Ingvild Wetrhus Thorsvik is almost always on the move. Time is short for the 30-year-old parliamentary representative from the Liberal Party, who is in his first year as an elected representative. – Parliamentary work is a bit what you make of it. And I have four years to accomplish something. Then I actually have to make a little profit, she says. Minutes earlier, she ran in the corridors to get a vote in the Stortingsalen. Now she is sitting in the office with a vegan burger in front of her. – Is it okay if I eat while we talk? Ingvild takes a large bite without waiting for the answer. The time is 15:00, and this is the first opportunity of the day to eat lunch. – At least I ate breakfast today. I don’t always make it either. Political heroes and witty slogans on the wall keep motivation up through the many hours Ingvild spends in the office. But how sustainable is it really to run that fast? Three out of four young people in Norway say they have experienced burnout or been close to hitting the wall in working life, shows a new YPAI report from the recruitment and staffing company Academic Work. Busy days Ingvild is no novice in working life. She is used to a hectic life. Already at the age of 23, she was elected as deputy mayor in her home town of Mandal. A position she held at the same time as she completed her law studies in Oslo. After three years at a law office in Southern Norway, she returned to the capital last autumn. This time as a parliamentary representative for the Liberal Party, with a TV team from news in tow. In the documentary series “Folkevalgt – power for beginners” we get an insight into how Ingvild and four other young elected representatives manage through their first year in the Storting. Most of her days are spent reading and writing bills, debating and voting in the parliamentary chamber. Or to try to get attention for their matters of the heart in the media. On other days, she is out visiting companies or organizations that want the attention of a representative of the Storting. – Then I think about all the work waiting for me in the office, she says. Busy days For Ingvild, there is always a meeting she should have attended, an e-mail that should be followed up on or a proposal that should have been put forward about something that needs to change in society. – There is a lot of pressure all the time. I never finish, because there is always something that should be done, she says. She rarely goes home from the office before 7.30pm. But it is entirely of your own free will. – It is only my inner drive that makes me set these demands on myself. No one is forcing me to do it or expecting it from me. I feel that the work makes sense and that what we do is important, she says. In Venstre’s parliamentary group, they are concerned that people should be able to have a healthy balance between work and leisure. But as a parliamentary representative, she is exempt from the Working Environment Act. She chooses how much she wants to work. – Here and now I actually have the opportunity to do something that can lead to a positive change in people’s lives, she says. Her interests are in the fields of animal welfare, substance abuse care, legal certainty and mental health. – These are areas that I am really passionate about. I want to help change our country for the better, she says. Struggled to remember words The long working days can sometimes be felt on the body. A couple of times she has experienced that her body vibrates when she tries to relax in the evening. – It’s as if the body is just waiting for the next task, she says. She once slept with garlic cloves in her nostrils, in a desperate attempt to get rid of a cold before an important TV debate. True story. – It was absolutely amazing. Uncertain whether it is the garlic in the nose that should get the credit, but Ingvild made it through the debate in one piece. Ingvild Wetrhus Thorsvik spends a lot of time at work and the long working days can be felt on the body at times. Video: FROM THE DOCUMENTARY SERIES VOTED BY THE PEOPLE – POWER FOR NEW BEGINNERS Garlic cloves don’t help against everything. About a year into the job, Ingvild started to forget words. She could not remember what had happened during the week. That’s when a good friend took her aside and said he was worried. – He was afraid that I was about to burn out. Ingvild laughs when she remembers what her first thought was. – I thought; “shit”, I’m not interested in that. I was terrified of facing the wall, because I actually didn’t have time for that. For fear of being sidelined, she tried to change things. She declined invitations to visit companies and organizations for a period. – But I worked just as much as before actually, just with other tasks. Soon the days went on, and Ingvild quickly fell back into old habits. It took a collision with a girder in the wrong place at the right time to slow her down. Signs of burnout Do you often feel stressed and have a feeling of losing track of everything that needs to be done, while you have less energy to do anything? Then you should read the next paragraph carefully. – All these are classic symptoms of burnout, says Usman Chaudhry. Chaudhry is a psychologist at Rapid Mental Health Care at Stovner. He has personal experience of feeling burnt out. – I myself notice that my body has started to give signals that I must now calm down, says the psychologist. Things have come together since he graduated as a psychologist in 2019. He describes a foggy state that leads to an internal stress level of low heat that lies and draws energy all the time. – I keep getting thoughts that make me insecure. “Is there something I’ve overlooked or forgotten to do, or do I manage to do everything?” – For me, it is a sign that it is time to take a mental step back, says Chaudhry. Psychologist Usman Chaudhry believes that it is easy for young people with high ambitions to fall into the burnout trap. Especially if you have got a job that you really care about. Photo: Privat Young burnout Everyone knows what it’s like to be new. You want to impress and show that you can do this. Then it is difficult to set limits. The word no sits deep inside. – Maybe you take on too many tasks to prove to the employer that you are someone they should focus on further, says Chaudhry. If you stay after work to get done everything you said you were going to complete, then the boundaries between work and leisure will be blurred. This can lead to less time for social activities or relaxation. And if the body does not get rest, it will weaken physically and mentally. – Then you have to work even harder to continue as before. This leads to a negative cycle that eventually becomes self-reinforcing, he says. Prescription rest Nine weeks ago, Ingvild literally walked on a wooden beam. It might have saved her from running into the metaphorical wall. – We were on a work trip and had checked into a hotel. I looked for something in the suitcase and got up quickly without looking. So I hit my head on an idiotic beam hanging low from the ceiling. She shook it off at first. She continued to work for three days, before finally going to the doctor. The message from the doctor was clear. She had suffered a concussion and was on sick leave for five days. She was not allowed to look at screens, read or do anything work-related by the doctor. She spent her time listening to audio books and going for walks in the woods. And Ingvild finally relaxed. – It turned out to be a stroke of luck for me, because it was a kind of forced break from work, she says. After a week of prescribed rest, Ingvild was ready to return to work. As an elected representative, Ingvild feels an inner duty to make the most of her four years in the Storting. Good advice to avoid burnout It is difficult to break out of a familiar pattern. Fortunately, there are psychologists like Usman Chaudhry who have a list of good advice. Recognize that now is the time to take a mental step back. The job is not more important than your mental and physical health. Make a plan for which work tasks must be done and what can be postponed. Feel free to write a “to do” list for all small and large tasks. Tick each task you complete. But be realistic, and don’t set too hairy goals. Does a task sound difficult? Ask for help. Does it feel like you have been given too many tasks? Request an “intake stop”. Practice saying no to new tasks until you can take on more work. Have a clear separation between work and home. Avoid checking your work email or taking your work home with you. Go home in time for a good dinner. Physical activity is important. A workout or a walk after work can do wonders for body and soul. Sleep, but try to maintain your sleep routines. So don’t sleep too little or too much. Set aside time during the day to do things you enjoy doing, whether it’s hanging out with friends, playing WoW, or reading a good novel. The art of staying afloat For Ingvild, three things matter: Quality time with friends and family, a good workout and a vegetable-based diet. In that order. – I am very concerned about preserving all my relationships. That is priority number one, she says. She is happiest when she is at home in Mandal. On a mushroom trip with the dogs in the forest, around the dinner table with the family, or on TV night to watch “Keeping up with the Kardashians” with friends. – Being with family and friends gives me energy. That’s why I try to prioritize them, even if I’m dead tired. All weekends where there are no work trips or meetings set up, she travels home to her family in Mandal. Now she has not been home for almost two months. – I don’t think it’s healthy for a person to work as much as I do. But I don’t intend to deal with that as long as what I do is as fun and important as this, she says. She becomes quiet and realizes a little how things really are. Ingvild laughs, but then she becomes serious. – I actually don’t think I know where my limits are, because I constantly push them. I’m fully aware that I can’t go on like this for four years, that is. She becomes quiet and realizes a little how things really are. – I have a strong energy level in general and a lot of work capacity. So I feel like it’s going well, that is. I’m not significantly tired right now. – What do you think would have happened if you hadn’t had a concussion? Ingvild is interrupted by her mobile phone vibrating before she can answer the question. – Shit, I have to take this, she says and picks up the mobile phone. “Hey you. I’m just going to wrap something up here in a minute and I’ll see you.” She sends an apologetic glance towards the door. The question remains unanswered. The clock has struck 16:00 and Ingvild still has a lot to do before the working day is over. First day at new job. Ingvild, Tobias and Erlend show up at the Storting full of expectations, and must find their place in Norway’s most powerful house.
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Ingvild doesn’t have time to face the wall – Documentary
