Jefferson College Deliberate and Intentional Act of Self Care Response
Question Description
Hi, I have 2 of my classmates’ posts. I need you to respond to each one separately. Also, one source at least for each one of them. Don’t write about how good their posts or how bad. All you need to do is to choose one point of the post and explore it a little bit with one source support for each response.Also, please respond to at least 2 person’s post – maybe to congratulate them for doing it, aligning with them because you realize that you would also do something similar, or just to share any supportive or encouraging thoughts. The paper should be APA style.
The question was:
I want you to actively think about the value and importance of self-care and share with the class about it. I personally cannot stress how meaningful it is to identify and utilize self-care when necessary, so I want you to begin to look within yourselves and start to catalog what helps you wind down, relax, and be in a more positive mental/emotional space. I believe that we don’t spend much time on our own thinking about this, so my hope is that this may begin a shift and allow us to do it more regularly.
For this assignment, I would like you to identify at least one deliberate and intentional act of self-care between today and next Thursday. Like I mentioned in class, if you normally take a nap, watch movies, or go to the beach for self-care, please continue to do so. I would, however, like you to think beyond the basic ones and really do something meaningful for yourself (again, my contribution is that I am going away for a few days to see a friend because I’ve missed seeing them and it will be a nice change of scenery for me and hopefully help me to recharge). Also, please respond to at least 2 person’s post – maybe to congratulate them for doing it, aligning with them because you realize that you would also do something similar, or just to share any supportive or encouraging thoughts.
This the first post from my classmate MOLLY need for response:
I have pretty much always been really bad at self-care, and sometimes it feels as though I haven’t taken a break since high school. I used to stay at school until 8 pm doing theatre on days when I didn’t have softball practices or tournaments, and I elected to be both a full-time student and full-time EMT in undergrad while working at a bar on the weekends. I didn’t slow down until I moved to Philadelphia in April. That quickly changed when I started volunteering at a cat rescue, my boyfriend moved in, and classes picked up. I’m also in the process of applying to medical school. I’ve burned out twice, the first time in high school and the second senior year in college. When I get close to that point I don’t eat, I drink about 6 cups of coffee a day, and my personal relationships disintegrate. I was on SSRIs for a bit too, to help with the anxiety that developed from constantly trying to “˜do it all’.
This past month or two have been rough, and the stress probably weakened my immune system. I woke up on Thursday feeling like my body had been hit by a small car and like my head was going to explode, so I decided to tune into class in my PJs on my couch. Although Professor Young said that I could count that act for this assignment, I really can’t. My decision wasn’t truly an act of self-care because it was mainly to ensure that I didn’t get anyone else sick.
Upon reflection, I noted that I have been eating adequately, limiting my caffeine intake, drinking enough water, sleeping enough, and doing daily hygiene tasks/chores (I actually made my own “˜hierarchy of needs’ in undergrad). I realized that the best thing for me to do in the short term was exercise more. I signed up for a gym membership on Saturday and went that night and I’ve developed a schedule that I’ll stick to for the rest of the summer. Running helps me work out stress, feel better physically and emotionally, and has the added benefit of helping my cardiovascular health, which I’ve always guessed is what will eventually kill me. Although it’s not a traditional method of self-care, I usually have to put in work to see results instead of engaging in a passive act like napping or watching TV. I won’t see results immediately, but I took the first step which is usually the hardest for me. Hopefully by the end of summer working out will be a habit, I will have more energy, and be more persistently relaxed.
This the second post from my classmate MIKE need for response:
Well it’s summer time and I am enrolled in two classes that are moving extremely fast. I work 40-50 hours a week as a salaried employee at three hospitals. Recently involved in training two different hospitals 200 miles away in sepsis training. In the meantime I just successfully won a democratic nomination for councilman at large position in the city I live in and call home Hubbard, Ohio. In two weeks we will all be particip