NURS 478 Self Care Journal

Your Name: _Heather Gomez____ Your Buddy: _Jessica McClure / Angela Acuna_____

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
Practice mindfulness meditation for at least 10 minutes every day.

Comments on Activity:

I dedicated 10 minutes every night to mindful meditation this week. It was typically when I went to bed.
I put my phone away and turned off the TV and just focused on breathing and actively clearing my mind
when the days’ events wanted to creep up. I have always had trouble sleeping but I found that including
this in my nighttime routine allowed me to fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer.

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

2
Practice mindfulness meditation for at least 10 minutes every day.

Comments on Activity:

While I recognize I just implemented this intervention last week, I wanted to be able to apply it in the
clinical setting during my preceptorship. I attempted to practice mindful meditation during my break
time. Considering that my break time was spent in the unit break room, I was not always able to get in
the full 10 minutes but even with just a few minutes, I was able to reset and take on the rest of my shift.
During off-shift days, I reverted back to doing this activity at bedtime and had the same outcomes as last
week.

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

Jessica partially met her goals this week. As of Sunday, she was just lacking 1 yoga class to complete
her goals, but I gave her many kudos for getting a yoga class AND a workout in this week.

M O’C Fall 2018

 Angela was able to meet her goals this week and found putting her phone away out of reach helped her
be successful.

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

3
My goal this week was to spend 2 hours in nature, specifically walking outside since the weather has
cooled down drastically.

Comments on Activity:

I was unable to meet my goal because, while it was cooler outside, it rained more times than not. I did
sit outside in my screened patio several evenings to watch the monsoons so was able to decompress that
way.

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

Jessica was able to meet her goals this week. She recognized her goals of 2 one-hour yoga classes on
top of a workout session was just too much and so she adjusted it to just 1 of each this week.

Angela had a busy week and so had a hard time meeting her goals this week but I admire her
determination to do better next week.

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

4
My goal this week was to spend up to 2 hours outside again.

Comments on Activity:

I took a mental health weekend and spent most of the weekend outdoors reconnecting with family. This
was exactly what I needed to recharge and take on these last 2 months of the semester.

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

Jessica set the goal of completing a hot-yoga class and hiking the tallest peak in AZ and was able to
complete both goals.

Angela partially met her goals this week. She had some personal issues arise which interfered with her
sleep schedule but she also mentioned being thankful for her strong support system helping her stay on
track regarding her exercise goals.

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

5
This week I will attempt to attend two 1-hour long yoga classes.

Comments on Activity:
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 I was only able to get in one yoga class this week. It has been several years since I have done yoga and
the one 1-hour class proved to be too much and so I was not able to complete another one in the same
week.

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

This week, Jessica spent up to 2 hours in nature. She went on a few nature walks with her son and dog.

Angela struggled to meet her goals and stay on track with her preceptorship as well as assignments and
exams this week. I am impressed that she was able to get any of her goals done this week because I was
stressed just listening to the week she had.

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

6
This week I will attempt to complete at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise - such
as biking under 9 mph.

Comments on Activity:

I was able to complete (2) 30-minute bike rides this week. I just didn’t have time to do more than that
this week around assignments coming up due. The bike rides I got in were extremely beneficial though.
This time of year is perfect for it!
Buddy Check-In Comments: (Note Key Comments from Conversation)

Jessica’s goal was to meditate daily but was only able to do it 3 days this week. I recommended she try
doing it at night as she is falling asleep as this is a way that has personally helped me not only complete
the task for this assignment, but also just in general. We are both going to try this technique next week.

Angela struggled to meet her exercising goals for this week because she pushed herself too hard early in
the week and her body needed time to recover. She also tried using different sounds to help her sleep
and was able to determine what did and did not work for her personally.

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

7
This week I will attempt to practice mindfulness meditation for at least 10 minutes every day.

Comments on Activity:

I was able to meditate 5 out of 7 days this week.

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

Jessica’s goal was to attempt to practice mindful meditation daily again this week but she had a sick
child, so this goal was quite difficult to achieve.

Angela was able to meet all of her goals this week and commented how much better she feels now that
M O’C Fall 2018
 she has been completing these activities for the past 7 weeks.

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

8
With the bulk of our end-of-semester assignments becoming due, I will be practicing mindfulness
meditation for at least 10 minutes every day.

Comments on Activity:

I was able to meditate at least 10 minutes every day this week and it truly helped reduce my stress
levels.

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, while I am not always able to get in as much physical activity
throughout the week as I would like, I am able to do more than I have been doing over the last two
years.

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

Yes, I have noticed a great reduction in my stress levels and sleeping patters as well as I have lost about
5 pounds over the last 8 weeks. I recognize this isn’t a significant loss but every little bit counts.

Will you do anything differently now? Please explain.

Yes, I will make it a point to add physical activity into my weekly life and also remember that practicing
mindfulness meditation at bedtime helps me sleep.

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
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 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