NURS 478 Self Care Journal

Your Name: __Alexa Stallworth__________ Your Buddy: __Melina Miller________________

Select an evidence-based recommendation to follow for 8 weeks:

Sleep at least 7 hours per night before and after a work or school day
Practice mindfulness meditation for at least 10 minutes everyday
Complete at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise per week, such as biking under 9
mph, dancing, jogging, or playing tennis; or complete 60 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise per week,
such as running, kickboxing, or jumping rope.
Participate in two professionally led yoga classes for one hour or longer per week
Spend up to 2 hrs in Nature or longer per week
Other (Must get your Clinical Faculty approval first, and activity should be up to 2 hrs or longer
per week)

Complete Weekly journal entries:

Week Description of intervention implemented this week (include frequency/length of time): This week I
1 decided to focus on exercise as a means for establishing better self care. I will complete at least 60 min
of rigorous activity this week. I was able to go for a 30 min run, each mile under 9min as a means of
preparing for my Ironman. I did this before going to the hospital for my night shift. Wednesday I did a
45 min vigorous bike ride, interval training, after my shift at the hospital.

Comments on Activity: I found it very difficult this week to find the time to exercise as much as I had
wanted. That being said, I am still settling into the schedule that comes along with working nights. I feel
that the coming weeks will be easier to implement the health intervention.

Week Description of intervention implemented this week (include frequency/length of time): This past week, I
2 focused on getting enough sleep (7hrs) to ensure that I felt full of energy when I got to the hospital as
well as in my personal life. This was difficult because a few days this week I was only able to sleep 5
hrs after my shift and found myself taking other hours out of my day to take a 2 hr nap ensuring I would
sleep 7 hrs.

Comments on Activity: Allocating this much time to sleep, especially during the day when most others
are awake, was a struggle. Since I worked nights, I would need to sleep during the day, but during the
day people get together to engage in meetings or social events. That being said I struggled to find 7 hrs
to sleep, but did manage to sleep for 7 hrs before and after work.

Buddy Check-In Comments: Melina and I discussed our options for completing this journey through
self care. In our discussion, we decided to meet or touch base every Monday and Sunday to see how our
weeks were going and what our plans for the week were going to be. When we touched base I told her
about how I was struggling to adjust my sleep schedule to the demands of the night shift. She
recommended that I take naps whenever I can and that I should also create a healthy sleep environment
by turning down the AC, getting blackout shades, removing distractions such as my phone. I decided to
try these interventions in the coming weeks.

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Week Description of intervention implemented this week (include frequency/length of time): This week I
3 decided to focus on mindful meditation to see if it would help me to feel rejuvenated during my shifts at
the hospital. Prior to going on the unit, I would sit in my car and take 10 min to be mindful and center
myself.

Comments on Activity: I found that after performing mindfulness meditation that I was much more
focused. I was able to concentrate on tasks more effectively and be completely present. I found that I
was also significantly less stressed when I went to work and was in a better mental state.

Buddy Check-In Comments: This week, I talked to Melina about how the healthy sleep interventions
she suggested really helped me to get the sleep I needed to survive the night shifts. When we checked in
on Monday, I asked her about her preceptorship and she said it was going great, she just felt very
overwhelmed with the exam coming up. I was happy to see that she got 7 hrs of sleep. I told her about
how mindfulness meditation was helping me stay focused and to be more present in which she replied "I
really want mindfulness meditation to work for me, I just find it hard to clear my head."

Week Description of intervention implemented this week (include frequency/length of time): This week I
4 decided to commit myself to at least 60 min of vigorous exercise. I will run at least 2 times this week
and run for 30 min each time at a high intensity to ultimately increase my heart rate above baseline. I
wanted to focus on this aspect of self care mainly because Melina mentioned that she wanted to start
exercising more and I thought it would be beneficial for us to motivate each other to participate in this
self care activity.

Comments on Activity: I found it relatively easy for me to get 60 min of vigorous exercise this week. I
would usually workout before going in for my shift and discovered that working out at such a high
intensity allowed me to feel more awake and alert while at the hospital. Not only did I feel more awake
at the hospital, I also found myself to have more energy throughout the entirety of the week.

Buddy Check-In Comments: When Melina and I checked in on Monday, she commented on how
helpful it was to have someone there to motivate her to get to the gym. I told her that I go to the gym at
6am when I am not with my preceptor and she said I was crazy. I opened the offer up for her to join me
if she feels she needs the motivation. I told her about how committing myself to this exercise before
going to the hospital made me feel more energized. She responded with a similar conclusion, ultimately
stating "I found that I also had more energy this week as well."

Week Description of intervention implemented this week (include frequency/length of time): This week I
5 decided to implement the self care intervention that recommends being outside in nature for at least 2
hours. I will do homework and catch up on readings 2 times this week in 30 min intervals. This activity
will take place outside on a bench under a tree near my house. The other hour will be completed when I
take the time to set up my hammock at Main Gate Square and simply enjoy the sunshine.

Comments on Activity: While engaging in this activity, I felt significantly less stressed out. I set up my
hammock in the trees by Main Gate Square. Even though I did not have the time to simply sit in my
hammock and enjoy the simplicity, I did bring my laptop to do some class work and apply for a few
jobs. That said, I enjoyed doing my work outside and felt more productive. After this experience I felt
more centered and appreciative of the small things in life such as a nice breeze and the sunshine.

Buddy Check-In Comments: I was really excited to hear about Melina's decision to do mindfulness this
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 week. I know that it definitely helps me to feel more centered and relaxed. When I told her about my
experience with nature, we started talking about how much she enjoyed her time on Mt Lemmon a few
weeks back for one of her self care interventions. I told her that I had such a great experience being out
in nature because it helped me to feel less stressed out about all the things happening this semester. I
also told her about how I did have a hard time making the time for this activity. To which she
responded, "I know it's hard to make the time for this, but weren't the benefits of sitting in your
hammock worth it?"

Week Description of intervention implemented this week (include frequency/length of time): This week I will
6 practice mindfulness meditation for at least 10 min each day in order to maintain a balanced and
healthful lifestyle. I will perform this activity throughout the day when I feel stressed or overwhelmed.

Comments on Activity: This week was pretty stressful for me as I have begun the job search process.
That said, my commitment to practice mindfulness meditation this week allowed me to feel more
centered. By remaining mindful in stressful situations this week I found that I was overall a happier
individual and more present.

Buddy Check-In Comments: When I checked in with Melina today she was so excited to tell me about
her adventure out to Gates Pass and how for a moment she felt as if all the worries of the word went
away. I told her about my successes with practicing mindfulness meditation. I told her that I was more
successful with this than when I had tried it in the past. We were both applying for jobs this week and
became overwhelmed with that. We reflected on how these self care interventions helped us to destress
and allowed us to take better care of ourselves.

Week Description of intervention implemented this week (include frequency/length of time): This week I will
7 participate in two professionally led yoga classes for at least one hour per session. I have never done a
professionally led yoga class and hope that it will bring my life some balance and allow me to get in
touch with my body and my breathing.

Comments on Activity: This week I had an incredible experience with the yoga classes. Following each
session, I felt light and more balanced. Not only did this create a positive energy flow within my body
but it also allowed me to focus on my work a little better. I was able to harvest some of this new energy
to complete my course work in a timely manner as well as complete my extracurricular activities on a
higher level. I have never done yoga before this week and I absolutely loved it. I anticipate continuing
these classes in order to maintain this balance.

Buddy Check-In Comments: This week I told Melina about my experience with the yoga classes and
how it really helped me to center myself. I told her that I plan to continue these classes and that she
should join me one of these days and see why I love it so much. To which she responded "I always
wanted to go to yoga with someone." She touched base with me and told me about her successes with
her workouts this past week. I was excited to hear that she was enjoying her time with the workouts.

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Week Description of intervention implemented this week (include frequency/length of time): For my last week
8 of this self care journal, I decided to come full circle and focus on my sleep schedule. This week I will
sleep at least 7 hours each night in order to be well rested and prepared for the next day.

Comments on Activity: I found that this week I was successful in getting at least 7 hours of sleep each
night. I made a commitment to myself that I would be in bed no later than 10:30 pm each night. I found
that the next morning I would have more energy and would be more productive with my day. I would
not only go to class and be engaged but after class I would also finish up class work and be productive
in other aspects of my life. Getting 7 hours of sleep has been incredibly beneficial to me this week and I
only hope to continue this in the future.

Complete Survey Below

(Once Completed submit entire document to D2L Assignment Drop box by Due date and add to Your
Portfolio.)

Reflection on Panopto presentation and 8-week intervention:

What did these activities teach you?

These activities taught me about the importance of self care. In completing these activities I learned that
self care can come in a number of mediums such as exercise or even taking a walk outside. I learned so
much about ways to recenter myself and live presently in the moment in a way that is less stressful and
more engaged.

Have you noticed any changes in your life since you began this intervention?

Since I began these interventions, I noticed that I was a significantly happier person. I lived in the
moment more and found that in general I was less stressed out. By being less stressed out I found I was
more productive and more engaged with what was going on in the world around me. I feel that these
interventions brought great change to my life; change that was beneficial to my overall wellbeing which
encourages me to continue with some of these habits in order to maintain generalized health.

Will you do anything differently now? Please explain.

Since completing this assignment I have committed myself to using these interventions on a daily or
weekly basis in order to maintain a healthy more happy lifestyle. I have continued to get at least 7
hours of sleep most nights throughout the week and I have noticed incredible changes which
encourages me to continue these self care interventions. That said, I also see the importance of self care
and feel a need to make this a priority as I continue forward into my professional career.

Comments/suggestions:None

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Please rate how strongly you agree or disagree with these statements:
Following an evidence-based recommendation to reduce burnout was valuable to me.

Strongly Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly

Agree Disagree
5 4 3 2 1

This 8-week intervention will help me implement preventative strategies for burnout in my career.

Strongly Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly

Agree Disagree
5 4 3 2 1

This Panopto presentation titled: Nurse Burnout: What this is and how you can minimize it in your careers
effectively taught me how I can reduce and address nurse burnout in my career.

Strongly Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly

Agree Disagree
5 4 3 2 1

Completing the Big Five Personality Test was helpful for exploring my risk of nurse burnout.

Strongly Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly

Agree Disagree
1 2 3 4 5

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