NURS 478 Self Care Journal

Your Name: Bella Rahal Your Buddy: Jesse Smith

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 practiced mindfulness everyday for 5 minutes in the morning and 5 minutes in the evening.
I also did this for 5 minutes before and after each clinical shift this week.

Comments on Activity:
I noticed by the second day that doing mindfulness meditation really helped place me into a better
thinking place and state of mind each morning and evening. This also helped me a lot by preparing
myself before clinical and taking a moment to focus on my breathing. It also helped at the end of each
clinical this week because it allowed me to positively reflect on how I performed and what I got to
accomplish each shift.
Week Description of intervention implemented this week (include frequency/length of time):
2 This week I was finishing my last 3 shifts of preceptorship at TMC. I felt a little more anxious than
normal due to the overwhelming lack of sleep I have gotten recently and with our first exam of the
semester this week. With my mindfulness intervention I was able to do mindfulness 3+ times each day
prior to the exam to allow myself to relax before getting out of bed, prior to studying, and at the end of
each evening. Each time was 5 minutes in length.
Comments on Activity:
Doing mindfulness 3 times a day this week allowed me to reorganize my thoughts and stay focused for
longer periods of time. I was extremely tired working night shift and then having to come home and
study for an exam that was a short ways away. Mindfulness allowed me to stay grounded, focus on
studying, and sleep better at the end of each evening. This also allowed me to stay more positive and
focused on the upcoming exam so that I didn't feel discouraged or lazy when it came to studying. The
day of the test I did mindfulness that morning for 5 minutes and another 5 minutes right before taking
the test. I feel this let me give the exam my fullest effort and allowed me to properly keep my energy
focused on each priority I had this week.
Buddy Check-In Comments: (Note Key Comments from Conversation)
Jesse completed most of his self-care activity of moderate exercise and felt that it helped him a lot.
Jesse did biking this week around his neighborhood and it helped him be less restless during times that
he did homework.

M O’C Fall 2018

Week Description of intervention implemented this week (include frequency/length of time):
3 This week I practiced mindfulness each morning and evening for 10 minutes. It allowed me to regroup
on what my plan was for the day and stay calm and focused.

Comments on Activity:
During each mindfulness session I realized that I was more organized and confident in what my plan for
the day was. It allowed me to focus on what I needed to work on and take everything I had step by step.

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

This week Jesse did more biking, tried to avoid some hilly areas. He did a lot of studying this week so
he was short on his goal and hit around 100 minutes this week.

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

4 This week I did mindfulness around 2-3 times a day for up to 5 minutes each time. This week we have
started our shift from in person to online classes. Doing mindfulness allowed me to stay organized while
being home, and prepare for the change in pace mentally.

Comments on Activity:
I felt a lot more confident this week as I went through the online activities and assignments that were
posted. I was able to stay organized and on top of my schedule even with everything that is going on in
our community.

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

This week Jesse stopped biking. He was having issues with his bike. He increased his use of his gym
system at home – and started using a rowing machine for 10 minutes a day, and increased it to 15
minutes a day by the end of the week.

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

5 I did mindfulness this week every evening for 5 minutes. This week was pretty steady for me and I was
not as stressed as I normally am because I felt I had a better grasp on the online schooling schedule.

Comments on Activity:
Mindfulness allowed me to keep my regular routine going even with classes changing to online. I would
still properly dedicate time that I would be in lecture to review Power Points and articles.

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

This week Jesse didn't use the rowing machine, but did use this at home gym system once a day. Jesse
completed 30 minutes a day and hit his goal. He said he felt a little less restless while doing homework,
but didn't really help him feel less stressed.

M O’C Fall 2018

Week Description of intervention implemented this week (include frequency/length of time):
6 This week I did mindfulness every evening for 10 minutes.

Comments on Activity:
I found myself getting more stressed and having a hard time sleeping at night. So I focused my
mindfulness time in the evening to help ease my mind before going to bed.

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

This week Jesse decreased exercising. He was overwhelmed with school shifting to online classes so
only worked out twice this week. He was busy trying to adjust his schedule to being at home.

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

7 This week I did mindfulness in the mornings when I had group work to do for upcoming projects and
then in the evenings every night for 10 minutes when I was done with schoolwork.

Comments on Activity:
Knowing I had a big project coming up I allowed myself to become mentally prepared in the mornings
before meeting with my group so I could have a clear mind when working.

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

This week Jesse worked out a couple times but was forgetful on his off days. When Jesse was working
on homework he was more preoccupied with schoolwork and it was hard to find motivation to workout
by the end of the day. He did a lot of work for 473 this week so it took most of his time away from
working out.

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

8 This week I did mindfulness every other day in the morning for 10 minutes and then the other days in
the evenings for 10 minutes.

Comments on Activity:
After doing mindfulness like this for every other day I realized how much it really did impact my
outlook on the day, or allowed me to have a better night sleep if I did it before bed in the evenings. This
week I was able to really see a difference in how it has changed my weeks throughout this whole
intervention to help decrease stress.

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?

M O’C Fall 2018
 These activities taught me how to properly manage my stress throughout an 8-week time frame and how
I can incorporate it pretty easily into my everyday routine. Practicing mindfulness became important to
me not only for school but also in my personal life.

Have you noticed any changes in your life since you began this intervention?
I have noticed changes in my life since I began the mindfulness intervention. I am a lot more calm and
positive when it comes to tackling things that typically stress me out. I feel a lot more prepared and
mentally ready when I go to do homework, or study for an exam, or prior to a presentation. It has really
helped me adapt new skills mentally and feel more positive throughout my day to day activities.

Will you do anything differently now? Please explain.

I will probably make sure I keep doing this intervention even after this 8-week period. I noticed a big
change in my mood and how I handled stress, so I don't want to lose what I have learned. I will also
probably allow myself to do mindfulness as needed throughout the day and not really keep track of
time, and focus more on how I am feeling mentally and physically.

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

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