Appendix B NURS 478 Wellness Journal

Your Name: Mackenzie Flaherty

Select an evidence-based recommendation to follow for 8 weeks:

Sleep at least 7 hours per night before and after a work or school day
Practice mindfulness for at least 10 minutes everyday
X 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 aerobic exercise per week, such as running, kickboxing, or jumping rope
Attend one professionally led yoga class for one hour or longer per week Complete

weekly journal entries:

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

This week I began my training for the upcoming spring break rock climbing trip. I went to Rocks and
1
Ropes three times this week, engaging in moderate to strenuous activity for a total of around three to
four hours. This included one 30 minute session of pull-ups, push-ups, and sit-ups.

Comments on activity: I always feel better when I get at least two or three days of quality exercise a
week. I find rock climbing especially helpful because it requires absolute focus and connection with
ones body, which is therapeutic because it does not allow for thoughts of school or work, or any
other responsibilities that cause stress in my life.

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

This week I continued my rock climbing training regimen. I did a fairly strenuous, hour and a half
2 long workout at the beginning of the week, including calisthenics again. I climbed on Monday,
Tuesday, and Thursday for a total of 4 hours, but chose to take Friday and Saturday off in order to
rest for the upcoming trip, which begins on Sunday and will last until next Friday.

Comments on activity:
I can feel myself getting stronger, and I am able to climb more difficult routes. For this reason, along
with the stress relief I get from rock climbing, I also receive a confidence boost and a sense of
fulfillment from seeing my progression as I improve in the sport, which adds to my general life
happiness.

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

This week was truly exhausting. On Sunday I drove up to isolation canyon and camped that night. In
3 the morning, my friends and I hiked the two miles into the heart of the canyon and climbed the full
day, finishing four, 90+ foot routes, and then hiked back out at the end of the day. The next day we
repeated the adventure. Then we headed back to flagstaff. After taking a day to rest, we climbed at The
Pit for most of the next day. The hike in and out was significantly easier. On Thursday we went to the
local climbing gym and climbed for another hour, until we were too exhausted to climb any more. I
have no idea how much total exercise time this amounts to, but I would guess about 15-20 hours.
Comments on activity: This trip was very effective in relieving the stress that I have been feeling
lately. Not only was the aerobic exercise of hiking, in addition to the anaerobic exercise of climbing,
Wk 3 very stimulating, but the chance to be out in nature, with no cell service and friends all around,
was a welcome change.

Week 4 Description of intervention implemented this week (include frequency/length of time):

This week I decided to play basketball instead of rock climbing, as my hands still need rest. I
played basketball at the rec center for an hour on Tuesday and Friday, for a total of two hours of
aerobic exercise. I mainly played pick-up games with strangers.

Comments on activity:
Playing basketball this week has made me realize how out of shape Ive become in regards to that
type of exercise. I also enjoyed reconnecting with one of my old passions, as I dont play much
anymore since most of my basketball friends have quit playing. Overall I feel very refreshed and
happy.

Week 5 Description of intervention implemented this week (include frequency/length of time):

This week I did a bit of rock climbing and a bit of basketball again. I climbed Monday and
Saturday for a total of 3 hours at Rocks and Ropes, and played basketball at the rec for an hour on
Thursday with my roommate. We just played HORSE, so it wasnt very high intensity.

Comments on activity: I can feel how much better I feel on the days when I exercise as opposed to
the ones where I dont. I feel less antsy when Im sitting down to work on school work, such as
the upcoming CAP paper, because my body is more at rest after exercising.

Week 6 Description of intervention implemented this week (include frequency/length of time):

This week I climbed four days at Rocks and Ropes for a total of four hours of climbing. I also did
30 minutes of cycling through sit-ups, push-ups, and pull-ups after each climbing session, for an
additional two hours of exercise.

Comments on activity: I decided this week that I really want to focus on training my body to
become stronger. I typically just climb whatever I feel like climbing, with no real plan or training
regimen in mind, but after the climbing trip I took over spring break, I really want to see how far I
can push myself, so that I can attempt more difficult projects on Mt. Lemmon and in Flagstaff. In
order to accomplish this, Im going to start engaging in more thought out training plans when I
climb.

Week 7 Description of intervention implemented this week (include frequency/length of time):

This week I continued my regimen, however, I only climbed three days and only did calisthenics
exercises afterwards for two of them, for a total of about 4 hours of exercise.
Wk 7 Comments on activity: I had to scale it back this week because I was feeling so sore, but I almost
enjoy the sore feeling. I really feel strong and healthy when my body is aching, and feeling strong
and health makes me feel more confident in my daily life.

Week 8 Reflection on Panopto presentation and 8-week intervention:

What did these activities teach you?

I learned from the Panopto that as a new graduate nurse, I need to face the reality that I am at a
high risk for burnout. I tend to view burnout from the perspective of that wont happen to me, but
I need to accept that even though I dont believe it will happen, I should take precautions
regardless. I tend to undervalue sleep, mindfulness and exercise when Im going through busy
times in my life, and I need to remember this panopto when Im busy, so that I keep putting the
appropriate value on these activities instead of ignoring them. I was pleased to learn that it doesnt
require much time to include these interventions into my daily life. Ten minutes of mindfulness a
day is hardly anything, and I expected greater than 7 hours of sleep a night.

Have you noticed any changes in your life since you began this intervention?
First and foremost, my level of stress has diminished. The concentration that rock climbing
requires does not allow for thoughts of anything besides the climb immediately at hand. This has
such a positive effect for me because I tend to be someone who broods over things, meaning that
the more that I think about a stressor that I have in my life, the more I continue to focus on it. By
becoming focused on something else, even just for an hour, I am able to break out of this
degenerative mental cycle. The physical side of both basketball and rock climbing is also helpful. I
can feel the endorphins that I get after exercising, and I feel more aspiration to complete other work
that I know that I need to finish. Before starting my exercise regimen, I would have difficulty
focusing, and feel very jittery and trapped while trying to write papers or accomplish whatever
sedentary tasks. This is one of the reasons I want to be a nurse; I simply have trouble sitting and
doing work. However, Ive noticed that exercising has a sort of hangover effect, where in the wake
of exercising I am able to accomplish sedentary work without feeling like I need to be moving
around.

Will you do anything differently now? Please explain.

I am certainly going to continue exercising, hopefully, at the very least, twice a week for an hour.
However, I need to begin implementing more lower body exercises. Rock climbing is very upper
body strength intensive, but after starting to play basketball again, I can feel the difference in the
effects of these varying kinds of exercise. Rock climbing is mentally more calming for me and I get
a greater sense of accomplishment from my improvements, but I believe that I need to balance this
with some sort of running exercise, such as hiking, jogging, or playing basketball, as these produce
more of a body calming effect. Also, they are much better for my cardiac health and less dangerous.

Comments/suggestions:
I enjoyed doing this journal, and it was not too much work.
Please rate how strongly you agree or disagree with these statements:
Following an evidence-based recommendation to reduce burnout was valuable to me.
Strongly Strongly
Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Disagree

1 2 3 4 5

This 8-week intervention will help me implement preventative strategies for burnout in my
career.
Strongly Strongly
Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Disagree

1 2 3 4 5

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 Strongly
Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Disagree

1 2 3 4 5

Completing the Big Five Personality Test was helpful for exploring my risk for nurse
burnout.
Strongly Strongly
Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Disagree
1 2 3 4 5