Burnout with the sting of Misogynoir.
“The exhaustion of burnout always recalls a previously felt internal fire, one from which our unquenchable energies once emerged. Burnout denotes a kind of amnesia: not only in the forgetting of our very personal priorities but the inability to locate a source inside us that previously seemed to run through all the seasons of our life. This loss of a fiery essential centre is also experienced as a loss of faith: a form of forgetting, not only that the source actually existed inside me in the first place but that I might not now ever remember how to drink from it again.”
To experience burnout is to experience loss. A deep inexplicable sense of loss. Initially, you do not quite understand what it is that you have lost for there is nothing tangible that you can readily point to. There is only a deep exhaustion. You are deflated, perhaps demoralised. Breathless. Numb.
And in that state of numbness, it can be difficult to recognise your own internal fire or ‘the hum’, as Shonda Rhymes once described it.
The project, the job, the venture, the task, the relationship, the dream, the goals, the promotion that once burned through your every being now feels cold and dark, inaccessible and distant.
Your fire is not quite extinguished … but it is alarmingly brittle and fragile.
Leading up to burnout, the internal fire fights against its constant dousing from undue pressure. You start sleeping less. You work harder to meet unrealistic deadlines. You take on more responsibilities at work. And perhaps at home too. Perhaps your ageing parents need you to help out from time to time (or all the time). And if you hold multiple roles, maybe your direct reports, employees, dependents, or domestic tasks (that, somehow, only you can do) all seem to demand more of your time than you have to give.
And during that gradual dousing of your inner flame - be it by work or life’s continuous pressures - family, colleagues or friends who have scant knowledge of burnout might interpret your insidious transformation for inattentiveness, incompetence, laziness, inconsistency, unambition or contempt. Perhaps even depression.
However these assumptions can be misleading as burnout may, at first glance, resemble depression, however the treatment required for each condition is substantially different.
So what is Burnout?
Burnout is a state of emotional, mental and often physical exhaustion brought on by prolonged or repeated stress.
Stress brought on by a kaldeiscope of factors - it could be the lack of resources at work; the unrealistic expectations from the boss; the lack of fair division of labour in the home; or the ‘always on’ requirement of the job even if the office policy says otherwise.
How this stress manifests in the mind and body is deeply personal for each individual.
And as personal as these manifestations may be, there are identifiable patterns that exist amongst certain groups by virtue of some of their shared experiences. Black women who are often subjected to misgynoistic behaviours in the workplace, may experience burnout differently to other groups.
Burnout and the weight of misogynoir
Black women are at greater risk when it comes to burnout.
Black women are disproportionately affected by chronic stress and, increasingly, they experience burnout at significantly higher levels compared to other women. Misogynoir (the specific distrust, dislike, prejudice, and hatred directed towards black women) and its long term effects is particularly taxing on Black women.
In the US, about 8 in 10 Black women in leadership often felt burnout in 2025. And with the extensive layoffs that saw them being pushed out of the workforce disproportionally to other groups in the same year, 80% of Black women in leadership remain worried about job security.
Black women are continuously on the receiving end of workplace and societal micro-aggressions.
They are constantly having to negotiate their way through hostile environments.
And regularly face the onslaught of epistemic violence.
In work environments where they are in the minority, they are usually tasked with representing the black experience and are often labelled with stereotypes of being ‘angry’ or ‘strong’, which often results in less protections and diluted or absent compassion.
The US National Library of Medicine determined that Black women are
“..likely to suffer the two fold consequences of social stress resulting from the interaction between racial and gender discrimination compounded by health and socioeconomic disparity.”
This is not new to Black women. Even the experience of being a woman in this world is significantly different to other racial groups. When women in the US were asked about their top sources of stress, many of them cited health, family and relationships. Black women did too, but what was noticeable in their responses was that the safety of their children and the challenges with raising black children in an environment deemed hostile to them served as additional stress factors.
The long term impact of “…feeling continually out of season…” can be significant. Ultimately, it is a thin line between burnout and depression and it is crucial for women to have honest conversations with themselves; to seek help from qualified professionals and to exercise agency by seeking a second (or eighth) opinion when the situation requires it.
“Prevention is better than the cure - and the same holds true for Burnout.”
If you are a black woman or an ally of them, do not discount the impact of misogynoir on your (or their) daily experience.
Lastly, prevent burnout by setting clear boundaries - at work, at home and everywhere in-between. Adopting stress management techniques is important, as is engaging in self care, practising mindfulness, reframing your perspectives and knowing when to ask for help.
*If you are affected by this article and need help, please contact your local health provider. The content in this article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider.
