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One of the biggest problems an intern can face here in Washington DC is burnout– by which I mean dealing with the workload of a full-time employee (without pay), night classes and projects that come with the territory. To add to that, being new to a town where everyone knows everyone else except you can really begin to weigh on a person’s mind. However, there are a few things an intern can do to lessen the stress and make that extra push in order to accomplish their tasks and remain mentally healthy in the process.
Understand what stresses you out. If something is nagging you at the back of your head, and you refuse to acknowledge it, you will be constantly on edge. It’s like the five-hundred pound gorilla in the room deciding to punch you in the face. Once you identify what is bothering you, then try to distance yourself from the problem. In eastern philosophy it is done through ego loss. You have to ask yourself this question, “Is the thing that is bothering me take away from the person that I am?” Once this has been done, losing the ego and becoming detached from the stressful influence should begin to happen.
On a more practical and less metaphysical note, take your lunch breaks, do not skip them. Although it has become increasingly popular to forgo lunch in order to increase productivity, it has been shown that breaks can actually help people become more productive. Skipping a meal in order to finish work, more often than naught, becomes counter productive. With the break from work combined with the energy boost from the calorie intake not only helps you produce much better quality of work, but also improves your state of mind.
Burnout and even depression can also be a result from lack of physical activity. Even from a purely physical standpoint, exercise can be beneficial when it comes to one’s mental state. Whether it be walking, biking, boxing, or swimming, find something that you love to do and commit. Aside from the endorphins increase gained from exercise, putting yourself in a state of mind where you are concentrating on the activity, can give you a great mental break from work and class. For me, going for a run past the monuments or going to the gym to work on the punching bags puts my mind at ease and gives me a sense of detachment from my internship and classes. This is what gives me renewed energy.
Lastly, pace yourself and try to keep things in perspective. Whatever projects or assignments that are bothering you, remember what you are here for: to grow and learn. People work at different paces, so don’t try to compare yourself to other students or co-workers. What matters is that you are improving. By the time the program is finished, you will be more mature, smarter, and overall better than you were before coming to D.C.
