I’m so addicted to working I won’t take days off and it’s making me ill

DEAR DEIDRE: I AM obsessed with working to the point it is making me ill.

I am exhausted, yet being tired and sick reassures me I am working hard enough.

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I’m so addicted to working I won’t take days off and it’s making me ill[/caption]

I am 19 and started work 18 months ago. A few months later I had to tell my employer I was struggling with my mental health.

They were very supportive and the only people I have ever told. Since then it has been good.

Now I feel I am becoming addicted to work. I have no social life. This week I worked a straight seven days.

Much as I love my job, I do not get paid for overtime and I feel they are taking advantage.

My colleagues think I am crazy for doing all the extra hours.

Even if I do take a day off, I think about work and feel sad and wish I was there.

DEIDRE SAYS: Addictions are a way of plastering over something that is missing from your life and emotions that would be even more painful to acknowledge.

Break the cycle you are in by planning your next day off. Arrange to do something fun with either colleagues or friends.

My e-leaflet about Overcoming Obsessions will help you deal with the root causes of your work problem.

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