{"id":22701,"date":"2013-01-15T21:14:44","date_gmt":"2013-01-16T02:14:44","guid":{"rendered":"\/?p=22701"},"modified":"2013-01-15T21:14:44","modified_gmt":"2013-01-16T02:14:44","slug":"workaholics-anonymous-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hmmagazine.com\/dvanpelt\/workaholics-anonymous-4\/","title":{"rendered":"Workaholics Anonymous.4"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"workaholic439\"<\/a><\/p>\n

How does Workaholics Anonymous work?
\n<\/strong>I mean, what are some methods, some tools?<\/p>\n

I\u2019m so glad you asked! Here is another list from the Workaholics Anonymous Book of Recovery. This list is a simple, yet tried-and-true list of tools that have shown over time to be effective in recovering from compulsive working and work aversion (two components of this, shall we say, dysfunction?)<\/p>\n

W.A. Tools of Recovery<\/strong><\/p>\n

Listening<\/strong>
\nWe set aside time each day for prayer and meditation. Before accepting any commitments, we ask our Higher Power and W.A. friends for guidance.<\/p>\n

Prioritizing
\n<\/strong>We decide which are the most important things to do first. Sometimes that may mean doing nothing. We strive to stay flexible to events, reorganizing our priorities as needed. We view interruptions and accidents as opportunities for growth.<\/p>\n

Substituting
\n<\/strong>We do not add a new activity without eliminating from our schedule one that demands equivalent time and energy.<\/p>\n

Underscheduling
\n<\/strong>We allow more time than we think we need for a task or trip, allowing a comfortable margin to accommodate the unexpected.<\/p>\n

Playing
\n<\/strong>We schedule time for play, refusing to let ourselves work non-stop. We do not make our play into a work project.<\/p>\n

Concentrating
\n<\/strong>We try to do one thing at a time.<\/p>\n

Pacing<\/strong><\/p>\n

We work at a comfortable pace and rest before<\/em> we get tired. To remind ourselves, we check our level of energy before proceeding to our next activity. We do not get \u201cwound up\u201d in our work, so we don\u2019t have to unwind.<\/p>\n

Relaxing
\n<\/strong>We do not yield to pressure from others or attempt to pressure others. We remain alert to the people and situations that trigger feelings of pressure in us. We become aware of our own actions, words, body sensations and feelings that tell us we are responding with pressure. When we feel energy building up, we stop; we reconnect with our Higher Power and others around us.<\/p>\n

Accepting
\n<\/strong>We accept the outcomes of our endeavors, whatever the results, whatever the timing. We know that impatience, rushing and insisting on perfect results only slow down our recovery. We are gentle with our efforts, knowing that our new way of living requires much practice.<\/p>\n

Asking
\n<\/strong>We admit our weaknesses and mistakes. We realize we don\u2019t have to do everything ourselves, and we ask our Higher Power and others for help.<\/p>\n

Meetings
\n<\/strong>We attend W.A. meetings to learn how the fellowship works and to share our experience, strength and hope with each other.<\/p>\n

Telephoning
\n<\/strong>We use the telephone to stay in contact with members of the fellowship between meetings. We communicate with our W.A. friends before and after a critical task.<\/p>\n

Balancing
\n<\/strong>We balance our involvement in work with our efforts to develop personal relationships, spiritual growth, creativity and playful attitudes.<\/p>\n

Serving
\n<\/strong>We readily extend help to other workaholics, knowing that assistance to others adds to the quality of our own recovery.<\/p>\n

Living in the Now
\n<\/strong>We realize we are where our Higher Power wants us to be \u2013 in the here and now. We try to live each moment with serenity, joy and gratitude.<\/p>\n

See how those could be effective in recovery from workaholism? Can you see how the Gospel can be lived out with these tools? I like how serving is sharing and reproducing \u2013 in a sense \u2013 the recovery help that has been given to us. It\u2019s a real \u201cpass it on\u201d mentality.<\/p>\n

So, in the meetings I\u2019ve been to, we\u2019ll read over this list, usually each one of us reading aloud one or a few, then passing the reading to another, who will pick up. When we\u2019ve been through the list (or sometimes in the middle of it), anyone will comment on something that\u2019s stood out to them or been helpful in their past week or recent past in recovery.<\/p>\n

For example, I can really appreciate the \u201cRelaxing\u201d tool, because sometimes I\u2019ll look at the clock as it winds down and gets close to another deadline or someplace\/something I need to go do. I feel my body tense up as I realize that being frozen in a state of panic will not give me the freedom, looseness, concentration and energy to complete the task I\u2019m working on. A voice starts piping into my head like a siren: \u201cYou\u2019re not going to get it done! There\u2019s not enough time!\u201d This is so paralyzing sometimes. That idea of taking a \u201ctime out\u201d of \u201cstopping\u201d and \u201creconnecting with our Higher Power and others around us\u201d is a huge relief and release that can settle me down. And yeah \u2013 sometimes I don\u2019t get the task done. I have to use the tool of \u201cAcceptance\u201d to help me get over it. There will be time the next day, for instance, to finish this project. This can be brutal with deadlines, but what\u2019s going to give \u2013 your project, your body, your family, your loved ones?<\/p>\n

We are not supermen (and women) and sometimes we need to realize that.<\/p>\n

Every time I read over this list, I also see that tool called \u201cUnderscheduling.\u201d When my family gave me an ultimatum about my working habits, I knew I had to use that. I had to use it when running errands or taking my kids places and\/or picking them up. I was able to see a change in my own personality in a couple weeks. By underscheduling, I stopped being \u201cthe late guy\u201d and began transforming into \u201cthe early guy.\u201d That feeling of relaxed waiting, which you encounter when you go to the doctor and have to sit in the waiting room and wait \u2013 and wait \u2013 and wait\u2026? I had made that feeling and that experience alien to me because I hadn\u2019t visited the doctor in years and I also tried to schedule my trips to get me there exactly on time (\u201cnot wasting any time\u201d I thought in error). I am now re-learning to enjoy down-time like that. It\u2019s a time to relax, to converse and be with other people. This is life. The rushing around non-stop in a frantic hurry is like death. I prefer life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How does Workaholics Anonymous work?
\nI mean, what are some methods, some tools?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[3289,3428,3502,3503],"class_list":["post-22701","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog","tag-tools-of-recovery","tag-w-a","tag-workaholics-anonymous","tag-workaholism","cat-17-id"],"yoast_head":"\nWorkaholics Anonymous.4 - The Original Heaven's Metal<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/hmmagazine.com\/dvanpelt\/workaholics-anonymous-4\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Doug Van Pelt\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/hmmagazine.com\/dvanpelt\/workaholics-anonymous-4\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/hmmagazine.com\/dvanpelt\/workaholics-anonymous-4\/\",\"name\":\"Workaholics Anonymous.4 - The Original Heaven's Metal\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/hmmagazine.com\/dvanpelt\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2013-01-16T02:14:44+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/hmmagazine.com\/dvanpelt\/#\/schema\/person\/b155afeb7086c8182b3bb3b435e68c4b\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/hmmagazine.com\/dvanpelt\/workaholics-anonymous-4\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/hmmagazine.com\/dvanpelt\/workaholics-anonymous-4\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/hmmagazine.com\/dvanpelt\/workaholics-anonymous-4\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/hmmagazine.com\/dvanpelt\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Workaholics Anonymous.4\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/hmmagazine.com\/dvanpelt\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/hmmagazine.com\/dvanpelt\/\",\"name\":\"The Original Heaven's Metal\",\"description\":\"Former Editor-in-Chief. 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