Give and take in pharmacy – On finding mental balance

The pharmacist's schedule was good and bad this year at work. I worked the weekend of my birthday, all 4 summer long weekends and Father's Day. If not careful, I could find myself frustrated. Instead, I will choose to mentally frame it as 'give and take'. 

Since there are only two of us, we work every second weekend. In this model, the pharmacists have to give as much as they take (think: FOR each other, instead of BECAUSE of each other).

After taking a breath, I realize because of that same schedule I was able to coach both my kids’ hockey teams, have my wife's birthday off and race 4 triathlons. 

So many times, life defaults us to approach mental 'balance' from the negative instead of the positive. In order to take, we must also give.

What you give ends up being much less than what you get to take.

To help maintain mental balance, I use a one-page tool called the Mindset Challenge Log to quickly evaluate negative thoughts. Based on essential principles of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), something pharmacists list as a key mental health reference in counselling patients, it programs thinking.

It quickly trains the mind to validate negative thoughts and prescribes balanced responses. By writing down responses using the tool over time, the mind becomes capable of accessing the questions without journaling.

Give the time to self-evaluate thoughts to be able to take a more balanced automatic future mindset during stressful moments. 

Are you unintentionally taking more than you are giving?

What key questions would help you validate the unbalanced thoughts?