NURS 478 Self Care Journal

Your Name: _Shane Pendleton____________________________ Your Buddy: ____Ryan Tarr__________

Select any evidence-based intervention/recommendation to follow (do this over 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):
1
This week I went on five different runs for about half an hour each. I ran on Monday, Tuesday,
Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. The runs were 3-4 miles each.

Comments on Activity:

I was really happy that I found the time to go on so many runs this week. I have always enjoyed going
on runs and I want to push myself to run a half marathon this year. However, unless I really push
myself, I typically only do a few runs a week. Running really helped me clear my mind and make me
feel healthy. I want to continue to push myself to run more over the next few weeks.
Week Description of intervention implemented this week (include frequency/length of time):
2
This week, I went to two one hour-long yoga classes.

Comments on Activity:

This was my first time ever attending a yoga class, and I was very apprehensive. I was nervous that I
wasn’t going to be able to keep up with the class; however, I was surprised to find that I enjoyed the
classes. It was an extremely relaxing and therapeutic experience for me. At the same time, it was an
engaging workout that challenged me. I plan on continuing to go to at least one yoga class per week.

Buddy Check-In Comments: (Note Key Comments from Conversation)

Ryan talked about how he enjoys doing yoga and suggests that I try doing hot yoga as another self-care
modality. He says he enjoys the challenge and that it adds another dimension to the exercise.

M O’C Fall 2018

 Week Description of intervention implemented this week (include frequency/length of time):
3
This week, I performed 10 minutes of mindfulness meditation every night.

Comments on Activity:

Although I have learned a lot about mindfulness meditation and its benefits, I’ve never committed
myself to practicing it on my own before. This self-care journal gave me the motivation to consistently
practice mindfulness, and I am glad that I tried it. Spending ten minutes thinking about nothing but my
breathing every night was surprisingly unnatural, but every time that I finished meditating, I felt
restored and peaceful. It is nice to know that I can perform mindfulness anytime that I am feeling
stressed or when I need to re-center myself.

Buddy Check-In Comments: (Note Key Comments from Conversation)

Ryan said that he thought deep-breathing was a great way to reset his mind when he tried mindfulness
meditation. He suggested that I practice mindfulness in a controlled environment, free of distractions to
help me ease into a mindful state quicker. He also suggested avoiding electronics before and after
meditating as a way to take a break from looking at screens.

Week Description of intervention implemented this week (include frequency/length of time):

4
This week I went on four runs. Monday I ran 4 miles in 30 minutes, Tuesday I ran 2 miles in 15
minutes, Friday I ran 4 miles in 30 minutes and Saturday I ran 3 miles in 22 minutes.

Comments on Activity:

I have really enjoyed running and I always find it to be a worthwhile self-care activity. This week I ran
in Reid park which was a great way for me to combine exercise with nature. Running outdoors, not on
the treadmill is so much more satisfying to me. The fresh air feels good and I enjoy being outside. The
weather was perfect for running this week.

Buddy Check-In Comments: (Note Key Comments from Conversation)

Ryan said that it’s great that I’m combining running and nature in one activity is a really healthy way to
take care of myself. He says it not only helps my fitness and also my state of mind. He suggests that we
run together sometime soon.

Week Description of intervention implemented this week (include frequency/length of time):

5
This week I went on a 4-hour hike on the seven falls trail in Sabino canyon.

M O’C Fall 2018

 Comments on Activity:

I really enjoyed going on this hike and spending time in nature. I’ve always liked hiking and this was a
fun trail on a perfect day. Because of the rain this year, there was plenty of water along the trail, and the
waterfalls were actually flowing. When I had done this trail previously, there was no water. Going on a
long hike always helps me clear my head.
Buddy Check-In Comments: (Note Key Comments from Conversation)

Ryan talked about how he also likes going on hikes and even doing trail runs from time to time. He
talked about how nice it is to be away from all the noise of living in a busy area or being around
campus. He also suggested some other hikes in Tucson for me to try.

Week Description of intervention implemented this week (include frequency/length of time):

6
This week I decided to focus on getting at least 7 hours of sleep each night. I successfully slept at least 7
hours on 4 out of the 7 days this week.

Comments on Activity:

It was surprisingly difficult for me to try to get 7 hours of sleep every night. I realized that I typically
only get around 6 hours of sleep, so it took conscious effort to change my schedule to sleep more.
However, I found that on the days that I was able to get 7 hours of sleep, I felt more refreshed and I
didn’t get tired in the afternoon.
Buddy Check-In Comments: (Note Key Comments from Conversation)

Ryan commented that he has also struggled to improve his sleep schedule during the school year. He
emphasized the importance of avoiding caffeine and minimizing screentime before bedtime to try to
“wind down” before sleep.

Week Description of intervention implemented this week (include frequency/length of time):

7
This week, I exercised by playing racquetball with friends at the rec center. I played on three separate
days for 1 hour each time.

Comments on Activity:

I really like playing racquetball in my free time. It is a really fun sport and a great workout as well.
Because it takes all of my concentration, it takes my mind off of other stressors that I have going on.
This week was a good time for me to play as I really needed the exercise to feel good.
Buddy Check-In Comments: (Note Key Comments from Conversation)

Ryan hadn’t played racquetball before, so I took time explaining the sport to him. He said it sounded
like a fun activity and that he wanted to try to play sometime.

M O’C Fall 2018

 Week Description of intervention implemented this week (include frequency/length of time):
8
This week I wanted to try mindfulness again. I performed mindful meditation for 10 minutes before bed
each night.

Comments on Activity:

This week I felt like my ability to perform mindful meditation has improved drastically. I felt a lot
calmer sitting still and focusing on my breathing. I think the biggest difference was how natural it felt
this time. Spending those couple of minutes meditating is always so worth it to me. I hope to continue
mindful meditation 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 the importance of taking care of myself and not neglecting self-care because I
am busy. I have felt much healthier these past 8 weeks because I’ve taken care of myself. I’ve looked
forward to trying new modalities and taking time for myself.

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

I have felt significantly less stressed this semester. I think this is partly due to having less assignments
this semester and partly due to all the interventions I’ve been trying out. I’ve been more active, eating
better, and getting more sleep.

Will you do anything differently now? Please explain.

I am going to continue to try to live a healthy life and try to implement self-care modalities. If I notice
myself getting more stressed out, I am going to take to time to try to de-stress by using meditation,
exercise, or any of the other interventions I performed.

Comments/suggestions:

M O’C Fall 2018

 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

M O’C Fall 2018