• being aware of what sparks resistance and reflection on what I am struggling to accept,

• ensuring safety and allowing myself to feel emotions that are present, and

• coping affirmations, for example, “I cannot change the situation, but I can control how I respond to it.”

• "Learn to let go of the past. And recognize that every day won't be sunny, and when you find yourself lost in the darkness and despair, remember it's only in the black of night you see the stars. And those stars will lead you back home."

• This quote contributes to my overall well-being by providing assurances that the difficulties experienced can lead to beautiful outcomes and inspires me to let go of the past.

"I am safe to be authentically myself."

"I am worthy."

"I am enough."

"I am a magnet for positive experiences."

"I attract opportunities that align with my goals."

"I am the architect of my life and create my own destiny."

• meditation, and

• nature walks.

Last month, I began participating in mediation classes weekly with others in my community. Meditation has improved my mental clarity and has provided me the opportunity to experience 'being grounded' for the first time in my life. A part of my self-care plan includes nature walks to ensure that I am priortizing physical activity and detachment from busy surroundings.

1. Come Back - when I am caught up in regret, guilt and stress, taking a deep breath and saying "come back" to centre myself and refocus on the present task.

2. Three Senses - to return to the present moment, I will take a few breaths and ask myself, "what are three things I can hear?", "what are three things I can see?" and "what are three things I can feel?"

"I am doing the best I can in this present moment."

"I can choose how to respond rather than react."

"I am fully capable and equipped to handle this situation."

"I am strong, resilient and I can handle this."

"I have made it through and survived challenging situations before, I can do it again."

"I am capable of understanding that more than one thing can be true at once."

When developing my self-care plan, I integrated activities and healthy distractions from my past and present that provided me happiness. As previously mentioned, I struggle with mindless scrolling and having healthy distractions such as reading, creating spreads in my junk journal, daily Sudoku and Spelling Bee, provide me with alternatives when needed. When curating and putting my inspirations together, I enjoyed having the opportunity to dig deeper into what inspires my soul and essentially, put it all in one place. Once school began to get busy and the pace quickened, the personalized poem has been my inspiration to continue this journey of going back to school. It serves a constant reminder to lean into my peace when everything becomes overwhelming. Another inspiration that I had the pleasure of sharing was from my all-time favourite television show. One Tree Hill (although a drama) has provided me with life lessons and although it sounds crazy, Coach Whitey Durham remains to be an inspiration in all different stages in my life. Including his character and quote in this assignment required vulnerability, yet as mentioned, his quote serves as a constant reminder that there is light within all the darkness, even when not obviously apparent. Another inspiration that motivates me daily are affirmations that focus on self-worth and self-esteem. Baseline, I am not a confident person, but with years of slowly implementing changes, daily affirmations inspire me to believe in my capabilities and in myself. When developing the relaxation part of my self-care plan, I found that leaning into what I already loved would be the most beneficial such as nature walks. I struggle with overthinking and anxiety, and meditation has been a new practice that I have implemented into my self-care plan which has produced many benefits thus far. My favourite aspect of developing this self-care plan was integrating coping skills such as therapy and coping statements, like affirmations, to use when feeling stress or overwhelm.  

I plan to implement my self-care plan in various ways, depending on which topic. Upon reviewing my daily routine, I am implementing my daily affirmations when getting ready for the day. I am implementing nature walks in the morning (except for days that I am on campus, then I will walk in the afternoon) and will typically have therapy in the afternoon every two weeks to two months. Instead of scrolling on my phone for greater than one hour, I am implementing the healthy distractions such as the online games, reading and creating spreads in my junk journal. At night, before I go to bed, I am implementing a meditation practice to ensure a restful sleep. When needing inspiration, I will ensure to lean on the quotes, statements and affirmations included in my self-care plan. When encountering stressful situations in nursing, I am implementing mindfulness exercises when needing an intentional moment to centre myself. Overall, I plan to slowly implement my self-care plan to ensure that these practices become habits and routine.  

After implementing my self-care plan, I hope to be experiencing personal benefits such as mental clarity, improved emotional regulation, the ability to be completely present, less physical tension, and the ability to manage stressors. In my professional practice, I hope to be a more patient, present and attentive provider. Overall, I hope that implementing my self-care plan will encourage being intentional in both personal and professional settings.