When you feel insecure or depressed, it can
be easy to bury yourself in your work as you look for a way out of those
negative feelings...
Even the most accomplished members of our society aren't immune to this cycle, either.
In
a recent interview with GQ's Australian edition, the famously prolific
James Franco explained how his furious working pace has often been a
coping mechanism for the mental and emotional problems he was trying to
ignore. (And if you're worried you may be a workaholic, take our quiz to
see if you're keeping too busy.)
In the
revelatory conversation, Franco described the "fear" and "pain" he was
hiding from as he sought to build his image as one of the
hardest-working men in Hollywood. And it came at a price.
"I thought I was living the life I always wanted to live," he said. "When I finally did wake up, I was completely isolated, emotionally, from everyone around me."
Thankfully, he was able to recognize the changes that needed to be made in his life, no matter how difficult they were to make.
"I had to really adjust my relationship to work," he said. "It’s
really hard. I’m sure, like anything you’re addicted to, letting that
go is difficult because it’s a coping mechanism to make you feel good.”
Franco
also discussed his toxic relationship with work in similar terms during
an Out interview published at the beginning of August. Here, he
discussed some of the specific hobbies he's taken up to remedy the
problem. For instance, he's given himself more time to enjoy leisurely
pursuits like tennis and surfing. It's paying off, too.
"I was playing tennis today and if you looked at my life six months ago, you would never have seen me doing anything like that," he said. "What
I love about things like playing tennis or learning to surf is I don’t
need to be a professional at them. I can just do it because I enjoy it.
Wow. What a concept!"
"I’m feeling a lot better, dude,” he added. “I can honestly say I’m really happy.”
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