If A Person Lives And Breathes Work, You’ll Know It By 4 Exhausting Things They Do Repeatedly
karola g | Pexels Many people spend a lot of waking hours of their lives doing the work that they do. Their careers are a significant part of who they are. They might even identify as a workaholic — a person who lives and breathes work. Most people I know work very hard at their jobs continuously. So much so that being a workaholic becomes a big part of their identity and who they are.
You may say that this is what organizations want, correct? In reality, that's not true. There has been enough research that proves that to be highly productive at work, you need a delicate balance with the other areas of your life, too. It's not sustainable to only be focused on work.
At some point, you will turn bitter and crash and burn. If you believe that being too devoted to work is a virtue you enjoy carrying around like a badge, think again. The problem is that if your work is all you care about, you're possibly exhausting to be around, and that may bring you down more often than lift you.
If a person lives and breathes work, you’ll know it by 4 exhausting things they do repeatedly:
1. They take feedback and criticism too seriously
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It’s a fact that we all do some tasks well and need to get better at others. No one is perfect. People who are too committed find it harder to hear developmental feedback and constructive criticism.
Somewhere, a part of them is convinced that to feel worthy, they need to give it their all. That image of themselves is shattered with such feedback, but objectively, feedback is an excellent opportunity to see what you need to do more or less of.
2. A person who lives for work refuses to disconnect
If you're someone who takes work home and is always busy, even at gatherings with family and friends, please know that you're not doing anyone a favor, least of all yourself. Your impression in your mind and others may be that you are so proactive and dedicated.
But if you don’t disconnect, you'll stay mired in the mundane and will not be able to give yourself space for creative and innovative ideas to come to you, which are required for your success at work itself.
It may even lead to burnout: As of early 2025, career-related stress levels reached an all-time high, with nearly 74% of the U.S. workforce reporting they had experienced at least moderate symptoms of burnout at work.
3. They make their career their entire identity
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Identifying too tightly with any one identity is a recipe for disaster. Your idea of who you really are is the driving force behind whatever you set out to achieve. You play many roles throughout the day that help you experience your life in the best way that you want.
If all these roles are mainly played out by you at the workplace, or if you see yourself in such a narrow manner, it's safe to say that it's mostly unhealthy. Have you thought about what you would really like to do if time and money were not constraints? What do you care about outside of work? What is it that truly brings you joy?
4. A person who lives for work struggles to maintain healthy relationships
Do you often get underlying jokes about your workaholic habits from friends and family? How fulfilling are your relationships outside of work, truly?
In this fast-changing environment, jobs will come and go, but your relationships are what will be most meaningful to you as a person. It becomes crucial to invest time, effort, and energy in those relationships outside of work.
"Workaholism, or being a workaholic, can be a threat to your relationship or marriage," explained marriage and family therapist Linda and Charlie Bloom. "Unlike alcoholism or hoarding, this obsession is not only almost impossible for an outsider to recognize, but it's viewed by most of the population as being valuable and even worthy of admiration."
Living and breathing for nothing but work can be damaging. Sure, it's an admirable quality to care about your job so much, but being invested only in your career can be damaging to both your professional and personal life.
By recognizing these symptoms, it is possible to keep your level of emotional intensity and involvement at work balanced to thrive at a holistic level, and not just in your career.
Bhavna Dalal is a master certified executive coach, MCC ICF, speaker, and author of Checkmate Office Politics, who helps people develop their leadership skills, such as executive presence, strategic thinking, influencing, and networking.
