According to Spanish Healthcare Experts If You Are a Workaholic You Are Sick

Whether your focus is on money or possessions, you are also considered to be sick.

In recent health discoveries, medical expert Dr. Jose Manuel Vincente has coined the term Sisyphemia to describe the harmful obsession with work, money, and material possessions.

This “illness” is becoming increasingly prevalent in capitalist society, and it can have damaging effects on both one’s physical and mental well-being.

The name came from the Greek myth about Sisyphus, who was punished by the gods for his deceitful ways.

His punishment was to forever push a boulder up a hill, only to have it roll back down once he reached the top, forcing him to start all over again.

For many people, the pursuit of wealth and possessions can feel like an endless, uphill battle.

They work tirelessly, sacrificing their health and relationships in the process, all in the hopes of achieving some elusive dream of success.

Like many, in America, I was consumed too by the obsession with work. My desires and ambitions consumed me to the point where I lost sight of what truly mattered in life.

As a result, I became lonely, isolated, and deeply unhappy, trapped in a never-ending cycle of work.

But isn’t that a definition of the American Dream?

You devote yourself tirelessly to your work, never taking a break because it’s seen as a crime. Nowadays, some people boast about working multiple jobs online simultaneously.

For example, I recently came across an article about software engineers who worked at two different companies at the same time, so they could afford a Tesla or a second home. And they were proud of this accomplishment.

In the US, being a workaholic is often viewed as ambitious, driven, and successful.

However, in Spain, it may be seen as a sign of sickness.

Even Dr. Jose states that he saw people being so sick from Sisyphemia that it almost killed them:

“We saw people who were emotionally devastated, who ended up dying and wound up developing other symptoms. Sometimes we could refer to a situation of discouragement or constant anxiety, but there wasn’t a specific name,” says the physician.

One of the other risks of having Sisyphemia is cardiovascular diseases like stroke or MI.

Then he continues:

Those who suffer from Sisyphemia cannot distance themselves from work on their days off or when they go to bed, because, over time, their minds have been configured to ruminate automatically and constantly on a to-do list, on what they could have done better or on whether or not they have responded well to the boss. They extend their working hours and put in overtime.

Sisyphemia is different from burnout, as the latter is typically related to dissatisfaction with work.

Sisyphemia is characterized by constantly pushing oneself until one becomes physically ill and unable to disengage from work.

It goes beyond a mere preoccupation and becomes an all-consuming obsession.

Dr. Jose critiques corporate companies as they are responsible for the disease and expecting impossible from the employees and is their job to keep not only physically but mentally healthy too.

That is why the Labor Inspectorate initiated an investigation last year in November on major four consulting firms in Spain: Deloitte, PwC, EY, and KPMG.

During the Labor Department’s investigation, García-Guirao emphasizes that:

“…workplace conditions should not pose any risk to the worker, in any profession.”

How to avoid Sisyphemia?

If you live in America or any other work-driven, competitive country, I suggest considering moving to a more relaxed atmosphere before it’s too late and you become ill or meet with death.

Reducing your expenses, hours of work, and picking up hobbies would be the next best option if moving isn’t possible.

It’s crucial to prioritize your mental and physical well-being for the long term, whether that means finding a less demanding job or adopting a slower-paced lifestyle.

Whatever label is attached to it — a “lazy-girl” job, quiet quitting, or “snail girl” lifestyle — the important thing is preserving your sanity and quality of life.

At least now you have an expert’s excuse not to work into insanity.

It isn’t worth it.

In the realm of philosophy, specifically in phenomenology, workaholics are referred to as animals who have been given technological advantages but lack humanity.

In her latest book And The TwoThings Are One, acclaimed philosopher and phenomenologist Anna Hogenova delves into the concept of workaholism and the disconnection from humanity:

This is the basis of alienation from oneself, therefore we are always busy, and therefore we over-busy. “Over-busying” is a strange word, it belongs to Heidegger, but it is one of the most important word today.

The restlessness at the bottom of our soul chases us, and this is the essence of workaholism. The insufficiency of our relationship to the world as a whole, which has no margin, and therefore we do not know about it.

Heidegger adds to this: “Man wallows in the cesspool of anthropology and has no idea of ​​what possesses him.

It is strange, how man errs in his essence and drives himself into the desert.

This means you stop being a human as a workaholic, and you lose sight of your true self and end up wandering into the emptiness.

There is no life in the desert.

You need greenery and water to survive, meaning more than work in your life.

In conclusion, we should disregard the ideology of the Puritan work ethic and the birth of the American Dream aka Workaholism, as its origins are disturbing and may lead to a detrimental human existence.

I am living proof because I went through it.

Instead, let’s embrace a slower pace of life and find joy in the present moment. I did it 5 years ago by moving to Spain. Which saved not only my sanity but my life too.

Literally.

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