Kamryn Compton
Wellness Self Care Goal Sheet
Your performance as a nurse and as a nursing student will depend on your ability to care for yourself and remain well. You have completed the Integrative Health and Wellness Assessment (IHWA) either during or shortly after Class 1.
The IHWA covers eight major areas of your life. Use the focus area totals to complete the self-care plan (page 3 of the survey in Bb) to become the basis for developing 2 goals and with subsequent interventional strategies for improved wellness during this semester. Upload the Goal Sheet via Bb by Sept 9 @ 8:30am. These goals will become the basis for your self-care exemplar later this semester;
Goal 1: My first goal for this semester is to be mindful of my stress levels and mental well-being. Throughout my time at college I have become very aware of how important stress management can be for my success. In the beginning I struggled with trying to balance my school schedule, run on the women’s Cross-Country team at UNE, participate in the Army ROTC program, and to make time for myself. I quickly learned that this was too much. As a result, I became extremely overwhelmed. I am thankful to have a great relationship with my parents and close friends. It was clear they cared for my health and began to notice the impact all this stress started to have on me. They helped me realize the negative effects that stress had on my mental and emotional well-being; and after long consideration and some hesitation I decide to quit Cross Country. While difficult, this was one of the best decisions that I have made. Having that extra time throughout my day and week allowed me to work on my time management and gave me more time to focus on myself. This was the cure for me. While I feel that I am much better at stress management, after doing the health and wellness assessment I realized how I could be doing more for myself. As I transition to the Portland campus and into the professional phase of my program, I want to be mindful of my stress and metal/emotional well-being to help me to be as successful as possible.
Strategies for attaining goal 1.
- Be more aware of my physical, mental, and emotional reactions to different situations
- Check in with myself (I could potentially go through a self-inventory)
- Try things like deep breathing, relaxation, and yoga
- Take time for me – try and do something for myself at least once a week
- Try to reduce stress in the moment (new and stressful situations such as clinical, work, test taking, studying, ect.)
- Relax through various relaxation techniques
- Be aware of negative thoughts and try and change some of my negative way of thinking
- Have some fun, laugh with friends, make sure to not let the stress effect my ability to enjoy my day to day life
Goal 2: For my second goal I hope to focus more on my nutrition and sleep schedule throughout this semester. I found that after starting college and ROTC that my schedule normally consists of very early mornings for training and very late nights for studies. Most nights I find that I do not get enough sleep. This leads to late night snacking and drinking caffeinated beverages. Since I am up late, I tend to find myself snacking on unhealthy snacks to keep me awake and occupied while I study. I consider myself physically fit because of ROTC and workouts I do on my own, but I definitely could work on eating healthier. I hope that by putting more emphasis on my sleep schedule I will be more productive. By eliminating unhealthy food choices and drinking more water, I will improve my overall wellbeing.
Strategies for attaining goal 2.
- Watch the amount of sugar, fats, and carbohydrates that I am consuming
- Try to avoid snacking after 7pm
- Try to eat more nourishing food/ snacks
- Set time aside to have three solid meals a day to try and avoid the need for constant snacking
- Try to time manage enough so that I can get to bed at a reasonable hour most nights
- Try and drink at least two water bottles full of water a day or more if possible
