Dealing with a Workaholic in a Relationship

21.08.2019

What should be done if you are dating a workaholic? How do you identify a workaholic? How can you help them out and make your relationship easier for both of you? Is it worth dating a workaholic at all? In this article, we will try to answer all of these questions and some other ones to help you out in a relationship with a workaholic.

Signs Your Partner Is a Workaholic

Professional satisfaction and a successful career are important, but if the desire for work takes on unimaginable proportions, one’s health begins to suffer. To determine the signs of painful workaholism on time by family members, it is worth knowing a few things about this issue.

Refusal to go on vacation or thoughts about work during holidays

Yes, many clinical workaholics generally refuse well-deserved holidays. But even if their relatives literally forcibly push them into an airplane and take them to hot countries, then there, on the seashore, they will write projects, make plans, and endlessly conduct telephone conversations. All this means that they have forgotten about themselves and loved ones, their work is all that matters to them. And this is a very unpleasant indicator, which ultimately leads to loneliness and a sense of uselessness.

Professional results are everything!

Even the way a workaholic perceives themselves is impacted by their professional success. Moreover, they will never be completely satisfied with their achievements. And if God forbid, they make a mistake or take the wrong decision, then, in general, it will be a long and painful moral torment. The reason for this is deep inner self-doubt and an inferiority complex. In this case, a person needs urgent help, either independently or with the help of a professional, but the problem must be solved. If your partner doesn’t seem to want to change, remember that there are lots of those “women seeking men sites” to be found online, don’t waste your time, but dive headfirst into the world of single women.

Work is the only hobby

Workaholics often do not have a hobby. They cannot be found in a cafe or the park, walking with a dog. They don’t even have a dog, and the cactus donated by colleagues died a long time ago. And this is also a sign of clinical dependence, which professionals put on a par with alcoholism and drug addiction.

A person forgets about their family because of work

If a person is not able to refuse their boss and silently takes up work even on weekends when their partner or children have a birthday, and everyone tearfully begs them to attend the holiday. This is also a clear sign that it is time to change something. Willpower, a sense of confidence and self-respect, in this case, are generally absent. Such a workaholic has a lot of unresolved problems, the roots of which stretch from early childhood. Let’s now talk about some workaholic relationship problems.

What Do the Relationship with a Workaholic Will Mean for You

Now let’s talk about a relationship with a workaholic. We have already talked about the signs that your partner is a workaholic, and if some of them sound familiar – you have to help them make both their and your life easier. But what if you are not in a relationship yet, what will a relationship with a workaholic be like?

You have to plan your dates very accurate

How to date a workaholic man? A workaholic will, most likely, be constantly busy with all sorts of different things. It is a completely different issue whether these things are made up or not. Thus, every date should be planned, you have to remind a workaholic of a date a few days in advance, otherwise, you may find yourself alone, sitting in a restaurant because your partner took on a new important task that needs to be immediately resolved.

Your joint plans may be canceled at the last minute

How to have a relationship with a workaholic? Be cautious with planning. As you can see, it is very hard to plan anything important with a workaholic partner. This is because most of their brain activity is focused on work rather than family matters. This doesn’t mean that they don’t care about their relationships or their partners, let alone all other family members, but because they can’t properly balance work and family. Remind them of all of the events that you plan on happening, otherwise, you may be left alone at a dinner table.

They are true perfectionists, and it may concern your relationship

Perfectionism is a great trait to have at a workplace, but it is not always productive when it comes to family matters. By being a workaholic, they can end up setting standards for themselves that are too high and unrealistic to achieve. Their workaholism may turn into an obsessive desire to make everything look perfect and tidy.

You may wait for their call-back or text forever

What is a relationship with a workaholic like? Like we’ve already said, imagine a situation in which you were planning on having a date with your workaholic partner, but you ended up sitting alone in a restaurant because, as it turned out, your partner had some important business meeting to attend to, or some immediate deadline work popped up from out of nowhere which was the reason why they weren’t able to attend a date.

You will think their work is more important than you

What is dating a workaholic woman like? You may start thinking that they love their work more than they love you. This is a very easy assumption to make as it may look like you will become useless in their life. All of their care, all of their love, all of the passion that should have been aimed at you is dedicated to working. And, consequently, you may say that work is more important than you, but you have to realize that it is not because of who you are as a person but because of their obsession with work. Now that we know the problems of dating a workaholic, I suppose you want a workaholic relationship advice? Let’s now talk about how to have a relationship with a workaholic.

How to Date a Workaholic: Relationship Tips

Some people are madly in love with their work. When you start a relationship with a workaholic, you may encounter several specific problems that will prevent you from building normal relationships.

Most people do not live their jobs. They do not sacrifice relationships for the sake of a career. So, if you end up having a relationship with a workaholic, then you will come to learn the difficulties of such a union quite quickly. You will be forced to go through a lot, unlike many other couples since to keep up a normal relationship with a workaholic will be a lot harder. And trust me, it may be very difficult at times. But if you truly love someone, all your efforts will not be wasted.

Society believes relationships are more important than our careers

For many people, this is natural, and it should be so. We are brought up to learn that the family is the most important thing in the entire world. This can be true if you are not a workaholic.

There are those people who live their work. The only thing they value in this life is a career. With such people, it is very difficult to build a romantic relationship. In such relationships, you need to constantly fight. It is necessary to fight to ensure that a relationship is more important than work, not the other way around. You will have to fight for your love.

Your partner should also work on improving your relationship

How to date a workaholic? You do not have to fight for your relationship on your own. You have to get your partner to work on it too. When their career becomes the only thing they care about, your relationship is doomed to failure. This is a very important aspect of dating a workaholic. Ask them the following question, "Are they ready to change?" and watch whether they keep their word. The future of your relationships is in their hands and their ability to change.

Spend time together

Your partner is probably very busy. This means that you have to somehow adapt to it. Sometimes this means that you both need to plan when to spend time together. This is similar to planning an evening for a date, only in this case, you will take the time to spend it together at home.

Come to them to work

If your partner works late, go to their workplace if possible. You don’t need to sit there for long. Bringing them a cup of coffee or a sandwich to work is, quite often, the only thing that they need to feel your love, even if they are very busy with their work.

It can strengthen your relationship. Such an unselfish act is not just a manifestation of kindness and care. You also support them at work and do your best to be there next to them whenever you can.

Support their aspirations and undertakings

While sure, being a workaholic is rather a curse than a blessing, but still, you have to realize that they are passionate about the thing they do. That is why they work so hard. You must support them if you want to build a relationship. If you don't, they will notice it. If your partner is a real workaholic who loves their job, they won’t have a relationship with a person that dislikes or not appreciates their commitment to their work. They are likely to choose their career, not your relationship if you don’t support them.

Learn more about why this job is so important to them

Learn as much as possible about their profession, responsibilities. Ask them why it is so important for them, why they should work all the time. You just need to understand what is going on in their head so that your relationship develops.

Never cancel romantic dates

You both must abide by this rule. Your planed dates are the most important thing that contributes to your normal relationship. You must have this intimate time for yourself. If there is no emergency, do not cancel the dates. This is your time when you enjoy each other. You should not even try to cancel or reschedule such wonderful moments because you risk ruining your relationship.

Be sure to continue to be interested in their work

Try to help them. Why can't you make some efforts to insert yourself a little in their working life? The first thing it will accomplish is that you will be even closer, and your partner will appreciate your commitment. They will see how passionate you are about the things they do, and thus, they will appreciate you as a person even more.

When you feel alone – talk to your partner

You must constantly communicate with each other. There will be times when your partner will be very busy. You should not be afraid to express your displeasure to them. When you see yourself being neglected, talk about it before it's too late. Your partner should be prepared for such conversations. Your dissatisfaction should push them to certain actions. They must understand what they are doing wrong and revise their schedule.

Help your partner relax

As soon as a workaholic comes home, all they want is to rest. They are tired, and they need to relax. This is your chance to establish an intimate relationship. Give your partner a back massage or gently massage their feet. Cook a delicious dinner for your partner. These are very simple tricks that can significantly affect your relationship.

Work should not affect your intimate life

It is very important. When your lover works hard, they get tired. But the fact is that intimate is very crucial to a healthy relationship. Despite the busy schedule, you have to have sex because only in this way you can feel like a real couple. Therefore, if you need to, set a time and day for sex. Do not let work spoil your sex life.

Ask your partner what they need from you

Yes, they are always busy, and yes, they work a lot. The right way to find out how to build a relationship with them is to be honest with them, tell them that you are worried and you want to know how are they planning on making it work. Ask your partner what they need from you. Their answer may surprise you.

When you are dating a workaholic, you should be prepared for the fact that your relationship will not be like everyone else. It is sometimes very difficult to tune in to one wave and keep your personal life the way you would like. These tips will help you build a serious, strong relationship. The main thing here is not to give up, fight for your happiness and support your partner in all of their endeavors.