NURS 478 Self Care Journal

Your Name: Amanda Shackelford Your Buddy: Allison Hayes

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 will sleep at least 7 hours before and after my three scheduled preceptor shifts: 2/10, 2/14,

and 2/15.
Comments on Activity: I was able to sleep soundly and comfortably before my shift on 2/10; however,

it seemed that my body was not ready to fall asleep before my shifts on 2/14 and 2/15. I only got 5 or 6

hours of sleep prior to those days, but it was not from lack of effort because I was in bed 8 hours before

my alarm clock was scheduled to go off.

Week Description of intervention implemented this week (include frequency/length of time): This week, I will

2 work on getting 7 hours a sleep before my preceptor shifts on 2/18, 2/20 and 2/22.

Comments on Activity: This week I was able to get at least 7 hours of sleep following my shifts;

however, I was really anxious prior to my shift on 2/22 and definitely did not get a full 7 hours. I think I

was nervous because I knew it was my last day. We also had an exam on the day after my shift on 2/18,

so I stayed up a little extra to study and then I had to be up early for my shadow experience. I have

noticed that overall, so far, I have not been as intentional about getting good sleep like I was at the

beginning of the semester.

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 Buddy Check-In Comments: (Note Key Comments from Conversation) My buddy, Alli, and I discussed

in our conversation about immersing ourselves in nature one time next week. We planned on next

Friday to go hiking on this new trail called Painted Hills to help enrich our self-care goal.

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

3 only school day planned is 2/26, so my new goal is to focus on getting at least 7 hours of sleep every

night because the week is not as busy as prior weeks.

Comments on Activity: I was able to get 7 hours of sleep every night except two nights! This has been

quite the accomplishment, and I feel better overall and less tired during the day.

Buddy Check-In Comments: (Note Key Comments from Conversation) We had our self-care discussion

during our hike this week that we had planned last week. We both have been having difficulty meeting

our goal to the fullest, but we have both been intentional about trying to reach it every week. We both

agree that it is only a matter of time before we fully complete our weekly goals.
Week Description of intervention implemented this week (include frequency/length of time): This week, my

4 last school day is Wednesday, March 4th, so I will be headed home for spring break and some rest and

relaxation. My goal for the first few days of the week is to get at least seven hours of sleep prior to each

school day. The last few days of the week (because I won’t be at school and on a strict schedule), my

goal is to continue with the seven hours of sleep but not forcing myself to go to bed at a specific time or

wake up at a specific, and just listen to my body.

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 Comments on Activity: As it turns out, it was extremely hard to get seven hours of sleep on the days I

returned home because I was visiting with friends and we would stay out later than usual. Then, I had to

be up early for work and working out, so I underestimated the ease of still getting seven hours of sleep

every night despite not being on a strict schedule.

Buddy Check-In Comments: (Note Key Comments from Conversation): Alli is in Park City, Utah

skiing with her family! She was happy that I was able to spend time with friends and family since she

knew I had missed them. She encouraged me to keep working on making sleep a priority.

Week Description of intervention implemented this week (include frequency/length of time): This week, I will

5 get seven hours of sleep before each day I am scheduled to work: 3/11, 3/12, 3/13, and 3/15. And I will

take one day for rest and relaxation without working.

Comments on Activity: I was unable to take a full day for rest and relaxation which has really affected

my mood and energy the following week. I took a half day of rest and relaxation on 3/14 which was fun

and rejuvenating but I still am lacking sleep and feeling anxious.

Buddy Check-In Comments: (Note Key Comments from Conversation) Alli understood how I was

feeling due to the lack of sleep. She talked to me about my feelings and suggested working out, or doing

yoga to try and reduce feelings of anxiety - that is what she tries to do when she feels that way.

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

6 want to detour from getting proper sleep and focus on intentional mindfulness. The state of public health

has taken a turn for the worse, and it is affecting school, leisure, and community. These elements are

vital to my everyday routine, and I think adding in some meditation or words of affirmation could help

reduce my anxiety about the situation. I will implement this activity before bed and strived for 5-10

minutes.

Comments on Activity: I added in some 4-7-8 breathing right before bed as my mindfulness practice

this week. I found that it helped me get more quality, restful sleep and I was able to get at least 7 hours

or more every night this week. I have found that with less responsibilities in terms of work, planned

activities, etc., there is more time for time at home to reflect on self-care.

Buddy Check-In Comments: (Note Key Comments from Conversation) Alli was proud of me for

implementing 4-7-8 breathing before bed. She mentioned she has issues falling asleep sometimes and

felt this could be useful for her to implement in her life.

Week Description of intervention implemented this week (include frequency/length of time): This week, I will

7 continue to perform a mindfulness activity before bed every night, strive for at least 7 hours of sleep

every night, and add on turning off my phone 30 minutes prior to getting into bed. Instead, I will read a

book or write in a journal.

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 Comments on Activity: I was able to successfully complete all these activities three of the seven nights

of the week. I have also referred back to the list of interventions this week and realized that I am doing

most of them without even realizing now that school is online, and I am home. I was able to participate

in 3 online yoga classes last week and participate in nature every day for at least an hour or more.

Buddy Check-In Comments: (Note Key Comments from Conversation) Alli mentioned she was so

happy that I got to be out in nature, and do yoga. She said that this is a very stressful time in our lives

with COVID-19 and transitioning into the work force. She was proud that I had found something that

seemed to really work for me and make me feel better.

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

8 week (now that I have realized that I have been implementing quite a few of the above interventions) is

to pick one intervention to implement per day (depending on what my body and mind are telling me) for

a total of seven interventions this week. Interventions will include journaling, turning phone off 30

minutes before going to bed, one hour of yoga, one hour of nature, mindfulness before bed, reading a

book, or outdoor physical activity.

Comments on Activity: This was my favorite week out of all the previous weeks. I felt more at ease and

rejuvenated when listening to my mind and body about what activity was best that day. I hope to

continue this variety of interventions throughout the coming weeks to keep my anxiety low and my

hopes high.

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 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?

Many of these activities taught me patience. Today’s society is all about the “I want it now” mindset

with wicked fast technology and instant exam scores, so I think people, including me, have forgotten

how to have patience. Yoga, outdoor running, nature, and journaling all require more than 10 minutes of

time and in order to reap any benefits, I would suggest at least 30 minutes to an hour of every activity.

On paper that doesn’t sound like a lot, but throughout the last 8 weeks, my mind would begin to wander

within 5 minutes, and it takes energy and intention in order to float my thinking back to the task at hand.

I also learned how to have patience with myself. For example, I would get frustrated if I couldn’t

complete a certain yoga pose, but I would divert that negative energy and remind myself that I’m not a

professional yogi and there’s no reason to have perfect yoga practice. It takes time to perfect poses

which requires patience.

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

I have been waking up feeling more rested since I began this intervention. Implementing the sleep

schedule was the first intervention I attempted and completed the entire 8 weeks. Physically, I am able

to stay awake longer and be more productive throughout the day. I have noticed my skin has become

clearer. Also, after I started implementing the yoga, I have been able to fall asleep faster and stay asleep

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 throughout the night which was the greatest accomplishment in my opinion.

Will you do anything differently now? Please explain.

I will continue to practice yoga regularly throughout the week. That intervention was definitely my

favorite, but I will also continue journaling. I have been completing the gratitude journal simultaneously

with this one, and I feel so much more grateful and at peace with the circumstances at hand. It’s like I’m

my own therapist; being able to discuss my daily gratitudes or health interventions seems so minute, but

I find it extremely therapeutic. It reassures me that a day doesn’t go by that I’m unproductive and a

failure, but that I’m investing in my health and mind even if I don’t complete a single chore or

homework assignment. So, yes, I will continue to make my health and mind a priority in my life.

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.
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 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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