#44 When You're Using Your Career As an Avoidance Tactic
Have you ever been told that you work too much?
Do you agree but aren't sure how to stop?
If so, it may be worth considering that you might be using your career as an avoidance tactic.
Sometimes, people who work a lot might be trying to avoid things in their personal life. They do not want to think about it or deal with it, so instead, they throw themselves into their work.
Avoidance tactics can manifest in various ways, from long hours of work to procrastination. However, this can escalate into self-sabotage.
Many high-achieving managers find themselves stuck in a cycle of working hard and sacrificing personal time at the expense of progress and development.
When I needed to feel good about myself, I turned to my job to provide me with the validation I lacked.
My dedication paid off as I excelled as a property manager, making it even easier for me to put in more hours when things got tough outside of the office.
▪️If I had an argument with my husband, I'd stay late at the office to avoid confronting him.
▪️If I felt inferior at a networking event, I'd just go get another designation or award to prove my worth.
▪️If I felt self-conscious about my appearance, I could blame all the hours I put in after the office closed.
My job made me feel good when my life didn't.
Eventually, I couldn't "out work" my self-esteem.
I had to take a good hard look in the mirror and start addressing what I saw.
𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌 𝒈𝒐𝒐𝒅𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝑰 𝒅𝒊𝒅.
I started to heal my relationship with myself (and with my loved ones) and I no longer felt I needed to hide from conflict. As I did that, I started finding satisfaction in my personal goals and interests (instead of solely within my career). From there, my self-esteem skyrocketed and I started setting my sights on new goals (the Addicted to Busy podcast being one of them!).
Tune into today's podcast to hear more of my story... and don't forget to grab your journal prompts so that you can write yours!
What’s inside this episode…
- The reality of the effects of perfectionism
- Why you should not try to “out work” your self esteem
- The story of why I created the ATB podcast
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