NURS 478 Self Care Journal

Your Name: ____Vanessa Velasquez_____________ Your Buddy: ______Victoria Haros________

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 1 Description of intervention implemented this week (include frequency/length of time):
 Practiced mindfulness meditation for 10 minutes every day. I followed a 10-minute guide on
Youtube in which I would sit up straight, bring attention to my breath, and notice my thoughts
according to what the video was saying. The video is called Mindfulness Meditation- Guided
10 Minutes by The Honest Guys-Meditation-Relaxation.
Comments on Activity:
 This activity helped me to gather my ideas and remove negative emotions and thoughts from
my mind. At first it was a little hard to fully focus as I was getting easily distracted with my
surroundings and my thoughts would wander. However, I slowly began to increase my focus
during the meditation and avoid distractions.
Week 2 Description of intervention implemented this week (include frequency/length of time):
 I slept for at least 7 hours before my preceptorship days during the week for a total of three
days in order to be fully rested. I made sure to go to sleep by 2100 the nights before my
preceptorship and wake up at 0500.

Comments on Activity:
 By being fully rested I was able to think wake up feeling rested which helped me throughout
the day as I felt like I had a clear mind and had increased energy throughout the day. Sleeping
early helped me to make sharp decisions and allowed me to better understand situations.

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

 Victoria seemed to be having a little difficulty at first when explaining her experiencing with
meditation. She described how her mind would wander off in the beginning and become easily
distracted with other things in her surroundings, such as noises. However, she described that
her ability to focus began to improve as she continued practicing the meditation. She also
described that she began to seem benefits from the intervention around week 2 when she was
able to complete her assignment after meditating. Victoria described her meditation skills to
be improving.

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 Week 3 Description of intervention implemented this week (include frequency/length of time):
 For this week I ran for 90 minutes three times a week around my neighborhood. I would run in
the evening towards the end of my day as a method of relieving stress from my busy days.
This felt a little difficult to complete as I had not been running in a long time and felt very
lazy to do so.
Comments on Activity:
 Running was a good way to relieve my stress and improves my mood. After running, I felt
like I had a clear mind and felt happy and ready to continue my day. It also helped to release
my anxiety and enhance my sense of well-being which helped me to be more productive
throughout the day.
Buddy Check-In Comments: (Note Key Comments from Conversation)

 During this week Victoria to be a little stressed regarding her preceptorship and other
assignments. She mentioned that preceptorship was a semi difficult transition as we had been
out of the clinical setting for so long and that she wasn’t focusing on completing the
intervention after her first day. However, she seemed to be content of being able to complete
her interventions the days after and was excited about how the intervention helped her reduce
her stress before an exam. She seems to be benefiting from this intervention and seems to have
an easier way of finding moments to incorporate the intervention when needed.

Week 4 Description of intervention implemented this week (include frequency/length of time):

 For this week I attempted to sleep for at least 7 hours every night to wake up well rested. I
managed to complete this intervention five days out of the week. I made sure to set an alarm
to know the time in which I should begin getting ready to bed in to have a better chance at
falling asleep on time. The time at which I feel asleep depended on what I had to do for my
next days. For example, I went to sleep at 2100 on the days before my preceptorship and
would go to sleep by 2200 on the days before my class.
Comments on Activity:
 This intervention did feel a little difficult at first because I felt like my day wasn’t long enough
at first to be able to fall asleep so early as I thought I had many more tasks to accomplish.
However, I later began to organize my days to finish more tasks throughout the day and feel
more comfortable with going to sleep earlier. I also made sure to place my phone on do not
disturb to avoid getting distracted by notifications which made it harder to fall asleep. I slowly
began to get into a rhythm as I continued to prioritize my sleep.
Buddy Check-In Comments: (Note Key Comments from Conversation)

 Victoria described that she wanted to change the video that she was using to guide her
meditation and described to enjoy this video more. She seemed to be a little less motivated to
continue her intervention but managed to push through. She described that being disciplined
and completing her intervention benefited her in the long run and was beginning to enjoy the
meditation.

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 Week 5 Description of intervention implemented this week (include frequency/length of time):
 For this week I continued to attempt to sleep at least seven hours. I managed to complete this
intervention four days of the week. Once again, I would go to sleep at 2100 on the days before
my preceptorship and would go to sleep at 2200 the day before my class.

Comments on Activity:
 Going to sleep early really allowed me to have a clear mind and wake up feeling well rested,
refreshed, and ready to take on the day. I felt like I could think clearly and focus better.
However, I did feel like it was a bit hard to continue to go to sleep because I still wanted to
stay up and use my phone as I felt like I hadn’t talked to my friends in a while. I continued to
remind myself the importance of sleep and punished myself to sleep at least 7 hours.
Buddy Check-In Comments: (Note Key Comments from Conversation)
 Victoria seemed to be stressed about her school workload and stated to feel distracted when
attempting to meditate. She described that she would get distracted by her outside
environments and thoughts in her mind. She seemed to be disappointed in herself that she was
unable to complete this intervention as much as previous weeks. She mentioned that she
hoped her meditation was better the following weeks.

Week 6 Description of intervention implemented this week (include frequency/length of time):

 This week’s intervention was another 10-minute guided mediation using the same Youtube
video from week 1. The video is called Mindfulness Meditation- Guided 10 Minutes by The
Honest Guys-Meditation-Relaxation. This video allowed me to be present in the moment and
practice relaxation by letting go of my thoughts. This time I attempted to perform the
intervention before doing schoolwork to better center my mind and thoughts. I attempted to
perform this intervention four times a week.

Comments on Activity:
 I found it a little easier to meditate this time around and be able to focus on keep my mind
clear and remove all negative emotions. The meditation helped me focus my thoughts instead
of being stressed about upcoming assignments. I felt like I was able to think clearer, and my
mood had improved from before I started.
Buddy Check-In Comments: (Note Key Comments from Conversation)

 Victoria seemed to be slightly disappointed that this week wasn’t as effective as she planned.
But seemed to be happy that it was indeed better than the previous week. She seemed to
appear accomplished that she was able to implement the intervention throughout the week.
However, she seemed a bit stressed that she was having difficulty completing the intervention
and described that was becoming bored of meditation. She did not seem to enjoy the
intervention anymore as she used to in the previous weeks. Victoria also mentioned that this
might not be something she would continuously implement after her last week.

Week 7 Description of intervention implemented this week (include frequency/length of time):

 For this week I decided to go on a run four days a week for 90 minutes before dinner time. I
decided to run around my neighborhood to exercise and release stress that I may have been
experiencing. I chose to run as it was it was easiest the vigorous intense exercise to perform. I
made sure to stop in between to stretch, drink water, and take a breather. I chose to do squats
and do lunges as my method of stretching.

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 Comments on Activity:
 At first, I didn’t want to go on a run as I felt very lazy and thought I would not enjoy that.
However, I knew that this was something that I had to do to practice self-care. The activity
felt a little difficult during and I wanted to quit halfway through and go home to rest.
However, I made sure to continue and push through the exercise.
Buddy Check-In Comments: (Note Key Comments from Conversation)

 Victoria seemed to appear more accomplished and content with her ability to meditate in this
week. However, she described that she found it a little difficult to meditate and enter a state in
which she could perform the intervention. She appeared to be stressed and tired when
describing her implementing the meditation. However, she did mention the benefits that
meditation would provide for her afterwards which she enjoyed.

Week 8 Description of intervention implemented this week (include frequency/length of time):

 For this week I did mindful meditation every day for 10 minutes for a total of seven days. I
performed the meditation at a throughout the day that I felt like I needed to regroup. It helped
me to release stress and focus on what was important at the time. It really helped to decrease
any anxiety I was experiencing and become in touch with my emotions to gain a better
understanding of how to handle them.

Comments on Activity:
 I feel like after having practiced mediation for a few weeks that I began to gain an
understanding of the positive effects it can have and how to properly meditate. I learned how
to clear my mind, become aware of my emotions and thoughts while also becoming aware of
the moment I was in. I learned how to better relax and reduce my stress in an effective
manner. I also improved my ability to avoid getting as distracted and focus on my breathing.

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 how to take better care of myself and prioritize importance things such as
sleeping, exercise, and breathing. These were things that I felt to not be as important compared to
other tasks I had to complete, such as studying for exams. However, I learned that these activities do
not take as much time as I thought and have wonderful benefits that I was unaware of. The activities
taught that self-care is essential for being successful in other aspects of my life.

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

I did notice that because of these activities my mood had improved, I felt less stressed and happier
than before. I felt like I could identify and manage my emotions better to avoid becoming
overwhelmed and becoming unproductive. These activities also helped improve my focus and helped
to perform better in school and my preceptorship. I felt like my mind was clearer, I could understand
situations better, and make critical decisions when needed. These activities also helped me to feel
well rested with more energy throughout the day helping me to be more productive.
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 Will you do anything differently now? Please explain.
I will continue to implement these activities in my life as I continue forward. Since beginning the
activities, I have begun to exercise routinely while also improving my sleeping habits. I will continue
to prioritize my sleep schedule especially as this important for when I enter my nursing career. I will
also attempt to continue to meditate at least once a week and at times when I may be feeling
overwhelmed and/or anxious.

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
1 2 3 4 5

M O’C Fall 2018