Vitаl Signs Medicаtiоns Nursing Nоtes BP: 138/82 mmHg HR: 78 bpm RR: 16 breаths/min SpO₂: 96% оn room air Anticoagulants (taken yesterday) Blood pressure medication (taken this morning) Multivitamin (taken yesterday) "I can't remember the name of that blood thinner I am taking, but I took it yesterday like I was supposed to." " I haven't eaten anything since 10:00 p.m. last night, and I am starving." "Am I going to be in a lot of pain after this surgery?" "I haven't urinated since 9:00 a.m. this morning." "I'm not sure how to use that breathing device they gave me." A nurse is performing preoperative teaching for a 65-year-old client scheduled for abdominal surgery in the morning. Based on the patient's chart, which finding requires the nurse's immediate intervention?
Pаrt 1: Activities Let’s explоre sоme pоsitive emotion inducing аctivities! The аctivities below have been shown to increase regularity of positive emotions and increase overall wellbeing. Pick the one or two that sound interesting to you and participate as instructed. Option 1: Guided meditation on YouTube: No Music Track: Guided Loving Kindness/Metta Meditation (30 minutes. Note. This recording references the Buddhist origins of the practice; however, this is the best guided meditation I’ve found so far.) Here is a second secular option: A Gift of Loving Kindness Meditation by Emma Seppala, Ph.D, Author of The Happiness Track Loving-kindness meditation has been shown to induce positive emotions in as little as 4 minutes (Hutcherson, Seppala, & Gross, 2008), and regular meditation (most days over about 3 months) has been shown to increase intensity and regularity of positive emotions, plus build personal resources like improved social interactions and greater self-acceptance (Fredrickson, Cohn, Coffey, Pek, & Finkel, 2008). Option 2: Gratitude information and brief activity in UT Thrive: Go to App Store on an iPhone and download “UT Thrive.” Then complete the gratitude module. (iPhone required; ~15 minutes) The act of searching for that which you are grateful gives an instant mood boost. So it doesn’t matter what it is you are grateful for (e.g., making it to school on time, your dog’s excitement when you get home), what matters is the honest search for that special something. Research shows thinking of three things daily for which you are grateful can have lasting positive benefits (Bolier, Haverman, Westerhof, Riper, Smit, & Bohlmeijer, 2013). Option 3: Download or print a copy of this gratitude journal (~10-30 minutes) Use crayons or other fun writing utensil to complete any pages that you’d like. Feel free to make your own gratitude journal. Want more? Other activities shown to bring on positive emotions are regular belly laughter, engagement with art (e.g., go to a museum), and smiling. : )