“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” True that. What makes a workaholic though, I think many of us would never think that we’re one.
In the fast paced society we live in, it’s inevitable for many, if not all of us to slog our days away. Even if we’re not busy working, we’re packing our days with other events – keeping ourselves as busy as ever. In my case, the lack of sleep and hectic lifestyle started to take a toll as I felt significantly weaker and more lethargic than usual. Then, it dawned on me – I’m starting to be a workaholic. Packing my days with work, shoots, events, meetups & family time resulted in significant loss of sleep & proper alone-time.
Here’s a little list I came up for myself & to hopefully inspire workaholics all around to constantly remind themselves about:
1. Get Enough Rest
“I love sleep. My life has the tendency to fall apart when I’m awake, you know?” ― Ernest Hemingway
Studies show that we need an average of 7.5 – 9 hours of sleep a day ( which many of us aren’t getting). Honestly speaking, I grew to believe that sleep is wasted time – If I slept before 12, I’ll be wasting my night away when I could have been doing anything else aside from sleeping. Well, I was horribly wrong. Sleep is essential for organ repair and often contributes to better looking skin. Time to “force” myself to bed before midnight!
2. Eat Properly
As hectic a lifestyle we lead, we should always remember to take our meals. By meals I mean complete meals – Not a quick bite or an energy drink. Having enough vitamins & nutrients contributes a lot to how productive we are. I know it’s easy to forget those hunger pangs and lunch calls as we are swarmed with work – It’s even harder to concentrate on eating healthily as we grab anything that’s convenient to satisfy the hunger.
A quick tip (which I’ve started doing as well) would be to carry vitamins around with you to consume after meals – Health supplements for our hectic lifestyle. Alternatively, carry an apple around for a quick and healthy snack!
3. Exercise
Duh. Exercise is what we put aside amidst our busy schedules though. Yoga has been quite the hit these days – It sparked my interest because it didn’t involve running or extreme cardio work. It strengthens your core and builds body strength as well as relaxes you. Gotta get back on the yoga mat!
4. Spend Quality Time with your Loved Ones
From seeing your loved ones everyday, to seeing them once a week and to seeing them bi-weekly. “Contact” time has definitely dropped significantly & I wouldn’t even dare quantify quality time. Take time off from work to catch a movie with your family/ loved ones, have a quiet dinner with friends -
Put away your phones and immerse yourself in each other’s presence.
I would imagine that to be really therapeutic and calming..
5. Spend Time with YOURSELF
“Every person needs to take one day away. A day in which one consciously separates the past from the future. Jobs, family, employers, and friends can exist one day without any one of us, and if our egos permit us to confess, they could exist eternally in our absence. Each person deserves a day away in which no problems are confronted, no solutions searched for. Each of us needs to withdraw from the cares which will not withdraw from us.” ― Maya Angelou, Wouldn’t Take Nothing for My Journey Now
