NURS 478 Self Care Journal

Your Name: __Marco Stevens Cota__________ Your Buddy: ___Amber Casillas_____

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 During this week I went to the rec center 3 times, each for about 45-60 minutes. During this time I
broke down my routine day by day as :back/biceps, legs/shoulders, and chest/triceps

Comments on Activity:
Working out this week made me feel a lot better than I usually do when ever I do not go to the gym. I
believe that when I am physically active my mind and spirit become more at ease.

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

2 During this week I went to the rec center and did the same routine although it was spread out throughout
the week. I still did 45-60 mins of back/biceps one day, legs/shoulders, and chest and triceps. This was
all done over 3 days during the week also.

Comments on Activity:
Working out this week also felt really well, it really helps me with all the stress I have going on in my
life right now with school and work. I think that if I didn’t take the time to go to the gym or be even
slightly active my mood would drastically change.

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

I am glad that you were able to relieve some stress by working out. School can be extremely stressful,
and I am sure that a job on top of school is overwhelming at times. Working out always improves my
mood as well. Sometimes, when I am really busy I find it hard to gain the motivation to go to the gym
but I always know that I will feel so much better after going.
M O’C Fall 2018
Week Description of intervention implemented this week (include frequency/length of time):
3 During this week I decided to mix it up and play basketball with some old highschool friends. I played
one day out of the week, but managed to play for about 3 hours playing games back to back.

Comments on Activity:
Basketball is one of my favorite sports to play and whenever I get the chance I will always agree to
play. Especially if we manage to get 10 people to agree, then we can play full games.

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

It is so nice to switch up an exercise routine. Sometimes I get bored if I continue to do the same work
out routines over and over. I am happy that you were able to get some exercise and enjoy playing one of
your favorite sports at the same time.

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

4 During this week I went back to my regular workout routine and went to the gym 3 days out of the
week. I spent about an hour there each time if not more because I went with a friend. We did
legs/shoulders one day, back/biceps the next, and chest/triceps on the last day.

Comments on Activity:
This week was much more enjoyable because I usually like to go to the gym with a friend. We help
motivate each other to try harder with each workout we do and by the end of the workout we are
completely exhausted.

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

I like to work out with a friend also. I feel like the time goes by so much faster when I work out with a
friend. Sometimes when I am lacking motivation to go to the gym, having a friend push me to go always
works. Additionally, I love seeing other people’s work out routines so that I can incorporate some of it
into my work out routine as well. I am glad that working out with a friend benefited your work-out
routine also.
Week Description of intervention implemented this week (include frequency/length of time):
5 This week I did not go to the gym, but instead tried to sleep for at least 7 hours before every day I had to
go to work. I slept 7 hours for about 4 days this week.

Comments on Activity:
Getting about 7 hours of sleep this week felt amazing, especially because normally I would get about 5
hours of sleep a night on a regular day. I felt more refreshed each time I woke up and my days always
felt a lot more enjoyable compared to days where I get little sleep.

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

I am glad you were able to get 7 hours of sleep on the nights before school or clinical this week.
Especially because it can be difficult to adjust to going to bed earlier if you are used to going to bed late.
For me, I did not realize the impact that having enough sleep had until I consistently did it. I also felt so
much more refreshed.

M O’C Fall 2018

Week Description of intervention implemented this week (include frequency/length of time):
6 This week I managed to play basketball 2 days out of the week. I played for about 2 hours each time at
the rec center.

Comments on Activity:
Once again I really enjoy playing basketball and whenever I play at the rec center it is always with
people I have never met. These games can get very intense and very fast, but I enjoy it because it pushes
me to try even harder than I would if I was playing with people I am comfortable playing with.

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

It is nice that you were able to play basketball again. I am sure the intensity and fast pace made the
game even more exciting and enjoyable. I am glad you were able to relieve some more stress by
working out.
Week Description of intervention implemented this week (include frequency/length of time):
7 During this week I did not work out, instead I tried to sleep for about 7 hours each night before I had
work the next day. I managed to only do this 3 days out of the week, since I only had 3 shifts this week.

Comments on Activity:
Getting that much sleep before I have a long shift ahead of me the following day is always great. I feel
much more rested and less irritated which is perfect when your shift the next day is extremely busy.

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

I am happy that you were able to get at least 7 hours of sleep before your shifts this week. Feeling rested
and less irritated can make the shift go so much quicker and smoother. I am glad that getting more than
7 hours of sleep has such a positive impact on your mood and energy level.

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

8 During my final week I decided to stick to my regular workout routine. I went to the rec center 3 days
this week. Each day I spent about 45-60 minutes on each work out. The first day was back/biceps, the
next legs/shoulders, and the last chest/triceps.

Comments on Activity:
I really enjoy going to the gym because it allows for me to get rid of any built up stress I have acquired
over the week. During this week I felt much more at ease both physically and mentally following the
days I went to the gym.

Complete Survey Below

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

M O’C Fall 2018

 Reflection on Panopto presentation and 8-week intervention:

What did these activities teach you?

These activities taught me how important it is to take care of oneself and how it can affect one's mood.
The days that I did not go to the gym I felt more sluggish and I had much of a lower mood. The days I
did go to the gym I felt so much more energetic and it was much easier to get out of bed the following
day.

Have you noticed any changes in your life since you began this intervention?
The largest change I have noticed following this interventions is with my mood. Since going to the gym
more regularly and sleeping more I noticed my mood has shifted in a much more positive direction.
This helped me be more motivated for school, work, and social interactions.

Will you do anything differently now? Please explain.

Now I will try to continue to go to the gym at least 3 times a week in order to help deal with all the
stress I have in my life. I also believe life will continue to be stressful working as a registered nurse so it
will be important for me to take care of myself in order for me to properly take care of others.

Comments/suggestions:

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
M O’C Fall 2018
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