NURS 478 Self Care Journal

Your Name: __Kristen Youtsey_____________ Your Buddy: ____Rachel Lepore______

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
Practiced mindfulness for 15 minutes before bedtime, each day this week. Practiced deep breathing,
during this time, and reflected on the things I am grateful for.

Comments on Activity:
I thoroughly enjoyed this activity. It allowed me to reflect on my day before I went to sleep. I felt like I
as able to reflect more on the positive things that happened during the day and plan to have an even
better day on the next day.

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

2 This week I decided to practice mindfulness for 15 minutes everyday in the morning. Right after I woke
up and before I got out of bed I would practice deep breathing and reflect on the attributes and mindset I
needed to have to have a successful day.

Comments on Activity:
I enjoyed practicing mindfulness during the morning because it allowed me to set a good tone for the
rest of my day. It felt nice to start the day with feelings of gratitude and positivity. The method that I
practiced for this week was one that I learned in my first semester of nursing school in which I associate
each finger with a certain emotion that is either positive or negative to help balance my emotions and
mindset. I found this to be very successful.

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

Rachel found my method of using my fingers to balance my emotions and feelings very interesting. She
stated she had never tried that before and now wanted to try and implement it in her own life. She also
suggested and new method of mindfulness in which I try to incorporate stretching with my deep
breathing and assess how I feel afterwards.

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 Week Description of intervention implemented this week (include frequency/length of time):
3 This week, I tried to implement the method that Rachel suggested of practicing deep breathing and
stretching, at the same time. I would do this right when I woke up in the morning, in my room for 10
minutes each day.

Comments on Activity:
I thoroughly enjoyed this method of mindfulness. I was able to feel more loose in the morning after
stretching and I felt less stiff. Incorporating the deep breathing with the stretching allowed me to focus
on my mindset and where I was in the present moment. I plan to continue using this method of
mindfulness because I believe it has great benefits.
Buddy Check-In Comments: (Note Key Comments from Conversation)
This week, Rachel was pleased that I decided to try her method that she had suggested in our meeting
last week. She stated that she uses this method sometimes in her personal life. She was very
encouraging and told me to continue practicing this method and continue increasing the time in which I
practice this method.

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

4 This week, I continued the method of practicing mindfulness with deep breathing and stretching. I
increased the length of time I would practice it for from 10 minutes per day to 15 minutes per day. I
wanted to see if increasing the length of time would change anything with how I felt. I practiced this
method for 15 minutes every morning, for the entire week.
Comments on Activity:
After completing this week, I felt that practicing deep breathing and stretching for 15 minutes per day
did not make as much of a difference as I thought it would. I felt the same on most days and on some
days I felt rushed because I would not wake up early enough to be able to really focus on the
mindfulness I was practicing. I think I am going to limit my time with practicing mindfulness to 10
minutes per day because it seems to fit better with my lifestyle.

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

This week, Rachel was interested to see if the 5 minute increase in mindfulness practicing would make a
difference in how I felt. After discussing my thoughts, she agreed to limit my practice to 10 minutes per
day for best results. She encouraged me to try different methods of mindfulness even though I am
enjoying the stretching and deep breathing.
Week Description of intervention implemented this week (include frequency/length of time):
5 This week, I decided to try a new method when practicing mindfulness. I decided to take a 10 minute
nature walk at some point during my day, for each day of the week. I have always enjoyed being
immersed in nature and thought this method could prove to work very well for me.

Comments on Activity:
After completing a 10 minute nature walk, each day this week I have felt much better about my mindset
and emotions. I love being in nature and focusing on the benefits of being outside. It helped me to feel
more gratitude towards my life and ultimately produced a better mindset for me to continue my day.

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

This week, I discussed, with Rachel, my new method of doing 10 minute walks in nature each day. She
thought this was a great idea and we discussed how it made me feel after each walk. She seemed
interested in trying that for herself at some point. She suggested trying a mixture of mindfulness with
nature walks, stretching, and deep breathing together.

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 Week Description of intervention implemented this week (include frequency/length of time):
6 This week, I decided to spend half the week doing 10 minute walks in nature and the other half
spending 10 minute deep breathing and stretching. I thought this would provide a good balance of
different methods of mindfulness to set a positive mindset each day.

Comments on Activity:
After completing the mixture of mindfulness methods, I enjoyed having a variety of methods to choose
from. I switched off each day with either a nature walk, deep breathing, or stretching. I liked the
opportunity to switch the method each day and not be stuck in the same routine every time.

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

This week, Rachel and I discussed the benefits of using different methods to complete the 10 minute per
day mindfulness goal that I had set for myself. She like that I had 3 different methods to choose from
and we determined that the most enjoyable one was a nature walk.

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

7 For the 7th week, I have decided to implement one of my previous methods of deep breathing and
stretching. I really enjoyed this method from a few weeks earlier and wanted to use it again this week
since I knew it would provide good benefits for me. I practiced deep breathing and stretching for 10
minutes, each day this week.

Comments on Activity:
I continue to enjoy this method of mindfulness and want to continue doing it after these 8 weeks. It has
proved to be very beneficial for me and puts my mindset in a positive place. I work well and have more
productive days after using this method of mindfulness.

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

This week, Rachel and I discussed the method that I decided to use again. She agreed that this seemed to
be working well for me and encouraged me to continue using it for the future. She also suggested trying
one more new method of mindfulness for the last week to see if I enjoy something else, as well.

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

8 This week, for the final week, I decided to try something new to implement mindfulness in my day. I
decided to try 10 minutes of listening to calm instrumental music. I would turn this music on when I
wake up in the morning and leave it on for 10 minutes while I was getting ready for my day. I was
hoping this would improve my mood and mindset, as well.

Comments on Activity:
I really enjoyed this intervention. I found my mood to be more positive and was open to more
opportunities throughout my day. I think I will use this intervention, as well as the deep breathing and
stretching, in the future.

Complete Survey Below

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

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 Reflection on Panopto presentation and 8-week intervention:

What did these activities teach you?

These activities taught me to take time out of my day to reflect and

focus on my mindset. It is easy to get caught up in day to day
activities and lose focus of yourself. Practicing mindfulness helped
me to set my path straight each day and set goals for myself with the
correct attitude.

Have you noticed any changes in your life since you began this intervention?
Since I began this intervention, I have noticed many changes in my life. Some of these include feeling
happier and more open to opportunities. I also have noticed that I have developed more of a habit of
practicing mindfulness each morning after I wake up. I feel as if I have a more positive mindset when
starting my day because of the methods I have started implementing in my life.

Will you do anything differently now? Please explain.

From now on, I will practice mindfulness at least 10 minutes per day with stretching and deep
breathing. I will continue to try and keep a positive mindset when starting my days and open to new
opportunities if they come my way.

Comments/suggestions: N/A

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
5 4 3 2 1

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