NURS 478 Self Care Journal

Your Name: __Kerry___________ Your Buddy: _Michelle________

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
1 time):
My primary objectives will be to sleep at least 7 hours per day, build up meditation to
13 minutes (because some research by Suzuki found consistency at that rate led to
improved focus) and maintain my daily hourly gym routine.

Comments on Activity:
I’ve been slowly shifting my sleep schedule to start earlier. I’ve found myself pretty
groggy during preceptorship due to waking up around 6:20 and bolting last minute.
I’ve been able to start going to bed around 10 pm and this has helped dramatically.
Meditation has not been going well, I find lab and clinicals has demolished so much
time I can barely get most of my studying and current habits in place. I’ve been able
to maintain the gym though.

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

2 time):
Slept between 6 - 8 hours a day throughout the week, trying to push it to a most
consistent 7. Continue trying to build up meditation to 13 minutes once every day.
Continue going to gym every day for an hour.
 Comments on Activity:

Sleep is definitely greater during days off, I feel like I just crash most of the time
because even though I get a fairly consistent amount overall the sheer amount of work
recently has been physically exhausting.
I’ve had to skip a day of gym for the first time in a while because of my roommate's
birthday party. I think there’s several friends with birthdays this month and I’ll have
to reschedule my time slots around.
Meditation is still going poorly, I’ve been trying to gradually build it up but
consistency is a big issue. Some days it simply does not occur. I need to work on
setting meditation with a pre existing habit to make it easier to do.

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

I’m kind of curious when you do your meditation. One option that might be useful
for you in the future would be to try and time your meditation to be either
immediately before or after your time at the gym, or before you go to bed. These
times you are already not in a work mentality, and thus might be more likely to
meditate.

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

3 time):
Sleep has been more consistent as I can go to bed usually around 10pm now. I missed
one day so I need at least 7 hours of sleep for 6 days this week. Hourly gym sessions
everyday are still consistent.
Meditation is slowly developing with 4 out of 7 days completed at 13 minutes.
I’m going to focus on time blocking this week for days off to schedule everything that
needs to be done. I think the most important part of creating habits right now is so I
can link in future habits like studying for the NCLEX without it being such an active
drain on my mental energy. I feel like I also need to revisit my gym experience, some
days I’m going too easy on myself and others I’m getting injured - I need to
redevelop a plan and stick to it instead of freestyling the workout when I get there.
 Comments on Activity:
Meditation is still the hardest, I feel like my mind is always racing with things to do
(which evidently shows I definitely need meditation), but some days I simply forget
about it. I’ve been trying to link meditation first thing in the morning with getting
sunlight but clinicals can ruin this habit if I’m groggy getting up.

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

One process that could be helpful to you would be to set an alarm on your phone to
remind you to meditate at a specific time. If you do this, then I would recommend
setting a custom alarm sound that is as relaxing as possible, so that you do not
jumpstart your heart right before meditation. As for the gym, maybe try planning out
what you’re going to do beforehand, so you don’t find yourself as likely to go
overboard or easy on yourself, due to having a specific workout plan.

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

4 time):
Meditation for 13 minutes, completed 4 out of 7 days. Hourly gym session 5 times
this week. Sleep maintenance at 7 hours a day for the week.
My primary goal this week is to get more sunlight early in the mourning and decrease
light exposure at night. I’ve found the former is the hardest, as the presence of bugs is
simply annoying whenever I try to eat outside of the house. I think my alternative is
utilizing the balcony more. Decreasing my exposure to light at night has been
hindered by cars, it is shocking how bright the headlights are. However I’ve gotten
into the habit of turning off my room lights at night and just seeing with ambience
and that's been helping me fall asleep faster.

Comments on Activity:
I think my overall sleep habit has gotten far more consistent. Meditation is still a
work in progress with clinicals often ruining the habit. The gym session went out of
sync this week due to a leg injury after exerting myself too much. I should remember
to warm up and cool down, as I’m apparently not as adaptable as I was before.

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

It’s unfortunate to hear that your leg got hurt, and I hope you feel better soon. I
wonder if your meditation consistency could be increased if you did it right before
your workout. There are some guided meditations on youtube that are combined with
yoga, or are specifically focused on preparing your mind and body for exercise. This
could both encourage meditation and healthy stretching before your future workouts.
Week Description of intervention implemented this week (include frequency/length of
5 time):
My main goals for this week is to cook some recipes I’ve been saving. One of my
close friends is coming over and I want to try my hand at some dishes that brought
back a lot of nostalgia when I was young. My goal is to cook at for at least 4 of the
days and prep time each day will range from 1 to 2 hours.

Comments on Activity:
I’m really glad to be able to get back into the kitchen. I got some knowledge on
layering fats, salts, acids, and aromatics. My friend is vegan so it was nice finding
creative twists through omitting or replacing meat in a lot of dishes. Buddhas delight
(which is just a concoction of a ton of veggies and tofu) turned out wonderfully. I got
insight into how to make sauces, thickening agents, and adjusting spice levels. It was
an absolute blast, I got to make zha jiang noodles, mapo tofu, stir fried sticky rice
cakes, and fried rice. Overall I’m pretty happy to have tried my hand at a ton of new
recipes.

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

It’s nice to hear that you had some good times cooking. Eating right can be a large
contributor to health and mental well being, so it sounds like these vegan dishes with
plenty of veggies would be an excellent addition to your meal rotation. Cooking itself
can also in general be very fun and even relaxing, so perhaps this in itself could be a
stress relief method for you going forward.

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

6 time):
My goal this week is to maintain my meditation practice by completing 13 minutes a
day for the whole week. The main things I note is to not meditate 4 hours before
bedtime, and to acknowledge it’s okay to become distracted as long as the mind
returns to the breath.
 Comments on Activity:
I feel like meditation has become progressively easier with the onset of community
health as there is now more time after clinicals and on days off to get back into a habit
of deep focus. I’m excited that I’ve been able to complete the daily meditation
sessions consistently for this week, though I’m still concerned there is no way to tie
this with a pre existing habit. I’m also worried that when 12 hour shifts resume this
habit will be broken again so I will have to work on being dedicated with my time
either waking up earlier or resuming after shift. Unfortunately by the science
literature, it seems waking up earlier will be necessary. There is some detrimental
effects when meditation is programmed close to bedtime.

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

When trying to remember to meditate, it has been shown that in order to better
remember a task it is helpful to tie it to a task that you already do every day. In your
case, if you wanted to meditate in the morning then you could possibly tie it to getting
dressed or brushing your teeth in the morning, where just before or after those tasks
you meditate. Another possibility for meditation would be to find a guided meditation
specifically designed for slowly gearing the mind into getting ready for sleep. This
could help your mind relax after a long day, and would decrease negative side effects
of meditating late at night.

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

7 time):
I’m glad to implement 1 game night with my friends this weekend. This will be a
multi hour (2-3hour) session with around 8 people doing a collaborative or
competitive card/board game.
In regards to physical fitness I’m glad to still maintain an hour at the gym from 3-4pm
everyday, with a focus on progressive overload.

Comments on Activity:
I know the importance of social activities, and it’s nice that this semester has been
less stressful than prior ones so I can bring back game night’s with my friends that
ended freshman year. It brought back a lot of good memories and it was an excellent
destressor while also allowing me to catch up with those I hadn’t seen in a long time.
 I’ve collaborated with a few friends at the gym, and I feel it has motivated me to work
harder instead of being complacent. I think it’s also been wise to switch out a ton of
exercises for new ones to build a new level of competence.

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

It’s great that you’ve been able to socialize more with your friends. Socialization is a
large component to mental health. Socialization can also increase motivation to
complete certain tasks, as it seems that you have found with your exercise. I’m unsure
if you have any roommates, but if so then perhaps you could try to do group guided
meditation with them to encourage yourself to meditate more frequently and have
someone to remind you should you forget to meditate.

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

8 time):
My goal is to maintain the gym for an hour every day and sleep for an average of 7
hours per day. I plan to hold onto the meditation for 13 minutes per day.
I’ll mainly be seeing how well I juggle these tasks with lab, job interviews, and work
though I expect something to crumble due to the inherently difficult nature of this
week.

Comments on Activity:
RIP meditation, I’ve been so busy and stressed with interviews and job applications
it has completely skipped my mind. I’m happy to still consistently go to the gym and
maintaining my sleep habits.

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?

Starting off I didn’t realize meditation would be such a difficult habit to build. The
gym probably takes more effort and definitely more time, and yet I’ll be hard pressed
to miss a day. I think part of the reason is due to it being such an ingrained part of my
life, I just need to find new ways to tie in meditation with my pre existing habits. I’m
realizing I don’t need as much social interaction as I thought I would. I guess I’m too
deep on the introvert side. One day of a meetup and I sometimes feel drained at the
end of it instead of overjoyed.

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

I’ve definitely slept more and drastically improved my sleep schedule and sleep
consistency. I’ve been going to bed around 10 or at least before midnight, prior this
was not a common occurance. I’m consistently waking up around 7 without an alarm
and am able to feel refreshed even on work days requiring me to wake up around
6:30. I’ve developed a lot of positive skills surrounding sleep habits, and overall I feel
much happier than prior semesters.

Will you do anything differently now? Please explain.

I don’t think I would change much. I’m a little sad I had to drop my summer habits
of reading, but I’m sure once I’m done with the NCLEX I will find a lot more time.
My biggest disappointments is in how sporadic meditation is, some weeks going great
and other weeks completely off a cliff. I think it might be worth investing in a paid
medication app as michelle mentioned if that will allow me to actually retain the
habit. The biggest problem I see happening is when work begins I simply don't have
the motivation to wake up early to get meditation done and it’s not ideal at sleep. I
will have to keep thinking about how to incorporate meditation with the 12 hour
shifts.
 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.

Strongl Agree Neutral Disagre Strongl

y e y
Agree Disagre
e

1 2 3 4 5