Step one: Make a list. Staring at an actual pile, or a bunch of emails, can be daunting... so list out what you need to do in bullet-points.

Step two: Rank them. Things like "priority" and "workload." Figure out what needs to get done yesterday, and what can wait. You only have a finite amount of attention-span to give to each task, so if you're overwhelmed by it, knowing what to expect will help it feel a bit less snarly.

Step three: Tackle one point at a time, and stick with it until you've done what you need, or all you can. If you reach "the wall" and you just can't do one task, unless you're due for a little break, go to the next one in line and hack at that one (though don't let the first one lay there... Go back to it first when you return to your working headspace.)

Step four: If you truly feel that your emotional damage is going to be a problem, try to be open about it. Not necessarily in a "I'm from a broken home" kinda thing to your co-workers/superiors, more to make sure they know that you have a lot on your plate, and that their confidence in you isn't wasted. It's probably going to be really hard because one thing I've noticed with ACONs is that we tend to internalize emotions so freakin' hard that sometimes we can forget we even have them. And that's no good because they don't just vanish because we can't process them.

Step five: Trust yourself. You made it this far, so clearly you have the potential. If you're the kind of person that daily-affirmations work for, remind yourself that you survived a lot worse, and while this is a challenge, you can do this. Because you can. You got the job, so you have the skills, and the potential. Your bosses saw it, your co-workers likely see it, so try to give yourself permission to see it as well.

And remember to breathe.