For Personal and Professional Assistance
Serving Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area
220 S. California Ave. Suite 202 Palo Alto, California 94306
(650) 455-5040
Psycho-Therapy and Counseling FAQ 4:
My issues are related to my work and finances. Can therapy
be helpful for me?
Sometimes our issues are circumstance-induced. In Silicon
Valley this is prevalent because of the stressful, rapidly
changing environment. For example, overworking seems to
be a norm. We work nearly one month of hours more per year
than we did 20 years ago. Although the length of a person's
work week can be a problem, in workaholism there is an additional
compulsive element. This leads to habitual, uncontrollable
work-addictive behavior that avoids developing satisfying
relationships or quality personal life style.
Causes of workaholism can be the need for self-esteem and
the meaning found in one's profession, the incentive of
stock options, and the creation of a "family" at work that
becomes more influential than family or friends outside
of work. The problem of workaholism is usually disguised
as stress, fatigue, depression, low self-esteem, anxiety,
relationship problems, addictions and obsessive or compulsive
behaviors.
Workaholic behaviors include: placing work above self-care
and important relationships, losing interest or meaning
in non-work activities, working in ways that contradict
one's values, having an unrealistic sense of being important
or irreplaceable, needing high impact leisure time to distract
oneself (lavish vacations, substance abuse, extreme sports),
acting pressured and driven, having anxious or rushed movements,
procrastination and habitual tardiness. Symptoms of advanced
workaholism (which parallel those of other addictions) include:
withdrawal and isolation, fear of being still or alone,
shame, dishonesty, secrecy, depression, spiritual deadness,
distorted perceptions, the compulsion to control one's environment,
loss of contact with one's internal feelings or experience,
and alternating grandiosity and sense of inadequacy.
Treatment of work addiction includes exploration of the
costs and payoffs of this behavior, leading to more understanding
of workaholism and the addictive process. Clients will become
aware of relapse clues such as exhaustion, being argumentative,
self-pity, feeling high levels of frustration, becoming
isolated, and the escalation of other addictive behaviors.
Therapeutic work can lead to alternative behaviors, a clearer
sense of personal meaning and spirituality, and the healing
of unresolved issues.
