How To Remain Sane & Beat Burnout Doing Diversity & Inclusion Work

Last week I received a text from a good friend, it read this:

Just putting this out there...I felt every word, because anyone who does Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) work knows that the words mentally tired and D&I are brother and sister. 

After doing Diversity & Inclusion work for almost a decade, I know far too well what it means to feel mentally tired. However, there are several things I've had to learn that have kept me in the game this long and for the most part, kept bitterness at bay as I fight off the waves of anger and prejudices everyday. This back and forth conversation with my friend reminded me that for anyone entering this work for the first time, being one of a few black faces in a white space, is hard. It means you might struggle with keeping sane when corporate efforts to change workplace culture puts you as the D&I expert because of the color of your skin.​

So with that, here is my, "How to keep sane list":
(P.S. this is just my list, you may disagree or have your own, and that's okay! Also, I'm a Black woman who identifies as a Christian, so although I mention the faith aspect in many of them, real talk these lessons are the same regardless of what you believe. My faith is just a big part of what keeps me grounded or "centered" while doing this work.)
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• Celebrate small victories. This work is a marathon and not a sprint.
  • You can't change an organization by solely focusing all your time and energy on improving the organization at a macro level. Change often times will start small, so get to know the people you have direct influence over, build a genuine and trusting relationship, and naturally, you will see organizational change slowly but surely happen.
• Make sure you know that you're called to do this work. By do it, I mean called to be a voice in the D&I space. Don't feel like you have to say yes to lead D&I efforts just because you're the only POC in the room. Knowing I am called to be in a specific space gives me the boldness to be direct and not beat around the bush. It also keeps me hopeful. I know God has my back. You can't be timid and do this work. You can't be unsure and do this work. However, knowing you're called to be a voice over a subject area or social issue is what will help you get through those tough days. That and wine...lots and lots of wine lol.
• Don't sweat the small stuff. These days there isn't a whole lot about doing D&I work that surprises me anymore. If I get in my feelings about everything, I wouldn't be able to keep showing up and doing the good hard work. Honestly, ignorance is a societal problem. Don't be surprised by anything. The longer you do this work, the fewer expectations you'll notice you put on people to "get it".
• Build a strong network of support. There are moments you're going to need a safe space to vent, have no filter, or mentally escape, just so you can show up for work tomorrow. Look for people who can carry the weight of this fight with you. That helps lighten the load. This is necessary for releasing any negativity that comes with the daily hurdles that would otherwise eat away at your spirit. You're not Jesus, but even Jesus knew He needed God, Peter, James, and John.
  • Don't have a strong network of support? Find or pray for likeminded people at your work who get it. Or at the very least SAFE people, you can vent too in confidence. 
• Learn to play chess (figuratively speaking). Play it well, and don't cheat or cut corners. Like chess, D&I work requires a lot of strategy. Ask yourself, "who are the individuals that have the loudest voices in an organization, and how do I strategize the best way to get to know them?" 
• Have boundaries. Take a vacation. It's so easy to want to be the "yes" person to every ask. Even if you're the only one that does the work, learn to say no, ESPECIALLY if you're not getting paid to do this work. You're one human being and you will burn out working a full time job and then some. It's possible to do it if you learn to have boundaries. When I find my self developing pretty harsh prejudices towards white people aka my grace meter is depleted (keeping it 100), that's usually my sign I need to take a break.
• Master the art if storytelling. Your race story matters, and if you decide to enter into this work, you have to be comfortable sharing that story when necessary. Learn to listen, be vulnerable, and learn to ask the right questions to other PoC's so that you can articulate their stories to the people or communities it matters too. The powers that be need to be able to put a face to the plight of discrimination we frequently encounter. When this happens, change becomes tangible. Suddenly, the next time a black man is murdered, it isn't just a black man a person sees, they see you or the African American engineer on their team whose story had a significant impact on their life. So again, get good at storytelling and ask God to grant you the wisdom on how to articulate that message to the people that it matters too.
• Know your audience. Even if you aren't a fan of the people you're trying to bring along on the journey of enlightment, you have to be okay spending time with those people, and learning the barriers to movement. There are those moved by emotion, and those driven by facts and statistical evidence. Know who you are dealing with and learn to respond correctly. You have to learn how to articulate your heart to the decision makers in a way they understand. Real talk, not every person is moved by tears or your personal stories of racism.
• Accept the reality that this work is hard. That alone will get you through the tough days.
• Lower the expectations you put on people to "get it." Lead with love, but recognize that showing love means saying the hard stuff at times. Most people don't understand, yet, I've found that most people want to understand. Years of doing this work have taught me that sometimes the true and loyal ally is not always the person that deemed themselves as one. Sometimes they are the person who realizes they will never arrive at competency. 
• Educate yourself. Passion will only get you so far. Being a person of color doesn't necessarily qualify you for this work either. Sometimes just knowing in your heart something is wrong isn't enough. Like I said earlier, you have to be okay spending time in the communities where opposition exists. Part of playing chess is learning the barriers to enlightment in the communities of greatest opposition to the cause.
• If all else fails, always remember God has you, you're making gains, impact, and in ways and hearts you might not even realize.

What helps you stay sane and avoid burnout in this space of work? Let me know in the comments!