NURS 478 Self Care Journal

Your Name: __Vivian Harvey____________ Your Buddy: __Maddie Stansbery__________

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):

BACK at the gym!

● 2x/week

● 60-75 minutes weight lifting, 15 minutes of cardio

Comments on Activity:

First day back at the gym, it was difficult getting back into the groove of exercising as consistently as I

used to. I was able to do both cardio and weights both days. I have switched up my gym routine and

am putting more emphasis on weights over cardio.

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

Gym cont.

● 2x/week

● 60-75 minutes weight lifting, 15 minutes of cardio

Comments on Activity:
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 I did the same set as I had done for week 1. I split my weight lifting by doing upper body one day and

lower body the other day. Cardio is incorporated at the end of my workouts now where I used to do

them first, but I also use the cardio as a cool down exercise and I walked on the treadmill at a 3.0 mph

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

We had a good starting conversation this week! I explained my activity and she told me hers which was

spending 2 hours in nature every week. We are eager to stay accountable through the process of the

self-care journal. She also is finishing up her preceptorship this week which she is excited about.
Week Description of intervention implemented this week (include frequency/length of time):

Gym cont.

● 4x this week

● Run 15-20 minutes

Comments on Activity:

This week was a bit busier so I could not do long weightlifting days. Instead, I did a quick 20 minute

session of stretching and running in the gym at my apartment for more days this week (4 days), that

way I could save time from not having to commute anywhere else. The goal this week was to try and

run 2 miles in my ~20 minute time frame but I also am a big advocate for listening to my body and one

day I was unable to run a full 2 miles, but that is okay because I still made sure I was active.
Buddy Check-In Comments: (Note Key Comments from Conversation)

Another great conversation this week! She was very reassuring in that I didn’t always have to push so

hard to reach my goals as long as I am staying active which was nice to hear. She said she was able to
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 spend time in nature studying which I love doing as well and I was slightly jealous. She noted the fresh

air seemed to help versus a small study space as our first midterms were coming up. I mentioned I may

have to try it out for finals when it is cooler outside.

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

Gym cont.

● 2x/week

● 60-75 minutes weight lifting, 15 minutes of cardio

Comments on Activity:

After skipping weightlifting for a week, I could slightly tell it was a little more difficult for my body to

get back into it versus when I am usually consistent with it. I did the same thing I usually do and did

one upper body day and one lower body day with both days having no more than 15 minutes of cardio

at the end. This week was harder too because I didn’t have many ‘healthy’ groceries so my diet

affected my performance some.

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

Maddie feels like she didn’t get to spend as much time in nature as she wanted but still went for two

walks during the week. She mentioned going at sunset which is the perfect time and it is cooler

outside. She said that the view was ‘beautiful’ which is accurate because we live in the same

apartment complex and the trail she took is nice and paved and has a gorgeous view of the Catalina

mountains and at sunset it definitely is picture perfect. I am proud she was able to be in nature and be

active at the same time. She continues to encourage me each week which is super helpful as my

schedule is getting busier.

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

5
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 Gym cont.

● 4x this week

● Run 15-20 minutes

Comments on Activity:

I knew this week was going to be super busy for me so I kept the workouts short and sweet. Between

preceptorship, work, due dates, job interviews, and the holiday, I could only squeeze in short workouts

especially too because I really felt the burnout this week. I ran 4 days this week and I had no goal for

myself other than to just get my body active, so sometimes a jog was more fitting.
Buddy Check-In Comments: (Note Key Comments from Conversation)

My buddy and I chatted over the phone this week because she was able to go back home and spend

time with her family now that her preceptorship was over and her schedule settled down a little bit.

She took her puppy on walks with her dad and her sister and was able to be active, be in nature, and

spend time catching up with her family all of which she stated felt good for her. We talked some about

preceptorship and joked about being on opposite schedules.

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

Gym cont. - HYBRID WEEK

● 75 minutes weight lifting- 1x

● 20 minute run- 2x

Comments on Activity:

This was the last week of my preceptorship and I was able to squeeze in a full workout of weights,
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 which was not the initial intention. I was missing weightlifting and my body felt weak from skipping a

week so I was only going to do a little bit and then at the gym it turned into a full session. There were

two other days I could only incorporate short runs but I figured it was better than nothing. Part of my

thought process this week was to not be so hard on myself given I was just finishing up 5 weeks of

preceptorship on top of school and work, so I allowed myself some grace and let my body decide what

felt right to not exceed my limits.

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

This week we had another exam coming up so Maddie spent her time studying outside at a coffee

shop. Caffeine and nature is a great combination for a nursing student. She mentioned that getting out

of the apartment even for a study session is helpful to her and she feels she is able to concentrate

more. We both agreed that we are so excited to be done with nursing school but the senioritis is

hitting harder than ever.

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

Gym cont.

● 2x/week

● 60-75 minutes weight lifting, 15 minutes of cardio

Comments on Activity:

With no more preceptorship, we are back on the original plan of hitting weights and limiting cardio. I

have more energy this week and have been so much better at feeding my body properly for exercise

outside the gym as well. Preceptorship made it hard to eat well all the time. I went to the big gym this

week and it was nice to get a change of scenery and there is a larger variety of equipment there, so I

switched up my types of exercise while still splitting upper body and lower body on different days.
Buddy Check-In Comments: (Note Key Comments from Conversation)
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 My buddy spent way more than 2 hours outside… She spent 12 HOURS! It was a special occasion for

her and made such a positive impact on the day with nice weather, surrounded by family and friends. I

am very happy for her. This was a great conversation to have for our last check-in especially ending on

a high note for both of us, with her attending a wedding and me officially being done with my

preceptorship. We emphasized to each other how important self-care is because we are both always

so willing to constantly care for others while sometimes neglecting ourselves especially with our new

careers creeping up.

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

Gym cont.

● 2x/week

● 60-75 minutes weight lifting, 15 minutes of cardio

Comments on Activity:

I went to my apartment gym this week and did the normal workout split; 1 day upper body weights

and 1 day lower body weights. I finished each day with my cardio cool down which is always helpful in

recentering myself and reflecting on my performance. It was a simple week as I still felt like I was

recovering from such a hectic schedule.

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:

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 What did these activities teach you?
These activities taught me how to better manage time to incorporate self-care into my busy day-to-day
life. Self-care is nearly non-negotiable and I was able to prioritize it so much more than I had previously
which showed me how much control I truly have over my mental and physical health. I also learned
that having an accountability partner makes all the difference because even when I was burnt out, I
had encouragement and felt like I still needed to share something of value that I had done for myself,
so it pushed me to do it along with my buddy’s consistent encouragement.

Have you noticed any changes in your life since you began this intervention?
I have not noticed many changes just because I am still exhausted from school and work. Even though
I genuinely enjoy exercising, sometimes being active feels like a chore when I am tired and busy, but I
know it is helping with my mental health and I am definitely able to sleep better throughout the night
because of consistent activity.

Will you do anything differently now? Please explain.

I will continue to exercise but try and switch up the routine/scenery more to prevent boredom and

motivate me each day. I would like to spend more time outside and go hiking now that the weather is

nicer because I have always been outdoorsy and it is something I do not get to do as often as I would

like anymore with my adult responsibilities.

Comments/suggestions: Self-care journal was a helpful reminder to practice self-care no matter what

that looks like to each individual person. I think the time frame could be shorter than 8 weeks and I

think it was something difficult to do for those in second half preceptorship.

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.

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 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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