to their health and wellbeing, but not because they like to. They aren’t really perfectionists. They are addicted to work. There is an inertia of motion that keeps them restless and they find comfort in running constantly. They know no other way to feel relaxed. Most workaholics are aware that they are going overboard, but their routine becomes more important than the results achieved. They cannot stop themselves, as work is their only elixir, and become slaves to their routine.
Karma Yoga is the yoga of work. Work can lead us to emancipation. Happy people know how to keep a balance between work and life. Work itself can become a way to attain a stress-free life. The secret lies in enjoying every action for its own sake. Our mind is constantly wandering. It’s filled with thoughts- either holding onto anger and guilt about past events, or panicking and worrying about a future that hasn’t yet occurred. Our mind rarely stays still and quiet, in the present moment, where we can be at complete peace with ourselves and the world around us. The yoga of work, or Karma Yoga emphasises using our everyday actions as the very tool to bring our mind back into the present moment, once it wanders into the past or the future. When we focus our attention upon what we are doing in the here and now, our work itself becomes the pathway to our joy and happiness.
Deepam Chatterjee is the author of The Millennial Yogi.