Dr. Gabrielle Jones, a licensed psychologist and mother of one, was oblivious to her own burnout until she experienced stress-induced bleeding while 15 weeks pregnant, followed by two pulmonary embolisms at the five-month mark. Fortunately, her baby was fine, but Jones realized she was doing way too much.
"It’s almost as though the allostatic stress that Black moms face had to get out of my body," she says. "I was so stressed at work, and it was showing up in my pregnancy."
Allostatic stress is the cumulative burden of chronic stress and life events, and it can have physical health consequences.[1]In general, the environmental stress — often stemming from systemic inequities and racism — that Black people face can lead to more wear and tear on the body.[2] Here's how burnout can uniquely affect Black moms, plus ways to help combat it.
What burnout challenges do Black moms face?
The structural racism affecting Black moms makes it more difficult to reduce stress, prevent burnout and protect against further health problems.[3]
For example, Black women often step into the role of breadwinner and tend to work more than other women, yet still face financial insecurity.[4] The wage gap afflicting Black moms makes it more difficult to afford resources that could alleviate burnout such as child care, paid vacation, meal prep help and therapy. Meanwhile, 78 percent of Black women say that it's rare to go home after work and have energy, one survey found.[5]
Black women are also more likely to be stereotyped and exposed to microaggressions and other forms of racism.[6] They face routine reminders of the violence against Black children and statistically worse health care outcomes for people in their community.
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According to Jones, the fear that Black mothers face is a fear like no other.
"It's every single day," she says. "Every moment Black mothers are thinking about this stuff, and other mothers don't have to think about it. It's stressful."
How does burnout affect Black moms?
Many moms can identify with feeling the need to be the perfect parent. Black moms feel the pressure to not only be the perfect mom, but also to prove their worth, defy limiting generalizations and be the backbone of their families.
Black people, especially Black women, can't just be good at the job. They have to be great at it. For that reason, burnout can present differently in Black moms. It can manifest as amplifying their inner Black girl magic and making sure it’s on full display at all times.
For Jones, it wasn't enough for her to be a member of a nonprofit — she had to run the group. But pushing beyond her limits and forcing excellence made it increasingly difficult for her to tap into joy.
The stress that burned out moms feel can physically hurt their health in a number of ways. Black women, especially caregivers, have "highly challenging lives" that contribute to increased biological aging, research has found.[7]
The physiological impacts of stress can make people more likely to develop diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease and other health problems. The difficulty sleeping associated with burnout can affect brain development, says Akua Ampadu, M.D., a board-certified internal medicine physician who experienced burnout upon completing her residency training.
How Black moms can address burnout
Addressing burnout requires more than self-care. Systemic changes would go a long way in preventing and treating burnout. Getting moms the time and money to access resources and rest is essential to eliminating burnout.
Beyond that, Black moms need a space to validate their feelings. That can mean trying therapy or finding a social circle where it’s okay to talk about the burnout you're experiencing.
Some other ways to address burnout on a personal level include:
- Listening to music that validates your feelings
- Auditing your responsibilities and finding places to scale back
- Sharing household tasks with loved ones
- Allowing yourself breaks throughout the day
- Taking time to explore what makes you happy
- Eating well, which is known to improve mood and help with depression[8]
- Celebrating your Blackness, which can help provide solace when you're dealing with the everyday stressors associated with it
When burnout impacted Jones's health during pregnancy, she realized she needed to step back. "I ended up going on maternity leave a month earlier than planned to ensure I wasn't adding stress to the baby," she says. She also decided to open her own practice and became more intentional about her roles and responsibilities.
Where can Black moms get the help they need to address burnout?
Many burned out moms acknowledge that they need help. However, that help is not always within reach. These organizations exist to offer support to those in need.
- Black Girl Burnout: a podcast with the purpose of helping Black women cope and find more joy
- Mom's Hierarchy of Needs: a free weekly newsletter dedicated to finding time for yourself as well as a subscription-based plan offering workshops and care packages
- Therapy for Black Girls: a podcast, directory and community for mental health support
- Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective: a website sharing hotlines, grant information, mobile crisis units and wellness tools specially for Black people
- Lasagna Love: an organization that delivers free lasagna when a meal is out of reach for whatever reason
- Baby2Baby: a national organization connecting parents in need to local resources that can provide them with basic necessities such as diapers, formula and clothing
As Black moms continue to be the backbones of their families, workplaces and communities, their resilience remains celebrated. However, that can sometimes also make it harder to ask for help.
Jones realized the most challenging aspect of burnout for her was articulating her needs and being honest with the people who ask how she's doing.
It’s hard for moms to share their experiences in a society that extends little grace to Black women. To them, Jones says, "I give you permission to cry and be vulnerable."
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