NURS 478 Self Care Journal

Your Name: _______Angela Matthew_______ Your Buddy: __Micah Johnson_________

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, we completed at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise. This included us going to
the gym together twice within this week and performed cardio and weightlifting.

Comments on Activity:
After speaking with Micah, we both agreed weightlifting is a positive outlet to relieve stress and to
release endorphins. It is a method of self-care we will likely use frequently throughout the semester.

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

2
For week 2, I slept at least 7 hours before and after a work or school day. I did this for each day of the
week.

Comments on Activity:

I really enjoy sleeping, especially when I am sick. This was a beneficial self-care activity for me
because it helped me heal and rest my body. I feel most rested when I get at least 8 hours of sleep so this
will be a goal of mine.

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

Micah agreed and thought it would be better for me this week to not go to the gym and get as much
sleep as I could. This past week I was sick and needed to recuperate before I burned out. This week
Micah participated in yoga. She stated that she enjoyed yoga because her mind and body felt relaxed,
destressed and less anxious.
M O’C Fall 2018
 Week Description of intervention implemented this week (include frequency/length of time):
3
For this week, Micah and I both went out in nature to Mt. Lemmon with our group of friends. We went
on a nature walk and stayed outdoors for around 4-5 hours.

Comments on Activity:
I really enjoy being out in nature and smelling the fresh air and feeling the cool breeze. I feel very at
peace when I am outdoors, away from the rush of the city life.

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

Micah stated that she felt it was nice getting out of Tucson, feeling cooler weather and enjoyed
experiencing another culture through music and food. She also had fun enjoying nature with friends.

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

4
This week I participated in more than 150 minutes of moderate exercises as I went to the gym twice this
week.

Comments on Activity:
I really enjoyed working out this week. It can be difficult for me to get myself out of the house to go to
a gym, but once I am there, I am happy that I went. I find myself having a happier state of mind after I
go to the gym in comparison to how I was feeling prior.

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

This week Micah participated in weight training and in cardio exercises. She went three times within the
week, totaling over 150 minutes of exercise. She enjoys going to gym with her boyfriend and finds him
as a positive motivator.

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

5
For week 5, I slept at least 7 hours before and after a work or school day. I did this for each day of the
week.

M O’C Fall 2018

 Comments on Activity:
Having a decent amount of sleep makes me feel refreshed and energized for the day. It is important that
I get enough sleep, otherwise my brain gets foggy and I can get grumpy and easily irritated. The more
sleep I need, the less caffeine I need which can sometimes make me jittery.

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

Micah did sleep for this week. She was feeling extra tired this week and needed to add at least an extra
hour to her sleep each night. This made her feel less drowsy and had a sharper focus during lecture and
clinical.

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

6 This week I participated for 150 minutes of moderate exercise by doing 20 minutes of cardio before
each time I lifted. One day I worked on upper body weightlifting exercises, and for day two, I did lower
body exercises/

Comments on Activity:
I really enjoy working out and using working out as a stress reliever. It makes me feel rejuvenated and
provides me with mental clarity as I only focus on what I am doing in the moment and listen to my
favorite music playlists.

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

This week, Micah went out into nature with her dog. She took her dog to the dog park one day of the
week. For 3 days of the week she also took her dog, Nova, on jobs and walks throughout her
neighborhood

Week Description of intervention implemented this week (include frequency/length of time): I went hiking on
7 Tumamoc Hill with another nursing student for two hours.

Comments on Activity:
We made to the top of the mountain even though we were out of breath and tired. This was a nice
alternative to working out in the gym as I was out in nature and could enjoy the beautiful views of
Tucson. It was always a bucket list item of mine to do before I moved out of Tucson, so I am glad I
have this opportunity to hike.
Buddy Check-In Comments: (Note Key Comments from Conversation)
This week Micah performed mindfulness mediation. She did it all 7 days out of the week. She played
calm music as she went to bed with the essence of lavender in the air dispersing from her oil diffuser.
This helped reduce her anxiety and ease all tensions.

M O’C Fall 2018

 Week Description of intervention implemented this week (include frequency/length of time):
8 For my last week of self-care, I wanted to implement a meditation session once a night before I went to
bed for 5 days.

Comments on Activity: Prior to this, I have not consecutively done mindful meditation. To prepare for
meditation, I listened to calm music and used my essential oil diffuser with the eucalyptus scent to place
me into a calm state of mind. I really enjoyed taking 10 minutes out of each day to have a relaxing
period to look forward to that took minimal effort. After performing mindfulness, I think I will
incorporate it more in my day to day life.

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 that it is important to set aside time to take care of yourself, no matter how
busy you are. I really enjoyed using a range of self-care activities instead of using the same one each
week. This helped me have something new to look forward to each week.

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

I have found that I am calmer, and overall happier this semester. It likely is related to the amount of
time I have given myself to do self-care instead of pushing it aside.

Will you do anything differently now? Please explain.

I think from now on I will try and keep up a healthy workout routine. I also really enjoy using essential
oils in my diffuser and am likely to continue using that in the future.

Comments/suggestions: I liked the range of integrative modalities to pick from that were presented on
the first page.

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

M O’C Fall 2018

 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