Self-Care Exemplar
In the beginning of the semester, my two main goals were Health Responsibility and Life Balance/Satisfaction. Growing up and even until recently I knew very little about my family’s health history and what ailments I was at risk for. As the semester has unfolded, I have made a conscious effort to ask my parents and grandparents what they know about history of disease and illness in my family. I have learned quite a bit about history of cancer on both my mother and father’s side. This was extremely important to me because I want to know what my future holds and whether I can prevent certain conditions. It was clear to me that on both my mother and father’s side, cancer is prevalent but also widely lifestyle related. From skin cancer, to lung cancer, to even liver cancers, the lifestyle decisions my relatives made greatly affected their health. This information helps me because I am still young, and I can change the decisions I make while I am still youthful to hopefully prolonged my future. One disease that I was informed my grandfather struggled with was high cholesterol. This is something my father actively takes medication for to prevent increased lipid levels, but I would rather not take medications. I can prevent this by managing my diet, which is something I try to do every day. Having a healthy diet is something I pride myself on, with the occasional off day. As an athlete and college student I know the importance of a healthy diet to maintain a healthy weight, but now that I am aware of family ties to high cholesterol, I have one more reason to watch what I eat.
I was very successful in getting a verbal history of my maternal grandmother’s family history, but I struggled in getting my paternal grandmother’s history. My dad’s family all originated from Sweden. Other than origin, very little is known about his ancestors. When they came through Ellis Island health records and paperwork did not come with them, so there is little to no documentation of their health status coming to America. This barrier has been something that my father has struggled with for years, because he does not know the history of his family.
My second goal, one that I unfortunately was not as successful with was putting myself before others more often. This was a very important goal for me, because everyone needs time for themselves and I was not getting much, if any. I had mentioned in the beginning of the year that I find myself anxious, stressed and even depressed often because I do not set aside time for myself. Although I tried to take a step back and let people handle some problems by themselves, I failed to put my own needs before those of my friends and family. I am bad at telling someone no that I cannot help them, which is definitely an obstacle for me. I am an extremely compassionate and empathetic person, so when someone needs help, I am the first to volunteer which is not always good. I recognize that this is a problem which is the first step to making a change, but that is not a modification. I need to not be afraid to ask for help when I need it and I need to say no to helping others when I have too much on my plate. I will continue to work on this goal because I should put my mental health first if I am going to help patients in the future.
According to Prochaska’s Transtheoretical Model, I was determined to complete goal one and two, but I only took action for goal one (LaMorte, 2019). I begin with small steps like asking questions and researching diagnoses and then I decided based off those findings I made the decision to change my behavior. It has not been six months yet so I have not hit the maintenance stage, but I do believe I will get there. My health is very important to me, so if there is something I can do to maintain a long, healthy life I will. I am still determined to achieve goal two, but I am still battling with myself to take action. I am afraid if I take a step back from being the one who is always helpful, people will not want my help anymore.
The more I progress through the semester, the more I feel I need to take action on goal two. As classes get harder and the workload grows, I feel more and more stress. I know that time for meditation and relaxation would assist me in destressing and relieving my anxiety, all I need to do is take action. I am also aware that the following semesters are only going to get more difficult which makes me want to maintain my progress on goal one and progress further with goal two. By making these healthy decisions for myself, I can feel confident teaching them to clients. As a nurse I will encourage my patients to know their family history in the hopes that they will be able to make choices to prolong their lives as well. If I maintain my goals, it will make patient teaching simpler.
In order to continue meeting my goals, I need to make decisions that benefit me. I cannot always put others before myself and I must make decisions that prolong my life. Every day I should eat, exercise, and meditate to assist myself.
LaMorte, W. W. (2019, September 9). The Transtheoretical Model (Stages of Change). Behavioral Change Models. Retrieved November 2, 2020, from https://sphweb. bumc.bu.edu/otlt/mph-modules/sb/behavioralchangetheories/behavioralchange theories6.html
