NURS 478 Self Care Journal

Your Name: ___Mandy Korn______________ Your Buddy: ___Caitlyn Singleton_________________

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 went to yoga at Sumits Yoga Tucson three times this week. Each class was 60 minutes long.

Comments on Activity:
I really enjoyed going to yoga this week. It gave me to the opportunity to unwind and relax. I definitely
felt less overwhelmed after my yoga session.

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

2 This week, I made sure that I got 7 hours of sleep each night. I did every night of the week successfully.

Comments on Activity:
Being more rested this week allowed me to be more alert and ready to conquer the day. I was more
productive and my mood was more stable. I was overall happier. I also had more energy to exercise and
study. I didn’t need to drink as much caffeine as I normally do. I’ll definitely continue to make a priority
to get 7 hours of sleep each night.

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

Caitlyn and I talked about what worked and what didn’t. We also talked about how we could help to
keep each other accountable. We decided that we will send each other text messages every night to
check in on each other and see how we were going with our self-care goal.
M O’C Fall 2018
 Week Description of intervention implemented this week (include frequency/length of time):
3
This week I attended 3 professionally led yoga classes at Sumits Yoga Tucson. Two of the classes were
60 minutes long and the other class was 80 minutes long.

Comments on Activity:

I really enjoy going to yoga. It is the perfect way to destress and be mindful while also exercising. Not
only is it a cardio workout, but there is also a meditation component. The instructor coaches us through
a breathing exercise and ends the class with an excerpt about being mindful.

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

Both Caitlyn and I report really liking the text messages that keep each other accountable. We think that
is a great way to make sure we are taking care of ourselves. We both report feeling calm and happy and
we feel like taking time each week to devote to self-care has been really beneficial for us.

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

4
This week I was in nature for greater than two hours. I went on a hike through Sabino Canyon with my
boyfriend. The hike took approximately 4 hours.

Comments on Activity:

I love hiking, especially in Sabino Canyon. It is so beautiful, especially this time of year when the
flowers and trees are in bloom. It felt really great to get out into nature and get some fresh air. I spend
most of my time inside nowadays, so it was really nice to have a change of scenery.

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

Caitlyn and I really enjoy meeting up and sharing ideas about different self-care activities. Both of us
were successful in completing a self-care activity this week.

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

5
This week I attended 2 professionally-led yoga classes. Both classes were held at Sumits Yoga Tucson
and were 60 minutes long.

M O’C Fall 2018

 Comments on Activity:

I think I have found that yoga is the best way for me to manage my stress. I like how it is mindfulness
combined with exercise and stretching. I will continue to do yoga, even after the self-care journaling
activity is over.

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

Caitlyn and I both feel like we are beginning to find a self-care routine and figure out what works best
for us. We will continue to try new self-care activities, but we are definitely finding certain activities
that work best for us.

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

6
This week I attended four professionally-led yoga classes at Sumits Yoga Tucson. Three of the classes
were 60 minutes long and one of the classes was 80 minutes long.

Comments on Activity:

Something I really like about yoga classes is that they are short, and there are many class options to take
a day. This makes it really easy for me to fit it into my schedule. I was able to fit in four classes this
week.

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

Caitlyn and I are both doing well with our self-care. We were both successful this week with our self-
care activities. We decided next week we would participate in a self-care activity together.

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

7
This week, Caitlyn and I went on a hike together. We went for a hike up Tumamoc Hill. The hike took 2
hours.

Comments on Activity:

We had a really great time together! It was definitely more fun doing a self-care activity together. Not
only was it nice to get outside and get fresh air, but it was even better to do it with a friend!

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

We both really enjoyed our hike. We decided next week to do a self-care activity together again!

M O’C Fall 2018

 Week Description of intervention implemented this week (include frequency/length of time):
8
Caitlyn and I went on a hike in Sabino Canyon together. The hike lasted 3 hours.

Comments on Activity:
I really enjoyed this activity. It was really nice to get some fresh air and be able to catch up while doing
it! We were also able to get a healthy breakfast afterwards!

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 how important it is to take care of myself. When making my health a priority,
I was much happier! I generally felt much better, and I was able to be more productive. Going into my
career as a nurse, I know it is imperative that I make self-care a part of my weekly routine!

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

I am much happier, and I very rarely have labile moods. My stress level has decreased, I drink less
caffeine, and I am more productive. I generally have been eating healthier, because I have more time
and energy to prepare healthy meals. I also have been more active.

Will you do anything differently now? Please explain.

Absolutely! I am going to take time for myself each week and implement a self-care activity. I am going
to make my health a priority so that I can take better care of my patients.

Comments/suggestions: none

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
M O’C Fall 2018
 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

M O’C Fall 2018