More than 60% percent of American workers experience burnout, according to research by Moodle. Summer is a prime time to reset by taking advantage of vacation days, long weekends, flex days and summer Fridays. But to truly get the most out of this time, it helps to plan ahead so recharging can happen with intent. This is especially important for women and professionals of color, groups that are disproportionately impacted by the effects of burnout due to systemic stressors, including persistent pay disparities and the reduction in lifetime earnings and retirement income due to unpaid caregiving.
“We’re often navigating more than just our job descriptions,” says burnout coach and workplace well-being strategist Ashley Burton-Mims, founder and CEO of Emerald & Rose Consulting in Detroit. In addition to identifying as a Black entrepreneur, Burton-Mims is a working mom who can relate to the overlapping demands that contribute to burnout for women of color, including the emotional tax of microaggressions and feeling pressure to outperform in order to belong. “This constant state of hypervigilance and overfunctioning fast-tracks us to burnout,” she says, speaking from experience. After years of pushing through in her corporate retail position and ignoring red flags that she needed to slow down, Burton-Mims says her body shut down to the point that she couldn’t walk. “If you don’t make time to rest, your body will force you to,” she says.