Lots of people are chronically fatigued, burnt out. All the surveys, polls, research indicates this, with one from 2022, a study by Asana, showing that 70% of 10,000 workers surveyed across seven countries had experienced burnout in the previous year. There are countless others saying similar things.
Stress at work can be a trigger, leading to the build up of chemicals which negatively impact brain functioning, resulting in chronic fatigue. Taking ‘braincations’ will help, as research shows switching off stressors helps release neurotransmitters that improve cognitive function.
What is important though, is to know if you are at risk of burnout, so you can do something about it, and a tool developed in Norway can do this for you.
Professor Leon De Beer, from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) Department of Psychology, is part of the team working on the new Burnout Assessment Tool (BAT) now being tested in 30 countries.
“Our studies show that BAT is a good tool for identifying the risk of burnout,” says De Beer, Associate Professor of Work and Organizational Psychology at NTNU. “We have found (using it) that approximately 13 per cent of Norwegian employees are at high risk of burnout.”
This makes early intervention possible but the team caution it is only an indicator of risk, not a diagnosis.
“For entertainment and educational purposes, interested parties can use this online tool to test if they are at risk of burnout,” adds Professor Marit Christensen of NTNU’s Department of Psychology. “Please note though that the tool only gives an indication of risk and does not provide any type of formal diagnosis or medical advice. If you are concerned about your levels of work-related stress, we encourage you to visit a health care provider to discuss the matter.”
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