The Workaholic Syndrome

If you take the briefcase home with you, your work will completely consume your life.

If you do not keep your work in its proper place, it has the potential to ruin your chances for a happy family life. In the case of a father or mother, they need to remember that their children are only young once. They cannot rewind and go back to see what they missed. Not only do they miss out on seeing their children grow, but their children also miss the benefit of having their parents to guide them. Harry Chapin stated it well in his song Cat's In the Cradle. He described a father who was always too busy with work to spend time with his son. He gave his son everything he needed materially but he was not there for his son emotionally. Thus, when his son grew up he was just like his father and it came full circle because when the son grew up he was too busy with work to spend time with his aging father. Therefore, when your work consumes too much of your time, it has a ripple affect. It affects your family as well. Since children learn by example, it will also affect their families when they get older. You need to be building a happy family life and you cannot do that if your work consumes too much of your life.

When you take your work home with you, the lack of relaxation could case serious health problems. Human beings are made to work and to play. We need that relaxation as much as we need productive work to occupy ourselves. According to NIOSH, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, which is part of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, too much stress due to an overwhelming work load can cause cardiovascular disease, musculoskeletal disorders, psychological disorders, workplace injury, even suicide, cancer and impaired immune function. The very lives of the workers depend on being able to get time off to recuperate and refresh themselves. When a worker