Throughout the semester, I have incorporated the wellness goals that I set in the beginning of the fall term into my weekly routine. My first goal was to eat more whole foods such as fruits, veggies, beans and nuts throughout my week. I accomplished this goal by looking up new and interesting recipes to get myself excited to eat them. I made this a goal originally because I knew that this semester was going to be my hardest yet, and I wanted to make sure I was nourishing my body in order to perform to my highest potential. It was also important to me because I, along with many others, suffer from IBS. Finding foods that I can eat and not have an issue with was very important because otherwise I would feel sick, and not be able to go to school, and I knew that would not help me grade wise. So, this goal really helped me explore food options that made me feel so much better, and therefore perform better.
My second goal was to practice yoga 3 times a week. This was an important goal for me because I thought it would help me manage my stress, because I knew I would be feeling a lot of stress throughout the semester and I wanted to find a new outlet to help concentrate on other things. However, I was unable to stick to this goal in its entirety. I was able to practice yoga about once per week, and it was relaxing, but not for me. I realized I enjoy working out at the gym to relieve stress so much better. I think I just got bored doing yoga because I felt I wasn’t moving as much, which is not something I’m used to. In order for me to be totally distracted from schoolwork, I need to be really pushing myself, which didn’t happen while I was practicing yoga unfortunately. My mind was always wandering back to things I was stressed about, whereas when I’m running on a treadmill at the gym, I’m only thinking about how I’m breathing, and pushing my legs to keep going.
Something that helped me maintain my goals was knowing that I would feel better if I stuck to them. Eating more whole foods allowed me to feel better and be more present in class, which allowed me to perform better in my classes. One thing that helped me to do yoga once per week was that afterwards, I would feel looser; my muscles did feel more relaxed, and therefore I did feel some type of value in practicing it. Another thing I did to push myself to practice yoga even though I didn’t really want to was that I would only do 10-15 minute videos because I knew the thought of doing a 20 minute routine would make me dread practicing yoga, and knew I would eventually fall out of the habit.
Some barriers that occurred throughout the course of attaining my goals included that sometimes, regarding food items such as quinoa or nuts, the price is a little bit higher. Since I can’t work a lot due to schoolwork and focus, my money for groceries each week was budgeted, and so I had to prioritize certain foods. The only barrier I had to work through regarding my goal for practicing yoga was the mind barrier that I didn’t want to do it because I realized I wasn’t enjoying it. I really wanted to enjoy yoga, but I really had to make a conscious effort to make myself do it for 10 minutes, at least.
I was in the action stage for my first goal, and still am, mostly due to how much better I feel. Once it truly clicked in my head how important it was for me to stick to incorporating more whole foods into my diet, I stuck to it. I am even currently still in the maintenance stage of the Stages of Change Model (Martin, 2009), because I am confident I have found a lifestyle that works for me and helps me feel my best. I am in the mindset of “why would I ever want to stray from feeling and performing my best?”. For my second goal of practicing yoga, I think I started out being in the preparation stage, because I wanted to try yoga and really enjoy it, and then I went fully into the action stage. However, that did not last long due to my realization of not truly enjoying, which led to me being the relapse stage. I was mad at myself for not enjoying it, but I realized I shouldn’t cast that type of pressure on myself; it was simply just not for me, and that’s ok.
Some changes I will make to continue to meet my first goal include continuing to look up new recipes for vegetables and beans and nuts. I will listen to my body regarding how I feel when I eat certain things, and make adjusts as needed. However, I think I will stop practicing yoga since I truly do not enjoy it, and because it feels like it hangs over my head throughout the week because I don’t want to do it. Instead, I will continue to go to the gym since I enjoy it, but maybe I will incorporate another type of exercise, such as cycling, dancing, or rock climbing, to my routine to keep my workout routine fresh.
Overall, I am happy with my results from this exercise, and have enjoyed the emphasis on wellness and selfcare amidst such a stressful semester. It’s something that is not talked about in most nursing schools, which I think can be detrimental to young nurses because they might have a hard time finding the importance in taking time to relax and destress during school or even heir careers.
