Workaholism: Hazards and Benefits

We embrace our work with passion and devotion, willingly sacrificing family and friends. We believe that the longer and harder we work, the more we will be rewarded. Ostensibly, our focus is on money and prestige, but in truth, we do these things because we feel they will make us happy. But do they?

No matter how overwhelmed we become, our minds and bodies racing, we make excuses for our hectic life. "This is what I need to do to get ahead." "My job demands I work these long hours." We tell ourselves these things because we need to believe they are true.

After all, we spend the majority of our life at work, and to admit that there is something wrong means we have to stop. And stopping is what we don't want to do. We purposely keep ourselves overloaded with grueling schedules and constantly ringing cell phones. We are so used to not feeling that we keep ourselves distracted with this overpacked life; for to stop would mean to feel, and this is what we are subconsciously avoiding.

This automatic existence robs us of feeling-of being present-and keeps us always and forever, removed from the action. Our glamorous busy life has failed to make us feel good.

That's because, to feel good, we need to feel, period. But that's not possible if all our energy is above our neck. A racing mind prevents us from feeling and keeps us from experiencing joy.

To stop this runaway train, we need to recognize that we are on overload. Rather than do more, we need to do less. If we keep pushing past this point, we will feel even more overwhelmed. This is when we get sick, make mistakes, have a fender bender. We begin to get little signs and signals from the universe telling us to slow down. And if we don't listen, the message keeps getting louder and louder.

I knew an attorney, who kept saying he needed to slow it down. He wanted more time with his family, more time for himself. He was literally on a roller coaster from morning to night. And then, after saying the same thing for many years and never doing anything about it, he had a massive heart attack. He was young, in his early forties, but it stopped him in his tracks. He was confined to bed rest for a month and not allowed back to work for two. When I talked to him he told me he "knew" the attack had saved his life, given him a chance to do it right.

You do not need a heart attack to get it. You just need to stop. But how do we stop when we are gong a thousand miles a minute?

The quickest way is to sit on the floor right where you are. This immediately bypasses a frantic mind and grounds you. I do not know if plopping on the floor is so physically ridiculous (I've been known to do this in full business attire) that you are instantly refocused, or if sitting immediately centers you in your body and takes you out of your head. Either way, it stops a racing mind and allows you to breathe.

Breathing, we become calm. This is because for the moment, the mind is at rest. Feeling our body, we stop the constant chatter and listen to our beating heart. Now we are present. We are the action.

At least we have a starting point.

Chapter 45 from Reality Works- Let It Happen Copyright 2002 Chandra Alexander

Chandra Alexander, MSW, has been living and teaching authenticity for the last thirty years. Selected by The Oprah Magazine as the Life Coach to deliver twelve coaching sessions to the grand prize winner of their Toyota Moving Forward contest, she also spent five years on NBC/TV/Daytime giving a weekly "Reality Check." Her blog, http://www.ChandraUnplugged.com is a real find for any true seeker on the path to authenticity. Along with a private practice in Tampa, FL, she coaches clients all over the world in the areas of relationships, work and consciousness. To learn more about her books and CDs, visit her website at http://www.Coachgirl.com