NURS 478 Self Care Journal

Your Name: Brooklyn Maher Your Buddy: Taylor Petty

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 Week of 9/4 – 9/10
I did two one-hour yoga sessions. Both of them were beginner yoga classes and one of them was called
a “Gentle Flow” class.

Comments on Activity:
One of my yoga sessions was more thought centered, which was really interesting. It also felt like it
happened at an opportune time. I am so stressed about school kicking off, and then I got an hour to just
clear my mind and focus on my thoughts and the energy I bring with me. So far, this has been one of the
best homework assignments of my college career.

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

2 Week of 9/11-9/17
Same as last week, I completed two one-hour beginner yoga classes. They were taught by the same
instructor so a lot of the things I saw were familiar, which was nice.

Comments on Activity:
Even two weeks in, I feel a little more comfortable in attending a yoga class. I am more familiar with
the names of the moves, and I feel more knowledgeable about what I can and cannot do as of right now.

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

Taylor was incredibly supportive and many of her questions revolved around how I was feeling. Was
the yoga helping clear my mind? Was I seeing any personal improvement? So far, I’m not seeing a huge
difference, but I am excited to continue.

M O’C Fall 2018

 Week Description of intervention implemented this week (include frequency/length of time):
3 Week of 9/18-9/24
I took a one-hour beginner level yoga flow class, and I streamed a one-hour morning/wake-up yoga
class later in the week.

Comments on Activity:
Both of these classes were enjoyable, and the wake-up class introduced me new things and new moves I
have not seen yet. The morning yoga class started my day off so nicely, it almost made me want to get
up earlier to do this more often.

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

Taylor was excited to hear about my experiences over the past week. She again asked, was the yoga
helping clear my mind? And so far, I think it is having a positive impact on my mental well-being.
During and immediately following class, I feel much clearer. Taylor continued encouraging me to
continue my self-care journal, and she challenged me to try and implement some of the breathing
techniques into my day-to-day life.

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

4 Week of 9/25-10/1
My first class of the week was a one-hour morning “Beginner Yoga” class that I brought my parents to.
Later in the week, I streamed two-thirty-minute classes, one was a “Back and Lower Back Yoga” and
the other was a “Stress and Coping” class.

Comments on Activity:
The beginner class was all about how our bodies are a vehicle for transformation. I felt like this is
closely tied to the integrative nursing principles we have been learning and reflecting on this semester.
The body has an innate capacity to heal.

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

Taylor asked a lot about how the thirty-minute classes differed from the hour long class, and I told her
about how the shorter classes were very focused classes. I could feel stretching in my back the entire
way through the “Back and Lower Back” class, and the “Stress and Coping” class was very focused on
breathing exercises and envisioning good energy and white light entering your body.

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

5 Week of 10/2-10/8
I took a one-hour “Shoulders and Hips” beginner level yoga class, and I took a one-hour all levels yoga
flow class.

Comments on Activity:
In the shoulders and hips class, the instructor talked a lot about opening up your body, heart, and mind.
This is something I should definitely work on. Since this was my first week of preceptorship, and I had
the midterm Wednesday I felt extremely overwhelmed. Going to my two yoga classes genuinely helped
clear my mind.
Buddy Check-In Comments: (Note Key Comments from Conversation)
Taylor definitely knew how stressed I was this week, so she asked me about how my yoga classes were
making me feel. I can genuinely see a difference in my day after I go to yoga, and I feel like I am able to
sleep better. Taylor continues to be very encouraging and she told me to just, “do what your need to feel

M O’C Fall 2018

 okay.”

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

6 Week of 10/9-10/15
This week my mom and I went to an all-levels one-hour yoga flow class, and later in the week I went to
a “Gentle Flow” one-hour class.

Comments on Activity:
For some reason, the all-level class was very challenging. We were doing positions that I had never seen
before. A lot of the positions required balance, which is an area I struggle with. Though this class was
difficult and there were positions I could not do, I don’t feel discouraged. The “Gentle Flow” class was
great and very relaxing.

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

Taylor loved that I was getting my mom involved with my self-care “homework.” She helped me realize
that throughout my own self-care journey, I can also encourage others to care for themselves. My mom
really seemed to enjoy our time together and I think she enjoyed the yoga class.

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

7 Week of 10/16-10/22
Both of my classes this week were one-hour beginner yoga flows. They were similar in the poses we
did, and they were both enjoyable.

Comments on Activity:
I streamed both of the classes at home and did them about two hours before bed. It was nice feeling
relaxed and stretched before going to sleep. I even felt like I was able to fall asleep faster because of the
yoga. This could be something I can implement in the future if I am feeling anxious before I go to bed!

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

One of the best parts of this self-care journal has been having an accountability partner to check in with.
Taylor continues to encourage me and uplift me. It is nice having someone to talk to about this whole
experience. Taylor asked me if I wanted to continue doing yoga after this assignment, and my honest
answer is YES. Having an excuse to start doing yoga was just what I needed. I am in no way skilled at
it, having only done yoga for 16 hours now, but it is something I want to continue.

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

8 Week of 10/23-10/29
This week I completed two one-hour “Gentle Flow” classes with the same instructor. I have taken a few
of her classes now, so I knew the kind of stuff we would be doing.

Comments on Activity:
This week is also week 4 of my preceptorship, and I feel like I am constantly tired and my back hurts.
My yoga sessions this week felt like a necessary escape. I also felt like with the many downward dog
and forward folds we were doing, I was able to stretch my back out a little. I cannot believe I am done
with my eight weeks of yoga. It seemed to go by rather quickly!

M O’C Fall 2018

 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 that in order to take care of myself, I have to prioritize myself. There were
weeks when it would have been easier to not get my yoga done, but I knew how great I would feel once
it was over. You have to take care of yourself, even if you do not feel like it. Time and time again I have
heard people say, “You only get one life,” and that is exactly why you need to take care of your body. It
matters. By prioritizing self-care when I enter my career, I will be able to combat nurse burnout.

Have you noticed any changes in your life since you began this intervention?
I feel like I am more aware of how I am feeling since beginning this intervention. At a baseline, I am not
flexible. I am able to run and lift, but I have never been able to stretch like other people. Though I
would not consider myself flexible now, I do feel like I have improved a bit. I even find myself doing
some yoga poses in my free time just to enjoy the stretch it gives me. I feel more aware of the energy I
have, and I am more aware of the tension I can hold in my body. Yoga has been a very fun and eye-
opening experience.

Will you do anything differently now? Please explain.

Since doing this activity, I plan on prioritizing my mental wellbeing. Each week I am going to do
something for myself that brings me joy and makes me feel better. It seems easy, but I know it will be
difficult at times. Taking time each week for yourself does not seem feasible at times, but this lesson has
taught me how necessary self-care is. This project also taught me that I can rely on others to hold me
accountable in my goals, and I plan on using those people to help me improve. Having someone check
in with you every once in a while, can keep you engaged, motivated, and inspired.

Comments/suggestions: I was unable to find a rubric for this assignment in d2L. My only suggestion
would be to have a rubric available to students. I thoroughly enjoyed this assignment and I could see
myself grow over these 8 weeks!

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.

M O’C Fall 2018

 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