The Biggest Aches and Pains that Come with Intern Life—And What to Do About Them

This is one in a series of posts, “The Intern Diaries” from Ed’s anonymous summer intern blogger.

Everybody knows that internships are rarely as glamorous as Instagram makes them look. Obviously, they’re exciting and educational, but oftentimes they’re grueling and thankless, to boot. I totally knew this when I moved to New York City for the summer, but I was not fully prepared for the physical and mental stress that my internship brought, especially during the first few weeks. Lucky for you Edsters, you’ve got me to give you a heads up on the battle wounds that come with intern life.

 

Here we go:

 

Your Feet

Even if your internship is paid, it’s unlikely that your “salary” allows you to take taxis everywhere. And various intern tasks will have you running all over the city, and your feet will start to feel it.

 

Band Aids are your new best friend, but don’t wait until your blisters are killing you to put one on (like I did). Preemptive Band Aid application is key. And no matter how much of a #GirlBoss you feel like in those killer pumps, stash a pair of comfy flats in your purse to wear whenever you’re on the go. Better yet, invest in some cute sneakers. Your feet will thank you.

 

Your Neck

Lugging my laptop wherever I go is pretty much the norm for my internship. The weight of that sucker combined with my makeup, keys, snacks, homework from last year, and whatever else winds up in my purse puts a strain on my neck and back.

 

My tip: Force yourself to sort through your bag every freaking day. Chuck anything you don’t need to keep your constant companion as light as possible. Ditch the laptop for a tablet or iPad, if you can.

 

One of my favorite intern hacks for back pain is taking a super cheap yoga class via Yoga To The People . They have several locations in the city and offer classes at all levels. The best part is that you pay however much you want in the form of a donation ($10 is the suggested rate). Bonus: Yoga helps me de-stress from intern life.

 

Your Sanity

Speaking of stress, it can be hard to keep up in a real-life work environment without letting the constant hustle get to you. I downloaded the free meditation app Headspace, and take ten minutes to myself (when I can) to chill out.

 

My favorite place to get zen is Sheep Meadow in Central Park after work, but you can do it wherever. After one ten-minute sesh, I think more clearly and function more efficiently.

 

Hopefully you’ll feel like your bossiest self this summer! Now go kick some serious internship tail.