Working at a retail pharmacy is filled with many challenges.
There are very long work days, not much time to eat a meal, and constant racing between answering phones and filling scripts. Large volumes of prescriptions have to be filled accurately and with quality assurance on a daily basis. In a minute, the day can go from rewarding to stressful.
Retail pharmacists are like superheroes whose kryptonite is failure to properly address their well-being over time. As you counsel patients on their medication adherence, disease states, and overall health, how much of your own advice are you following? When was the last time you visited your physician, checked your vitals, or started a workout routine?
Working long days can be taxing and may not allow you to take care of your work-life balance, which may, in turn, cause breakdowns in other aspects of your life. What is your well-being and how, if at all, is it being met?
Your well-being has mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical aspects. The mental aspects can be addressed through pleasure reading, which allows your mind to stretch beyond work, while the spiritual aspects can be addressed through yoga or meditation.
If you are not able to take break outside the pharmacy, then take a mental break inside the pharmacy by closing your eyes periodically to decompress during stressful times. Long hours can lead to a lack of sleep, which can negatively impact your brain function, decrease your ability to defend against illness, and undermine your weight-loss goals by reducing your hormone sensitivity.
In addition, look at the food choices you make each day. Are they providing you with the energy and nutritional balance necessary to support your daily activities?
Acknowledgment also supports your well-being. If you are not acknowledged for the work that you do personally or professionally as often as you would like, check out Tut.com to receive a daily positive message that will help kick off your day on a positive note.
Finally, consider carving out some time to map out an action plan that will improve your well-being and ensure that you have enough work-life balance to live your best life.