NURS 478 Self Care Journal

Your Name: _Maria Hurtado___________________ Your Buddy: _Saloni Singh___________________

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 participated in intense aerobic and weightlifting. I was able to get in the gym Monday for
9/12 1.5 hours and Wednesday for 1 hour. On Saturday, I went to a concert which was 2 hours long and I
was dancing and jumping the entire time….I was beat!

Comments on Activity:

My Monday workout consist of 60-minute circuit which includes a full body workout. After that, I
worked on strictly leg and glute workout and MAN, I couldn’t sit on toilet for the next few days. It was
intense. My Wednesday workout was not as intense because I was sore form two days before. But I
managed to complete the entire circuit.

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

2
This week I focused on getting more sleep. On my days off school (mon and tue), I was able to get up
9/19 late therefore got 8 hours of sleep each day. I usually have a hard time going to sleep early so my usual
bedtime can be anywhere from 12am to 2am. On wed-fri I had to get up early for class therefore I
calculated 5 hours of sleep each day. But after school I came home to a 2 hour nap each day. It made up
for my lost sleep but somehow after each nap, I always feel much more rested.

Comments on Activity:

I decided to try to put off my naps for the following week and maybe then I will be able to fall asleep at
an earlier time each night.

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

Saloni has tried meditation through Headspace in which has helped her passively observe her thoughts.
I have not heard of Headspace, and it sounds like it is something I would like to try myself. I also have a
hard time falling asleep and I think this will be beneficial to me. It sounds like Saloni really enjoy this
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 meditation method and it’s working well for her

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

3
This week avoided taking naps throughout the day. As tired as I was, I was able to keep myself
occupied and avoided napping. By doing this, I was able to go to bed earlier than usual (12am) and was
able to get more hours of sleep averaging 8 hours/day even on school and workdays.

Comments on Activity:

Putting off naps throughout the day really helped in being able to go to sleep earlier and had longer rest
however, it felt as if I woke up feeling more tired and had a harder time waking up. Not only that,
throughout the days, I felt more fatigue and had less energy

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

This week Saloni went on a 2-hour hike with her friend. She is not normally a person to wake up early
unless its for school but she states she really enjoyed the experience and waking up early gave her more
time to do things throughout the day. She also enjoyed spending time with her friend who she had not
seen in months. Later that day she treated herself with a relaxing bubble bath.
My response:
I’m definitely not either a morning person nor a hiking person either but my kids always go hiking and
beg me to go with them. I’m at the point where the little time I have for myself, I take advantage for a
nap or just relax on the couch. But I have heard that hiking is very good for the body and mind, and it
reduces stress and anxiety. Sounds like you enjoyed it and maybe youre convincing me to take a hike
myself. However, I rather take a bubble bath lol.

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

4
I am not an outdoor person and much less a hiker, but my kids insisted in going hiking so I decided to
join them as part of my self-care nature intervention. Being out in the wilderness was mind opening and
I was able let go of anxiety. I felt less stressed and calm. It was definitely a peaceful hike. Total hiking
time was almost three hours with breaks and snacks in between.

Comments on Activity:

I never imagined hiking could have so much impact on my mental health. I would definitely do it again
but not in the summer. I can imagine how much more enjoyable it could be during a much cooler
weather. I am more open minded to hiking

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

This week Saloni went back to meditating through Headspace 20 minutes before bedtime. It has worked
to ease her anxiety and stress and is beneficial to her as a relaxing technique.
My response:
I’m glad to hear that you have found that beneficial to you. If you went back to that, I’m sure it’s really
working and youre getting the best out of it. Happy to hear you are not being hard on yourself, that only

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 makes things worse. I know I said I would try it myself but have not done so yet, but I did go hiking and
I really enjoyed it. It eased my mind and was able to release anxiety and stress. It was hot though, I
think I will do it again in a much cooler weather.

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

5
This week I focused on getting adequate sleep. I have successfully been able to go to bed at a decent
time after long hours of clinical days. I easily go to bed at 9 with no problem because I am exhausted
after 12 hours being on my feet. During clinical days I go to bed at 9 and wake up at 530 and on my
days off I slept over 10 hours each night.

Comments on Activity:

I have been able to go to sleep earlier and sleep longer hours because I am exhausted, and my body is
not used to 3 consecutive days of 12-hour shifts. I cannot say I am sleep deprived because it would
make no sense since I am sleeping longer hours. I am not complaining about my sleep hours at all
because sleeping is my favorite thing to do however, I don’t understand why I feel less rested and less
energized

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

This week Saloni went up to Mt Lemmon despite her fear of heights. She spent 5 hours up there
accompanied by her boyfriend and had a nice picnic under the sunset.

My response:
Going up to mt Lemmon and having a picnic sounds very relaxing and romantic especially under the
sunset. I am glad he convinced you and found the time to treat yourself with a good time.

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

6
White noise music playing softly at bedtime and throughout my sleep.

Comments on Activity:

I learned about white noise music from my son who apparently has been doing this for a while now. He
mentioned he plays it because he has a hard time falling asleep and that has helped him. I decided to try
it because I, as well, have a hard time falling asleep. I am a light sleeper and easily wake up with any
environmental noise. The white noise playing in the background eliminated constant thinking and
worrying that keeps me from falling asleep and eliminated noise that caused disturbances to my sleep.

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

This week Saloni got adequate sleep of 8 hours everyday. She states that she suspects she has chronic
fatigue because despite the amount of sufficient sleep she gets, she does not feel rested however, she

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 does enjoy sleeping in.

My response:
I also think I have chronic fatigue, no matter how much I sleep, I can sleep in till my back aches and I
will continue feeling fatigue and groggy throughout the day. Naps throughout the day makes me feel
more energized rather than sleeping long hours throughout the night. However, I agree with you,
sleeping in does feel great

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

7
This week I went out roller blading with my friend around Reid Park. The first day it took me one and a
half hours to go around the entire path because I felt so out of shape and had to take breaks. The second
day I pushed myself to complete the path in one hour and was successful.

Comments on Activity:

I had not roller blade in over two years, so I felt rusty the first day. I literally would take breaks every 15
minutes because my quads and calves felt they were on fire! By the end of the activity, I didn’t think to
go back EVER! Two days later I joined her again. This time was equally painful because I was sore
from the first round however, I pushed myself to beat my time and I accomplished my goal. It was fun
and definitely fun but at the time it honestly did not feel like a self-care activity, it felt more like a
torture at the time, but it felt so good mentally and physically afterwards.

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

This week Saloni went back to Headspace meditation. She meditated 20 minutes each night before her
bedtime. She states that she is now able to get into the meditation mind space much quicker than when
she first started. Her stress and anxiety levels are much lower now and is able to consciously catch
herself redirecting her thought process before she falls into an anxious state of mind.

My response:
Oh wow! You’ve become a meditation expert. It’s amazing that just with a few meditating trials, your
mind I able to do that much faster. I still yet need to try. I tried white noise instead and really enjoyed it.
My son introduced me to that because he states he has a hard time falling asleep. It really helped me fall
asleep and stay asleep throughout the night as I wake up very easily with any noise. I’m a light sleeper.
Sounds like you found the right meditation method to redirect your anxiety and stress.

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

8
This week I focused on more sleep. My time management has been on point and I have been able to get
plenty of sleep throughout the week. I slept 8-10 hours each night.

Comments on Activity:

I enjoy every minute of sleep I get but I continue to feel more lethargic throughout the day. I continue
having a hard time waking up as opposed to when I would only sleep 4-5 hours per day. During the
weekend, I slept 12 hours and when I tried getting up, I had a hard time and continued to sleep, totaling

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 15 hours of sleep that day. I got up to eat and continued to feel sleepy and absolutely did nothing but sat
around the remainder of the day.

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?

Staying active throughout the day really helped balance my sleep schedule. Not napping in the middle
of the day helped me regulate a decent bedtime and was able to spend quality time with my family
rather than taking naps. Spending time outdoors hiking, really helped with clearing my mind, relieving
stress and anxiety, and disconnecting from the rest of the world. Meditating through white noise was an
intervention that I will continue using because I have learned my mind does not wander and stress when
there is calming background noise. Clearly, I love to sleep but oversleeping weakens me and makes me
feel air headed and groggy in which I am not able to focus, as if I lack sleep but clearly is not the case. I
have learned that taking naps make me feel more rested but also intervenes with my sleeping patterns.

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

The only change I have noticed is the lethargic feeling when I oversleep. During my other interventions
such as white noise meditation, exercise, and outdoor adventures, I have noticed my body and mind
being more relaxed, am able to easily to let go of stress, and am able to focus on my self-care.

Will you do anything differently now? Please explain.

I will continue to keep myself busy throughout the day and avoid taking naps because I like the fact of
having a decent bedtime and am able to enjoy my family throughout the day. Knowing that I am not
able to function completely when I oversleep and am going to bed at an earlier time than what I
normally used to, I will have to set my alarm to wake up and not let myself oversleep to avoid feeling
lethargic throughout the day. Other than that, I will continue with my other self-care interventions as I
have learned that they are beneficial to my health. The fact that I know for a fact that naps make me feel
more rested yet intervene with a decent bedtime, I will probably continue taking naps and try white
noise at bed time to see if that helps me fall asleep and remain asleep.

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

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 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

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