For pharmacists who lack motivation before work. Things to look at when you can't get your spirits back even after resting

Even when the alarm goes off, I can't get up right away.

Even though I slept, my body feels heavy.

Just thinking about today's shift makes me feel down.

I don't want to go.

Even if I think that, it's not like I have a fever. It's not like I can't move my body.

If I take a day off, it will be a burden on the other pharmacists. I might keep the patients waiting.

So, I get up again today.

I wash my face, get dressed, and head to the pharmacy.

I am Pharmacist Pharmady.

As a managing pharmacist, I have been involved in store operations and have also experienced recruitment and training. I have changed workplaces twice myself.

When working at a pharmacy, there are times when, even if you look normal to those around you, just going to work is all you can manage.

Feeling exhausted even before heading to work

The road to the pharmacy feels longer than usual.

Even when I arrive at the parking lot, I can't get out of the car right away.

Just five more minutes.

I want to stay here just a little longer.

I look at the clock while thinking that.

You can't be late, so you force your heavy body to move.

Once you enter the pharmacy, you greet everyone as usual.

You put on your white coat.
You turn on the computer.
You receive the prescription.

In front of patients, you speak as you always do.

However, just because you are working as usual does not mean you are not struggling.

There are days when you use up so much energy just by showing up to work, without anyone noticing.

Even after resting, the fatigue doesn't go away

On your days off, you try not to think about work as much as possible.

You sleep in late.
You spend time relaxing at home.
You don't make any plans.

Even so, the fatigue doesn't go away.

That is because even though your body is resting, your mind is still at work.

Did I leave any medication records unfinished?

Did I forget to check the inventory?

Am I working with someone I find difficult tomorrow?

Will the medication dispensing be uneven again?

You even remember the words a patient said to you or the grumpy expression on your supervisor's face.

Even though it's your day off, your heart hasn't returned from the pharmacy.

I rested, but I don't feel refreshed.

When you feel that way, you start to think that even the way you spend your time off is wrong.

However, it may not just be a matter of how you are resting.

It might be that your daily burden has become so great that you cannot release the tension of work even while you are resting.

Feeling depressed when thinking about tomorrow

On the morning of your day off, you feel a little lighter.

However, when evening comes, thoughts of tomorrow's shift come to mind.

Sunday evening.

The last day of a long weekend.

The moment you look at the work schedule.

Your chest feels heavy.

"Another week is starting."

Tomorrow is a busy day of the week.

It might be a day with many unit-dose packaging requests.

There might be a pile of inquiries to make.

I might be given a dirty look just for asking a question again.

Nothing has happened yet, but I am already tired.

When you feel depressed just thinking about tomorrow's work, the end of your day off is stolen by the workplace.

Even though you are supposed to be resting, you are constantly tense in preparation for your next shift.

Under these circumstances, it is no wonder that you cannot get your spirits back.

Once you enter the dispensary, your own feelings take a backseat.

Once you arrive at work, there is no time to stop.

Prescriptions keep coming.

The reply to an inquiry doesn't come.

The phone rings.

Pouch packaging requests pile up.

Inventory is running low.

The audit process gets backed up.

As wait times grow longer, the patients' expressions become stern.

In truth, you want to sit down for a moment.

You want to drink some water.

You want to tell someone, 'Today is tough.'

But everyone around you is also moving busily.

You feel like you can't be the only one to take a break.

And so, you keep working while pushing your feelings aside.

By the time your shift ends, you don't even have the energy left to think about what was so hard.

You go home, eat, and lie down.

And then, you think about tomorrow's work again.

Thinking "I have to try harder" only makes things more painful

When they feel unmotivated, conscientious pharmacists try to pull themselves together.

I must work more efficiently.

I must write my pharmacy records faster.

I must treat patients with more care.

I must continue studying medicine.

I must not be a burden to those around me.

None of these are wrong ways of thinking as a pharmacist.

However, aren't you adding new tasks to a self that is already exhausted?

Even when you try to watch training videos on your day off, you don't feel like hitting play.

Even when you open a book, the words don't sink in.

You don't even have the energy left to do housework.

Looking at yourself like that, you blame yourself, saying, "I used to be able to try harder."

It is not that you lack effort.

You have no energy left to use because of the work you have done so far.

If you try to add more effort to a place that is already empty, it will only become more painful.

I don't know if it's okay to stay like this

I want to quit my job.

But I don't know if it's really okay to quit.

I want to change jobs.

But I'm afraid it might be the same at a new workplace.

Do I hate my current pharmacy?

Have I come to hate the job of a pharmacist itself?

Or am I just tired?

I can't find an answer even if I think about it.

I feel like it's not quite bad enough to quit.

But when I imagine myself working like this for years to come, I feel depressed.

This vague sense of suffering might be the hardest part of all.

Because it seems like there is no clear reason, you end up denying your own feelings.

"There are people who have it worse."

"Maybe every pharmacy is the same."

"Am I just weak?"

That is how you try to convince yourself.

However, if you think "I don't want to go to work" every morning, please don't pretend those feelings don't exist.

Do you want to quit being a pharmacist, or do you just not want to go to your current workplace?

On difficult mornings, there are times when you think, "I want to quit being a pharmacist."

In such cases, please try to think about your work as a pharmacist and your current workplace separately.

Is it that you dislike talking to patients?

Is the work of checking medications painful for you?

Or is it difficult to work with your current boss or colleagues?

Are you tired because you cannot take breaks?

Are you unable to accept the imbalance in medication dispensing?

Are you sad because you are not appreciated even when you work hard?

If imagining yourself working at a different pharmacy makes you feel a little lighter than you do now, you may not want to quit being a pharmacist, but rather want to leave your current workplace.

Conversely, if you still don't feel motivated about the work of a pharmacist even if your workplace changes, you need to think about your future, including your career path.

You don't have to come up with an answer right away.

However, please don't end it with the single phrase, "It's because I'm weak."

Before trying to get your motivation back, stop blaming yourself.

You don't need to decide to resign right now.

You don't need to register with a pharmacist recruitment site either.

It's okay not to make any big decisions.

Instead, try to put into words just one thing that is draining your energy.

Not being able to take breaks.

Working every day with people you don't get along with.

Not finishing your pharmacy records.

Not being appreciated no matter what you do.

Not being able to see your future salary or work style.

When you put it into concrete words, you can see what was hidden within the single phrase 'I have no motivation'.

Is it something you can change through your own actions?

Is it something that won't change unless you consult with your boss or the company?

Is it something that won't change at your current workplace?

Just by separating these, what you should think about next will change.

Furthermore, if you are unable to sleep, unable to eat, crying, experiencing heart palpitations, or finding it difficult to even go to work, please do not keep it to yourself as just a motivation issue.

Please consult with professionals outside of your workplace, such as medical institutions or occupational physicians.

To think about whether your feelings will return at your current workplace

In this note, I have written mainly about the true feelings of pharmacists who cannot recover from fatigue even after resting and whose hearts feel heavy just thinking about going to work tomorrow.

If you want to check the causes of a pharmacist's declining motivation, categorized by fatigue, human relationships, evaluation, and anxiety about the future, I have summarized 7 causes and 8 coping methods on Pharma-Blo.

Read about the causes of a pharmacist's declining motivation and how to regain your drive

Is it time to take a break?

Is it time to discuss a transfer?

Should you consider changing your workplace?

If you are still unsure, please check your current state with the job change necessity diagnosis.

Check the necessity of changing jobs when you are hesitant about staying at your current workplace

You might feel like you don't want to go to work tomorrow morning either.

Even so, you might still get up, get dressed, and head to the pharmacy.

Please don't call yourself "pathetic" for that.

I believe you have gone to work many times until today while carrying heavy feelings.

Before deciding whether to try a little harder, please first look at how tired you really are.

Author: Pharmacist Pharma-D
Based on my experience as a managing pharmacist, in recruitment, and in training, I share information about how pharmacists work, choosing a workplace, annual income, and relationship troubles.

If this article resonates with how you are feeling right now, please save it so you can read it again on a difficult morning.