NURS 478 Self Care Journal

Your Name: _Jolynn Robbins____________Your Buddy: _Angela Schiltz______

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 I worked on strength building exercises in the gym for two days this week for an hour each time and

walked on the River Trail for an hour for one day. I focused on technique rather than increasing weight

because I had little time to work out during the beginning preceptorship.

Comments on Activity:

It was difficult to get back into working out, but these activities made me feel better overall. I enjoy

working out, but managing my time during preceptorship was difficult. Adding this to my busy

schedule did help with stress relief.

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

2 This week I decided to take 2 walks on the River Trail for an hour each time. I switched between a few

minutes of speed walking and alternating with light walking. I decided to do this because I felt

exhausted this week and I could not create the energy to do what I usually do at the gym.

Comments on Activity:

Since the weather is starting to get warmer, I decided to come outside for my self care for this week. I

try to do light exercises during times of exhaustion, so walking helped. Since I spend most of my time

M O’C Fall 2018

 indoors during preceptorship, I thought that it would be nice to get some vitamin D when I could.

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

Angela worked out for an hour on all her days off from preceptorship. She felt that it made her feel a lot

better and created balance in her schedule. This is the beginning of her going back to the gym, so it was

difficult for her to create the habit again.

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

3 This week I decided to work out twice for an hour each on strength building exercises and I included

cardio time on the treadmill and the stair master. I walked once around the UArizona Mall a few times

for an hour on another day.

Comments on Activity:

It felt good because I was exhausted from the previous week and could not find the energy to study for

the upcoming exam. But after I worked out, it gave me more energy and relief to have energy to study. I

was reminded of the immediate positive effects of working out on my energy levels.

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

Angela only went to the gym twice for an hour each time because her family came to town for the

weekend. Although she was sad that she could not complete her workout routine, she was happy that

she scheduled time to do it anyway.

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

4 I worked out twice for an hour each and increased my treadmill and stair master time. I also walked

once for an hour on the River Trail once again.

Comments on Activity:

M O’C Fall 2018

 This week was nice because I got my energy back and I was able to start increasing the weight that I use

at the gym. I also started adding a jog into my walks. I felt as if my strength was increasing and my

endurance was getting better.

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

Angela went to work out twice for an hour each and she felt like exercising was getting easier. She

found this out because she was able to increase her repetitions and weight. She is proud of where she is

at for only being a month in.

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

5 I worked out twice this week for an hour each and I increased the amount of weight I was using. I could

not fit in a 3rd workout due to multiple assignments being due and I met my family for the weekend.

Comments on Activity:

Although I was busy this week, I still made time to work out and see my family. I felt happy to know

that the weight I could lift was increasing. I felt a sense of improvement in my physical appearance

which is a side note to add.

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

Angela worked out 3 times for an hour each this week. She improved repetitions and increased time on

stair master once again. She felt like she was at her peak performance since starting this intervention.

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

6 I did not have access to a gym for the beginning half due to going out of town for spring break. But I

was able to walk at an art show and I was able to work out twice for 1.5 hours each at the end of the

weekend. Since this was during spring break, I had more time to focus on relaxing because I had a lot of

time to get my workouts done.

Comments on Activity:

M O’C Fall 2018

 A huge art show in Phoenix allowed me to get into the sun and exercise the same. I was able to walk

around and look at beautiful jewelry and other art. I enjoy being around other people and enjoying the

masterpieces that were in front of us. For working out, I was able to try out new exercises since I was

getting comfortable with other exercises I was doing in the previous weeks.

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

Angela did not have access to a gym because she went out of town. Although she did not have access to

a gym, she took her dog on walks home for at least 30 minutes a day. She was happy that she was able

to spend time with her dog during this time.

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

7 I worked out twice this week for an hour each time. I started to implement new exercises in areas in

need of improvement. I played volleyball for 2 hours with a large group of people at a sand volleyball

court.

Comments on Activity:

My workouts were lighter exercises than before due to being exhausted before that, but I like to listen to

my body to make sure that I do not overdo anything. I enjoyed these exercises that made me sweat

without making me uncomfortable. I was invited to play volleyball at the sand volleyball courts. I grew

up playing volleyball and this also gives me a sense of nostalgia.

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

Angela worked out 3 times this week. After taking the previous week off, it was harder to get back to

M O’C Fall 2018

 where she is now. She is working on getting back to where she was before. She is determined.

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

8 I worked out at the gym for an hour 2 times this week and focused on cardio exercises to build up my

endurance. I then played volleyball with friends for 2 hours on another day.

Comments on Activity:

These activities gave me a sense of relief and release of stress. With an exam and presentations coming

up, this offered me a sense of calmness in my life. I am glad that I found a group of people to play

volleyball with. I enjoyed getting to know new people, since a lot of the same people from last week

came again.

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 it takes dedication and consistency to feel the results of a self care

intervention. After completing 8 weeks of this intervention, it taught me the importance of making time

for self care for my overall health. I learned that it was just as effective to adjust my intervention rather

than to not do it at all. I have learned that these evidence based interventions will help me prevent

burnout.

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

M O’C Fall 2018

 Since I started the intervention, I found that I have had tremendous improvements. I found that

practicing self care made me feel better for longer than indulgence as talked about in the Panopto

presentation. Since beginning this assignment, I feel better mentally and physically. I am nearing the

best physical shape I have been in since the beginning of nursing school. I hope to continue doing this

intervention as I would like to be physically strong enough to move patients with more ease.

Will you do anything differently now? Please explain.

When I start a nursing job, I will make sure to make time for self-care. I noticed that no matter how

much I exercised or spent time on any type of self care, I always felt better after. If I start to feel

burnout, I will take a break and take some time for self care after a hard shift. I will take the correct

actions to get rid of the negative feelings. If I start to make more errors than normal, I will excuse

myself to take a break to reenergize myself to feel better. I will continue to try to work on prevention of

burnout rather than treating it from interventions that I have learned from this course.

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

M O’C Fall 2018

 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

M O’C Fall 2018