Dr. Russell Stresses the Importance of Self-Care to High School Students

High school students are facing more challenges than the average teen in times past, balancing the usual teen issues with life in a worldwide pandemic. Navigating these two worlds while they happen simultaneously is stressful and confusing to say the least. On the latest episode of the student-produced program Spartan TV,  students from St. Stephen High School interview New Brunswick Chief Medical Officer Dr. Jennifer Russell about stress management and the challenges of being a student.  

In the interview, Dr. Russell stressed the importance in having a personalized self-care list to follow regularly. 

"Everyone's self-care list is different, and if you Google them, you'll find a million, but they all have a theme in common: what keeps you mentally nourished?" said Dr. Russell. "Involve yourself in hobbies and stay in touch with loved ones. Build rituals like doing yoga or having a tea or a bath. Do something regularly that triggers your mind to relax. I really find journaling helpful. Connect with people and do something you love and eat healthy and get exercise."

Dr. Russell said connecting with people you love can have the added benefit of simultaneously lifting the spirits of someone else simply by reaching out for a check-in. During the pandemic, she suggested calling at least one person a day that you care about just to see how he or she is doing and catch up on life. You might end up providing an important human connection to someone you care about while also lifting your own mood. 

Students asked Dr. Russell what challenges she faced when she was a student and how she overcame these challenges to become a successful doctor. "When you put pressure on yourself to succeed, you can sometimes put too much pressure and you can become paralyzed by it," said Dr. Russell. "Overcoming that and learning to focus on what is in front of you is important. Overcoming that paralysis is a challenge. In terms of my own career, medicine has been really fulfilling. I recommend doing something you love so it is always fulfilling. I joined the military to put myself through med school, and that was challenging. Every time you have an opportunity to push, the rewards from that hard work is fulfilling."