How To Banish Burnout With Intention This Summer
With a reported 66% percent of workers experiencing burnout, summer is a prime time to hit reset by taking advantage of vacation days, long weekends, summer Fridays and flex days. But to truly get the most out of this time, it helps to plan ahead so that 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.
And it's not just the person experiencing burnout who suffers; colleagues, direct reports, and managers can all be impacted when a co-worker attempts to power through exhaustion and fatigue, sacrificing both their well-being and their work quality. This can also feed into feelings of frustration and resentment, says Minneapolis-based burnout coach Rochelle Younan-Montgomery, founder and CEO of the consulting firm The Reset. Younan-Montgomery recalls going through burnout herself and being short in emails. 'I was spicy in meetings.' she says. 'I knew something had to give.'
Taking two days off provided some much-needed breathing room. Day one consisted of lying in a hammock, hanging out with her dog, spending time with her two young daughters and letting herself 'be human again.' By day two, Younan-Montgomery was ready to journal for deeper reflection. 'Everything poured out,' she says. 'I realized that my frustration wasn't random—it was connected with a misalignment with my values.' Being grounded by this understanding helped Younan-Montgomery communicate more effectively upon her return. 'I was clear, kind, calm and thorough. And it worked,' she says. This led to her recognizing another important breakthrough: 'I'm allowed to pause, reflect and choose differently.'
Rest Is A Responsibility
'Self-care isn't selfish—it's strategic,' asserts Burton-Mims. And it's deeper than bubble baths and luxury retreats, she says, citing boundary setting and being in tune with your body so that you can seek out rest before becoming depleted. 'When we prioritize ourselves, we're not abandoning others—we're refusing to abandon ourselves.'
Here are a few ways to do just that:
'In a world where we're so focused on productivity, that human connection part gets lost,' says Tina Roth Eisenberg, the New York City-based founder and CEO of CreativeMornings. The Swiss-born serial entrepreneur says experiencing burnout at a young age allowed her to appreciate the value of honoring rest as a practice for cultivating leadership. 'Leaders who are deeply connected to themselves are way more empathetic and clear and courageous, because they're so solid in themselves,' she says.
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