Long hours, overtime, weekend side-hustles – is it possible to be too career driven? We share common signs of overworking, and how to create a healthier work-life balance

It’s hard to deny: we live in a culture where hard work is highly valued. People love to be seen to be pushing hard, putting in more and more hours, climbing their way up the career ladder, or making the leap to become their own boss. Having a strong work ethic can, of course, be a positive thing. But when you forget to keep a healthy balance, you can risk all that time and effort going to waste. After all, what’s the point in pushing yourself to the top, if you aren’t able to enjoy it once you get there?

What is a workaholic?

While it’s not a clinical diagnosis, the phrase ‘workaholic’ is commonly used to describe a person who compulsively works excessively hard, long hours. Beyond loving or being committed to your job, those who experience work addiction feel unable to detach themselves from work, and may experience severe guilt or stress at the thought of switching off.

While high-pressure environments, constant deadlines, and high stakes can result in a culture of overworking, anyone can cross the line from being a hard worker into being a workaholic, no matter what their job is.

What’s the impact?

Studies have shown that work addiction is often linked with high levels of stress, anxiety, depression, and trouble sleeping. Over a prolonged period of time, chronic stress can lead to physical health problems, including headaches and high blood pressure.

When considering the impact this can have on your home life, and career, accredited life and career coach Alana Leggett says, “Excess in any area of your life is a bad idea. In holistic coaching, we strive for balance in all areas. Work, particularly, can be a stressful environment, and that’s why it’s important to have downtime,” Alana says. “In fact, excessive stress and lack of rest can lead to increases in cortisol (the stress hormone), which can affect your health, your immune system, and sleep.”

Now we know the impact, what are the signs we should be looking for, to understand if our relationship with work has become unhealthy?

As one of the stars of The Great British Bake Off 2020, Lottie Bedlow is no stranger to the pressures and the mishaps that can happen when tackling a homebake – but perhaps it’s time we all found a little more culinary freedom. Here, Lottie delves into her own mindful journey with baking, to share why we should all embrace taste over perfection, and allow ourselves to get creative in the kitchen

“Why do you bake?” It’s a question that people have asked me a lot since Bake Off. At the time, I was a bit more preoccupied with asking myself things like: ‘Why have I done this?’; ‘Was this an awful idea?’; and ‘Could I be any more embarrassing?’ And whatever the question, the answer always ended up being something along the lines of ‘I don’t know anything about baking – who do I think I am?’ So why I bake isn’t something I’ve found a proper answer to yet. But I am going to try…

For me, baking started as an escape from a busy and stressful London life. I would pore over recipe books like novels, and flick through glossy food publications with the same passion and zeal as a 90s teenager stumbling across a top-shelf magazine. I wanted to make it all, now. In my tiny, cupboard-sized kitchen.

I have a science degree. I am a logical, practical, anxiety-fuelled overthinker. So, I initially approached baking like I would a risky experiment in the lab. I followed recipes religiously, spent money I didn’t have on bizarre ingredients that I didn’t understand, and convinced myself that the writer of any recipe was a kind of god: ‘They say I need xanthan gum and the world will clearly end if I use a substitute.’

What I turned out was often edible, sometimes tasty. I remember baking my first big birthday cake for a lactose intolerant colleague, and spending longer looking for a decent buttercream recipe than I did making the cake itself. I needed someone else to provide a recipe so that I could follow their lead. Looking back, there was an element of being able to pass the blame if it didn’t work out: ‘I don’t know what went wrong, I followed the recipe to the letter! Rubbish recipe…’ I couldn’t be the one who had got something wrong.

Then, things began to change. I don’t know exactly when the shift happened but, gradually, I found the confidence to bend recipes – just by tweaking flavours to start with. A lemon cheesecake became a lime cheesecake. Chocolate brownies found raspberry pieces. Ganache tasted better with the addition of alcohol. Once made, these creations felt personal. Yes, I had used someone else’s recipe for the method, but I had added my own flavours so it was my bake.

Soon I started to really pull apart the sacred recipes. Through trial and error, I taught myself how to find my own balance between adhering to the science of baking, and experimenting with the art of flavour. The process encouraged me to use a new part of m

When things get tough, bring yourself back to the moment with these essential tips

We all experience anxiety or stress at different points in our lives. It’s a normal and natural response to difficult times, and it can help us to take action when we need to. Sometimes, however, we can get stuck in anxious thoughts and feelings, to the point where it feels overwhelming. Grounding is an easy, practical set of techniques that I teach my clients, which can help to restore some balance to your day.

When we are anxious or stressed, our nervous system goes into ‘fight or flight’ mode. Our ‘back brain’ (the amygdala and limbic system), takes over, and our bodies are flooded with hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol. We might feel our heart rate increase, have repetitive thoughts, or general feelings of fear or anger. Grounding soothes our fraught nervous system and brings our prefrontal cortex, or ‘front brain’, back online so we return to the present moment, and are able to function.

So, how do you do it?

1. Breathe!

My absolute top tip for grounding is to concentrate on your breathing. It might sound obvious, but I teach people every day how to breathe properly, and the results can be amazing. The key is to focus on the exhale, not the inhale. This lets your body know that it is safe, and brings calm quickly. Try a simple count, like inhaling for four seconds, and exhaling for seven, to keep you focused. Also, be sure to inhale into your diaphragm. The simplest way to do this is to imagine you are blowing up your belly like a balloon when you breathe in.

2. 5-4-3-2-1 sensing

This exercise is great for bringing your attention to your body, and helps you to feel more centred as you tune-in to the physical, and away from any difficult thoughts. Start by saying five things you can see out loud. It might be objects in a room, or a detail about a blade of grass. Next, say out loud four things you can feel. Notice sensations such as your feet on the floor, or your hands on your knees. Pick up an object and feel it fully. Now say three things you can hear. Noises outside, inside, a ticking clock, your own breathing. Then two things you can smell, perhaps a waft through the window, or your own clothing. Finally, say out loud one thing you can taste. If you have a sweet or snack nearby, pop it in your mouth and savour it fully. Finish by noticing how you feel, usually you can appreciate a sense of being ‘back in the room’.

3. Mind games

A great technique for bringing your ‘front brain’ back online is to complete mental exercises. These can also have the added bonus of distracting you from worrying thoughts and feelings. My favourite one is to count backwards from 1,000. Other examples you could try are spelling the names of your family members backwards, counting all the things you can see in your room that are a certain colour, naming as many films, books, or countries as you can that begin with a certain letter, or picking an object and describing it mindfully using all of your senses.

4. Body shaking

Another one that’s great for tuning-in to the physical, this exercise is also helpful for releasing and relaxing muscles that have become tense due to a stressful day. Start by standing up straight, feet hip-di

From a moving documentary to a new challenge, and an app that will improve your communication, try something fresh with our insightful suggestions

1. Page-turners

I didn’t do the thing today by Madeleine Dore

In a society of goal-setters, it can feel like you’re always playing the catch-up game to try to be as productive as your friends and colleagues, but author Madeleine Dore tells us why it’s OK not to achieve everything on your to-do list, and instead encourages us to embrace the unpredictability of life.

(Murdoch Books, £12.99)

2. Out and about

Nature walk bingo

Bingo doesn’t just have to be reserved for community halls; why not incorporate it into your daily walk for a fun way to keep you active and connected to nature? Being present in the moment and trying to spot what’s around you will allow you to see things that might have usually passed you by. You might be surprised with what you see when you open your mind to it…

(Subscribe to issue 64 to try Happiful's very own nature bingo on your next walk)

3. Act of kindness

Post a Sue Ryder sympathy card to a loved one

No one should have to go through the grieving process alone, but sometimes it can be difficult to find the right words. As part of a bereavement campaign, the Sue Ryder charity has launched a limited-edition pack of four beautifully designed postcards that you can send to someone on their grieving journey. Order your free pack online, and have it delivered to your door.

(Visit sueryder.org for more)

4. Lend us your ears

‘Table Manners’

Mother and daughter duo Jessie and Lennie Ware invite celebrity guests, from Michael Bublé to David Schwimmer, to talk about all things food, family, and more. The down-to-earth nature of the podcast really makes you feel like you’re part of a family conversation around your own dining table. Listen to it today, and don’t forget to bring your table manners!

(Available on all podcast platforms)

5. Plugged-In

It’s Lennie

Lennie is the digital best friend you didn’t know you needed in your life – until now! The endearing, animated blob is a TikTok creator that shares wholesome content to support one mission: to help people get through the day. Life can be challenging, but Lennie is there to reassure you that it’s all OK, with gentle reminders and heart-warming videos.

(Follow @itslennie on TikTok and Instagram)

When we are in pain, our first port of call is usually to reach for over-the-counter pain relief. Some pain requires medicine to effectively manage it, but there are other holistic ways to relieve pain for those that want to try a more natural approach

A holistic approach to pain management is one that considers our emotional, mental and spiritual wellness, as well as our physical. Sometimes, holistic methods can be enough to relieve pain on their own, but they can also be used alongside traditional medicine.  

1. Acupuncture: Headaches and migraines

Headaches are common for a lot of us, but frequent headaches are usually associated with stress and anxiety. Acupuncture can be an effective way to relieve the symptoms of stress and anxiety, and therefore the pain you experience in your head. But, it’s important to pay attention to where exactly your pain is, as different types of headaches can determine where your acupuncturist will target. For example, if a headache gets better when you lie down, this might indicate a deficiency headache, so the acupuncturist would look to improve the flow of Qi and blood around your body.

2. Massage: Neck, back, and shoulder pain

Massages are typically thought of as being for relaxation purposes, but they can also be effective at targeting pain and sports injuries. For chronic aches and pains in your back, neck, and shoulders, a deep tissue massage is an intensive treatment designed to relieve tension in your muscles. It’s most commonly used in sports and for other medical reasons by physiotherapists and chiropractors.

3. Physiotherapy: Sports injuries

Exercise is a great way to keep active and healthy, but we can be prone to injuries, particularly if out on the football pitch or going for a run. This might be a result of insufficient warm-ups or cool-downs, or simply having an accident.

Physiotherapy is often confused with sports therapy - the difference being that sports therapists work to prevent and treat injuries using a variety of techniques, including physio. Normally, patients will be referred to have physio through a GP. Physiotherapy can help relieve both acute (short-term) and chronic (long-term) pain. It’s designed to rehabilitate and re-educate the patient on the movement of the body.

4. Osteopathy: Joint pain

Osteopathy is the process of diagnosing, treating, and managing musculoskeletal conditions (skeleton, muscles, ligaments, and tissue).

Osteopaths use manipulation techniques around the spine and joints to try to harmonise the synchronisation of the connective elements of the body. There are a variety of techniques that can be used depending on the area causing pain and will differ from patient to patient. Some methods include: soft tissue massage, cranial osteopathy and myofascial release.

5. Wim Hof Method: Undiagnosed or chronic pain

This method, made famous