Vlog 9: The importance of self-care and support systems

Uploaded on May 10, 2024

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Vlog 9: The importance of self-care and support systems

2024-05-10 — He's an astronaut preparing to fly around the Moon. She's an accomplished physician supporting women's wellness. Both have extremely busy and demanding careers, and are also parents to three teenagers. Catherine and Jeremy Hansen share some advice on finding support systems and how they do self-care.

Regardless of one's background, there is help and resources out there. (Credits: Canadian Space Agency, NASA, Fulwell 73 UK Limited)

Jeremy Hansen: You will need help in life. And so find your support network wherever you can, and you'll be amazed at the things you can accomplish as a team.

Question on screen: What is your best advice for people who are struggling to cope with the stresses of life, especially professionals like you?

Title on screen: Self-care and support systems

So whether you're an astronaut working with an international team, taking humanity back to the Moon or a physician supporting women in their wellness, we all need support, and we all need to invest time to taking care of ourselves so that we can overcome the challenges, the stresses of life, and prevent things like burnout.

On screen: Catherine Hansen, MD
Obstetrician/Gynecologist,
Speaker, Coach, Facilitator

There are avenues and places to draw for that support system. So we're fortunate enough to have each other, but it may be friends or family or colleagues or workplaces or even more formal avenues. It's really important to reach out and to ask for what you need.

Question on screen: Can you share some of the ways that you support each other?

Jeremy Hansen: Something that's important to Catherine is coffee and sharing some time over a cup of coffee in the morning. And I have to joke, I don't even really like coffee, but I do like Catherine, and so I'm willing to make us a cup of coffee and spend some time with her in the morning.

She is a genius in the kitchen, and that's another thing that she contributes to our relationship that allows us to share time over a meal. 

Catherine Hansen: Date night never happens quite often enough, but that is another way that we carve out that time to be with each other.  

Question on screen: What are some of the things you do for self-care?

Catherine Hansen: We're out for a workout today; we're going for a run. Being active every day is really important, so we'll often share that time or make sure that each other has had that time, holding each other accountable for those things that are most important to us as a couple.

And mindfulness is one of those things. So often Jeremy will share a quote or an article with our whole family and really draw us into the conversations about being really present.

Question on screen: Any final words?

Jeremy Hansen: I'm not a physician, but I fully lean into supporting Catherine and her endeavour to help women with their wellness. Catherine's not a rocket scientist or an astronaut, but she's very much involved and an important part of me taking on the challenges that I face in my professional career, and I think that's an important expectation for us all to set, is that you will need help in life. And so find your support network wherever you can, and you'll be amazed at the things you can accomplish as a team.

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