NURS 478 Self Care Journal

Your Name: Sanisa Mendoza Your Buddy: Julia Suerth

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 This week I decided to start my self-care journal off with a yoga class. After talking with Julia who is
my buddy for this assignment, she talked about how she was going to do yoga for the entirety of this
2/14 assignment so I figured I would start with it. I have been doing online corepower yoga classes that you
can do from your own living room. I did a 1-hour hot yoga sculpt class this week and moving forward I
am going to strive for at least 2 classes a week.
Comments on Activity:
I really enjoyed this activity. I liked the fact that I was able to do it from the comfort of my own home.
This is especially beneficial with a busy schedule because it allows you to pick exactly when you want
to do it. The cool thing about corepower is that it is a yoga class, but it is also a good workout and gets
your heart rate up quite a bit. The instructor’s motto for this class was that we as humans have the
ability to try again. Every time we fail we always have the opportunity to try again. This is something to
be mindful of and these messages are one of my favorite things about going to yoga classes.
Week Description of intervention implemented this week (include frequency/length of time):
2 This week, along with other weeks this semester I have done 10 or more minutes of mindful meditation
during the week. I am listening to an audio book called “The Power of Now” that is a version of a
2/21 mindful meditation that I listen to when I meditate. I have done this every night before bed for about 6
minutes at a time.
Comments on Activity:
I really enjoy this activity. I find that it helps me fall asleep better every night as well as centers my
thoughts before I go to sleep. The meditation focuses on steps you can take to be more present such as
putting your phone down when you eat a meal and really taking the time to taste your food, as well as
paying attention to the weather and the scenery around you when you’re driving in the car. I think that
being aware of little practices like these help you be more mindful in the big things that you do every
day.
Buddy Check-In Comments: (Note Key Comments from Conversation):
After talking with Julia this week, she said that meditation is something she has gotten into recently
before this assignment. She said her sister has always encouraged her to do it but she never really
thought about doing it until nursing school. One of the things we both agreed on was how difficult it is
to try and get your mind to not drift off and think about other things. I shared with her that one of the
things that I have learned through meditation is that it is not necessarily not thinking about anything, but
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 rather acknowledging thoughts as they come and go and pay attention to where your mind goes so that
you can redirect it back to a focused state.

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

3 This week the intervention I focused most on was sleeping at least 7 hours per night before and after a
work or school day. I began preceptorship this week and found that sleep would be crucial in my new
2/28 work schedule. Although the goal says seven, I strive for 8-9 hours on nights before going to
preceptorship because my days are so long, and it is important to be rested before giving patient care.
Comments on Activity:
I found that sleeping 8 hours before my shifts really made a difference in my day. It took me a bit to get
adjusted to my new 5am sleep schedule, and it didn’t a lot for much time for anything after clinical if I
wanted to get 8-9 hours but I found that prioritizing sleep is much easier when you know that you have
to be up early the next day.
Buddy Check-In Comments: (Note Key Comments from Conversation):
When discussing this with Julia, she said she had a really difficult time with this because she was
working night shift during preceptorship. She struggled every day to try and get a normal sleep schedule
and she noticed how much it affected her ability to think and perform while in the hospital. We both
agreed that night shift while still in school is a very unattainable lifestyle. I talked with her about this
book I read called “Why We Sleep” and it talked about how consistently sleeping for less than 7 hours a
night can mimic the equivalent of having a BAC of 0.2. It is crazy to think that healthcare providers
participate in care when severely sleep deprived and is definitely something to consider when going to
work every day.

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

4 This week the intervention that I focused on participating in vigorous aerobic exercise during the week.
After my first week of preceptorship I realized that although you are on your feet all day, you do spend
3/6 a lot of time sitting down charting. I went home feeling gross and sedentary so this week I vowed to get
up at 5am before clinical to go on a run. I did it every single day this week, as well as got up and
worked out every morning on my days off.
Comments on Activity:
I am really glad that I decided to do this every day. I found that when I showed up to clinical, I was
much more awake and alert. Another thing that I noticed is that I made more health-conscious food
decisions throughout the day. I’ve always known this about myself, but I sometimes forget. Getting my
exercise in the morning always sets me up for more success during the day. I did notice that I felt a bit
more tired that afternoon, but I also found that I could fall asleep easier after work. I am proud of myself
for prioritizing my health/exercise first and being able to tune into how my body is feeling.

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

Julia told me this week she thought that I was crazy for getting up that early before 12 hour shifts at the
hospital, but nonetheless she was proud of me for doing it. She agreed that when she works out first
thing in the morning it sets her whole day off to a good start. We both said that even though it was my
challenge for the week, we both want to try and continue to do this throughout the week even shorter
aerobic exercises like going for a walk or doing a workout at home in our rooms just to get our bodies
moving. I think this something we will have to make time for moving forward as nurses in order to
make sure that we keep our bodies healthy.

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Week Description of intervention implemented this week (include frequency/length of time):
5 This week a lot has changed given the current COVID situation. Being at home full time now, this week
I have decided to take up boxing again. I used to box at a local gym in Tucson but luckily I have the
3/20 equipment to train at home. This week I did an online boxing routine that included jump roping, hitting
a heavy bag and core work at the end.
Comments on Activity:
I really enjoyed this activity. I forgot how much I enjoyed boxing as a workout. Given the current
situation, this exercise was also a good outlet to get out a lot of the emotions that I have been feeling
with all the life changes at the moment. Boxing is like yoga in the sense that while you are doing it, you
really aren’t thinking about anything else during the workout. It is a really great workout for
cardiovascular exercise as well as a good outlet for emotion.
Buddy Check-In Comments: (Note Key Comments from Conversation)
Julia and I talked this week about my boxing exercise and she thinks I’m crazy for boxing. She told me
that she has done a boxing class before and she nearly died during it because it was so hard. I told her
that it is one of my favorite workouts and I am sad that I can no longer train at my local gym. We
discussed the current COVID situation and what we have been up to in order to keep ourselves
entertained and healthy. We agreed that this is a really good test for our mental and physical health and
how we choose to prioritize them moving forward.

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

6 This week the intervention that I have implemented is hiking. Since I have been home, I have been
hiking more than ever before with all of this free time. One of my favorite hikes in Phoenix is Squaw
3/27 Peak and I did this hike this week it was 4.2 miles and it took me about 2.5 hours up and back.

Comments on Activity:
I absolutely loved this activity. I think of all the self-care activities that I have completed throughout
these weeks, hiking has been my favorite. There is just something about being out in nature, getting
exercise and then getting to enjoy a beautiful scenery at the end. Hiking is always worth the climb
because there is always a great view at the top that makes it worth it. I am lucky enough to live in
Arizona and have access to a bunch of different beautiful hiking trails with great weather.
Buddy Check-In Comments: (Note Key Comments from Conversation)
Julia and I talked this week about my hike and she is also from Phoenix and has done the same hike that
I did. She discussed how she really enjoys hiking as well and now that she has been home she has
noticed that she has been walking and hiking much more than usual. Her favorite hike to do is
Camelback mountain. We both agreed that during this time there really is no excuse not to get outside
and exercise because there really isn’t much more that you can do while quarantined. We both agreed
that although life has slowed down so much, it really is so nice to have time to do the things we enjoy
like hiking. We told each other that even though this journal is coming to an end, we should still try to
hold each other accountable for doing self-care activities while we are home because they are just as
important now as they were before.
Week Description of intervention implemented this week (include frequency/length of time):
7 This week the intervention that I focused on was yoga. Now that I have been home during quarantine, I
have a lot more time to do the things that I like to do like yoga. The yoga studio that I used to practice at
4/3 has been offering free online courses for members that you can watch at home. So, this week I tried to
make it a priority to do at least 3 yoga classes a week and I successfully accomplished that and I want to
continue to moving forward through quarantine.
Comments on Activity:
I really enjoyed this activity as yoga is something I’ve always liked to do, but never made time for. I
found that it is a great workout and one of the things I have always noticed about yoga is that for at least
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 an hour the only thing you are focused on is your breath and your strength. I like the idea of having just
an hour to not think about anything else that is pressing your mind. Although it was difficult adjusting to
doing yoga classes online because of one the reasons I liked yoga was going to the class and feeling a
sense of community among the group of people taking the class.
Buddy Check-In Comments: (Note Key Comments from Conversation):
Julia and I talked this week about all the things that we’ve been doing to try and keep ourselves active
and busy during quarantine and figured out that we have been taking the same yoga classes online! She
introduced me to one of her friends who is an instructor that teaches free classes on Zoom, so we are
going to take a class together this next week. She talked to me about how hard it is to be away from her
family in San Francisco while all of this quarantine is going on, but she did talk about how low her
stress levels have been since school/clinical has been moved online.
Week Description of intervention implemented this week (include frequency/length of time):
8 This week the intervention that I decided to try was mountain biking. I really liked this activity because
it combined aerobic exercise alongside spending time in nature. My dad is a big mountain biker and he
4/10 invited me this week to go with him while I am home. We went on an easy course and rode for about 2
hours in the desert. Although it was a hard aerobic exercise, I really enjoyed my time out in nature while
I was exercising.

Comments on Activity:
I never thought that I would enjoy mountain biking, but I am really proud of myself for putting myself
out there and trying a new exercise. Mountain biking takes a lot of mental focus and confidence to get
yourself to climb hills and go over big rocks. I wouldn’t say that this exercise was necessarily relaxing
or stress-free but I did feel awesome afterwards for accomplishing such a hard workout. Meanwhile it
was nice to be able to go outside and still enjoy exercise despite the current situation.
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?

I think one of the biggest takeaways that I got from these activities was how there is always time for self
care, you just have to be intentional about it and prioritize it. I think one of the biggest learning lessons I
had was during my preceptorship I was able to recognize that I was feeling gross and unproductive and I
was able to prioritize a workout before going into the hospital to ensure that I didn’t feel that way. All of
these things are possible you just have to make time for them.

Have you noticed any changes in your life since you began this intervention?
One of the changes that I have noticed since I began these interventions was that I felt better about
myself. I was proud of myself for making time for ME amidst all my crazy busy schedule. I started to
become more selfish with my time and realizing that it is okay to put yourself first even when you have
a million other things to do. I have found that I have had more energy and I have wanted to do these
things rather than self-care activities feeling like a chore or something that I am forced to make time for.
Moving forward I am going to continue to remember how these changes have impacted my life
positively and use them as reference in the future.

Will you do anything differently now? Please explain.

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 I think moving forward I am going to continue to try different activities and figure out which ones I
particularly like and how they make me feel. I liked the idea of journaling about them because it makes
you really think introspectively about how what you’re doing affects you and your feelings. I have now
made a lot of these activities into my daily/weekly schedule and I am going to continue to do them as
much as possible.

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.

Strongly Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly

Agree Disagree
1 2 3 4 5

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