I've always had a highly developed sense of duty and responsibility. Growing up, I was taught to never give up and this belief transferred into my work life in a very serious and debilitating way. I always wanted to do it all and I never said no. I never asked for help even when I was doing more than I could handle. I didn't realize how the stress of taking my job too seriously could affect my mental and physical health. Not only did my over-seriousness affect myself personally, but it also affected how happy of a person I could be and how I related to those around me.

1. You don't get to experience how great of friends your co-workers can be.

I've been at the same job for three years and have met so many amazing people through my time. My co-workers are what got me through the day and each year of work. They made the job fun and were always there whenever I needed to vent. But since I often took myself and my job too seriously, I was always criticizing my co-workers for the wrong reasons. I didn't get to know them as the friends they could have been because I only ever saw them as co-workers. My job got in the way of creating lasting friendships because I was convinced that it was more important than getting to know the people I was working with.

2. You can't separate who you are when you're at work from who you truly are.

While taking work too seriously I always found myself in 'work mode', forcing me to be someone who I wasn't. I never wanted my 'true self' to seep into my work life, I wanted to keep the two separate. But my job was more important than my self-identity was. I became the person I was at work. I ate, breathed, and slept work. It was all I thought and cared about. Which actually turned out to be a really unhealthy thing.

3. You forget how to relax.

When work is always on your mind, even when you're not working, it's all you think about. I forgot how to relax because my job always came first. There were always things that I could have been doing instead of taking the time to focus on myself. The job was more important than spending time with my friends, family, or even going out once and a while to see a movie.

4. The rules of the job can get in the way of having fun.

There were strict rules and guidelines to follow at my job, like there is in any work environment. Sometimes following the rules is really important, but if you take them too seriously it can be damaging to how you act even outside of your job. I was too afraid of breaking the rules and because of this, I couldn't unwind and relax.

5. You loose sight of what truly matters.

Yeah, work is important. It offers financial security, which in-turn, helps you pay for necessities and fun times. But there is more to life than spending all of your energy on making money and doing your job correctly all the time. You aren't alive to just work, so don't get too caught up in your job. Let go and live a little.