Avoiding superwoman syndrome burnout

Question for Black women in the workplace, do you ever experience the weight of unrealistic expectations, often at the expense of your mental health? This phenomenon is known as the Black Superwoman Schema, a term coined by Dr. Cheryl L. Woods-Giscombe. It includes five key behaviors commonly exhibited by Black women leaders: 1. Obligation to manifest strength 2. Obligation to suppress emotions 3. Resistance to being vulnerable or dependent 4. Determination to succeed despite significantly limited resources 5. An obligation to help others Time and time again, I’ve seen this play out in our emotional wellbeing being dismissed and our value being overlooked, no matter how hard we work or support our colleagues. Let’s talk about how we can dismantle this harmful notion in professional settings: 1. Adjust your own expectations. I encourage the high-achieving women I coach to ask themselves, is this serving others at the expense of my own benefit? Is this weight mine to carry alone? When we set goals or standards that are too high, we may constantly feel pressure to meet them, leading to burnout. (And listen, we’re saying no to burnout all 2024!) 2. Ask for help. It’s easy for us to say “I got this”, or “I can handle it on my own”. This is your reminder that it’s okay to ask for support and be clear on what that can look like. It’s not a weakness to ask for support. 3. Know when to say "no." The ability to say “no” is your sacred right. 4. Create a self-care plan. What are your non-negotiable rules around caring for your health no matter what remains undone? Because we can’t take care of others if we’re not doing it for ourselves. 5. Prioritize, deprioritize, and reprioritize your workload as often as you need to. Prioritize your obligations based on significance or impact for you rather than external factors. What else would you add to this list? How do you manage unrealistic expectations in the workplace? #MentalHealthAwareness #MentalHealth #Mindfulness #Selfcare

I remember doing this when I was getting started in my career — With new job came new responsibilities. And I wanted to impress everyone around me. My boss, my manager, my colleagues, Even myself. And so I did everything I could to be the best — - Taking on every single work - Saying YES to every opportunity - Being available for work all the time - Always feeling like there’s a lot of left work And this barely left me little to no time for myself, my family and to prioritize my well-being. I was knee-deep in Burnout. And I knew I had caused this. By the time I understood my behavior, I was already suffering. But I knew it was time to change. So I created a system to get myself out of the Self-Inflicted Burnout — By following the S.E.L.F. approach. If this feels like you or someone you know, let them know about the SELF approach to prevent Burnout — ✅ S - Set Boundaries - Establish clear work hours and stick to them as much as possible. - Silence work notifications outside of work hours. - Communicate your boundaries clearly to colleagues and managers. ✅ E- Evaluate Expectations - Prioritize ruthlessly and delegate or eliminate non-essential tasks. - Set realistic deadlines that consider your workload and capacity. - Celebrate your accomplishments, big or small, to maintain motivation. ✅ L - Listen to Your Needs - Schedule time for self-care activities that promote relaxation and well-being. - Pay attention to your body's signals and prioritize rest when needed. - Recognize and address physical or emotional signs of stress promptly. ✅ F - Find Your Voice - Say no to requests that overload your schedule or don't align with your priorities. - Communicate your workload and needs clearly to colleagues and managers. - Collaborate on solutions to manage workload and expectations effectively. And don’t be afraid to ask for help! Have you ever experienced Burnout? Reshare this ♻️ to your network to help them out! _____ Hi, I'm Oliver, a CIO and career advisor from the trenches! I share tips on leadership, ultra-productivity, and career growth that help you to LEVEL UP without Burnout!

Why don't we talk about the fact that burnout is different for women? It has taken me nearly three decades to recognized burnout in myself, and to make the space and time to treat it with the care that it demands. This #HelloMondayPodcast conversation with Emily Nagoski & Amelia Nagoski pushed me to rethink what it actually is, and gave me better, more practical tools for managing it. Listen now: https://lnkd.in/gePD_xDw To me, understanding how gender impacts our experience of burnout was the great unlock. It won't surprise you to learn that women often face unique challenges that contribute to burnout. We're expected to juggle multiple roles: we are caregivers, professionals, and we're really trying hart to manage our social relationships. The gap between societal expectations and the reality of being a woman is a primary cause of burnout. We exhaust themselves trying to close this gap. So what does burnout look like? Physically, burnout in women can present as chronic fatigue, headaches, and gastrointestinal issues. Emotionally, it can lead to anxiety, depression, and a sense of hopelessness. Women might also experience burnout through behaviors like overworking, substance use, or withdrawing from social connections In this episode, Emily and Amelia provide practical strategies for building resilience, creating support systems, managing stress, setting boundaries, and prioritizing self-care. And critically, they remind us that what we are feeling makes sense. We are not alone. We can do something about it. #Burnout #MentalHealth #WomenInLeadership #SelfCare #Resilience

About a year ago, I was coaching a senior leader—brilliant, consistent, and highly respected in her organisation. But she came into our sessions feeling like she was constantly underperforming. Why? Because she couldn’t sustain the “ideal routine” everyone around her seemed to swear by: 5am wake-up, gym, journaling, focused deep work by 8. She’d try, crash midweek, and blame herself. In the corporate world, we’ve romanticised a very narrow, often masculine-coded version of productivity. It assumes linear energy, uninterrupted schedules, and a support system that frees you up for singular focus. But that’s not the reality for many women leaders. Their days begin with school drop-offs, mental checklists for ageing parents, or managing invisible emotional labour before the first email is even opened. Add to that the cyclical nature of hormonal energy—and the model begins to crack. In our coaching work, she didn’t need a mindset shift—she needed permission to lead differently. To work in cycles, not straight lines. To rest without guilt. To stop viewing self-care as a soft skill. Her performance didn’t drop—her sustainability rose. Organisations often invest in leadership development but forget to question the success archetypes we’re pushing women into. When we make space for personalised, gender-intelligent rhythms of work, we don’t just prevent burnout—we unlock longevity. Because real performance isn’t about rigid routines. It’s about building systems that actually fit the people we hire.

The High-Performing Woman’s Biggest Struggle? Performance Itself. For so many high-achieving women, the drive to succeed isn’t just about passion—it’s about survival. ✨ Finding safety in being seen as competent. ✨ Measuring self-worth by output. ✨ Feeling only as valuable as the results they produce. It’s not their fault. Society conditions women to push, endure, and perform—even in healing. So when they finally decide to prioritize their well-being, they try to win at that too. They want to hurry up and process emotions, push through discomfort, and get results fast. But nervous system work doesn’t work that way. The body sets the timeline, not the mind. Sometimes transformation happens in one session. Sometimes it takes eight. At first, it can feel frustrating. Because the results aren’t loud. There’s no major milestone to track. But then… ✨ They notice they’re spending less time in deep lows. ✨ They’re sleeping better. ✨ They’re crying less. ✨ They’re making better choices—without forcing it. The shift happens when they stop overriding their bodies and start listening to them. This is what I help women do—break free from burnout cycles, honor their bodies’ wisdom, and create a new definition of success that includes their well-being. If you’re dealing with anxiety, overwhelm, or burnout, start by witnessing. Pay attention to your body’s micro-signals: ✨ Where is the tension? ✨ What contracts you? What expands you? ✨ Does a project make you shrink? Is it fear, or is it misalignment? You don’t need an answer right away. Just awareness. Have you ever felt this? Let me know in the comments. ⬇️ #StressResilience #BurnoutRecovery #HighAchievers #WomenInLeadership