You're facing tough situations during your internship. How can you skillfully handle your emotions?

One of the first steps in effectively managing your emotions during your internship is to recognize when you are feeling stressed. Stress can manifest itself in a variety of ways, such as feeling irritable, having trouble concentrating, or experiencing physical symptoms like headaches or stomachaches. By tuning into your body and mind, you can start to identify when you are feeling overwhelmed and take proactive steps to address it. One of the most important things you can do when facing tough situations during your internship is to give yourself permission to take breaks. Stepping away from your work for even just a few minutes can help clear your mind and give you a fresh perspective when you return.

Start by clearly defining your limits on work hours, task scope, and personal space. Communicate these boundaries politely but firmly to your supervisor and team, ensuring they understand what you can realistically handle.If you're overwhelmed with tasks, let them know, “I’m currently managing multiple responsibilities and need to prioritize [specific tasks] to maintain quality. Could we discuss reassigning or extending some deadlines?”. This allows you to maintain focus and productivity while demonstrating your commitment to both challenging conventions and personal well-being.Success isn’t just about working harder; it’s about being resilient, taking prudent risks, and continuously refining your approach to create meaningful impact.

When you reflect, keep in mind what you want to achieve in this internship. What is your goal for your stay in this organization? What do you want to do after this internship is completed? What is your ultimate vision of who you want to be? Even though you are just starting your career, it doesn't mean that you cannot already work on your future self. Do you want to become a leader? Which reaction would you show as a leader? Do you want to be someone who is popular amongst co workers? Which reaction would this person show in the situation you are reflecting on? Use this opportunity to reflect on who you are now - and who you want to become.

Walk away. To be clear, when your emotions are high, the best option may be to take a couple of breaths and at least a dozen steps away from the situation. This allows one to gather their thoughts and articulate their position, confusion, frustration etc in an objective manner. This can look like, closing your laptop and walking round the block to get some fresh air or getting a drink of water before returning to respond to that email or returning that call or letting a day or two go by before responding to a situation. This may provide one an opportunity to run things by an objective third party to gain a different perspective. This approach may allow for self reflection and the much needed clarity to move forward.

I once had an intern that was stressed. She felt she was not doing a good job; that she did not belong in law. During a 1:1, she expressed her uncertainty. I immediately congratulated her. She was so surprised. I explained my praise was not about her uncertainty, it was her acknowledgment of it. One of the first rules of good EQ skills is SELF-ACKNOWLEDGEMENT. We discussed how planning a future career often starts at knowing what you DON"T want to do. I also gave her much credit for seeking out support. ASKING for HELP -- from anyone -- is another great rule of EQ. Our meetings after that took wonderful turns at work catch ups and career planning. Of course, yes, she is doing great now as a thriving successful attorney.