I’m sure you’ll find that if you examine any forum where pharmacists connect, that before long the conversation will turn to stock shortages, the manpower crisis, the onerous administrative burden, difficulties dealing with the PCRS, and the many other challenges we face on a daily basis in the exercise of our professional role.

Pharmacists are of course not unique in this regard, and conversations among gatherings of doctors, solicitors, accountants, and any other group you care to mention will, in general, follow a similar course, detailing all the problems, difficulties, stresses and challenges they face that are unique to them. The obvious common denominator of course is that we all are acutely aware of how our lives and roles don’t run as smoothly as they could, and as we wish they would. The result of this focus is the predominant experience of unresourceful emotions such as stress, anxiety and worry.

As human beings we have a natural tendency to focus on problems, issues, threats and concerns as opposed to possibilities, opportunities, advantages and strengths in our lives. This tendency is reflected in our 24/7 newfeeds, news bulletins, conversations and even in the general chitchat at the pharmacy counter. How many times a day do you hear conversation openers beginning with ‘Isn’t it terrible about . . . ’ or some variation thereof.

Sometimes, given the common discourse on climate change, runaway inflation, the global refugee crisis, the ongoing war in Ukraine, and the various other issues we face one could reasonably assume the whole world was falling apart. Yet, many experts, including Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker in his book Enlightenment Now, claim that throughout human history there has never been a better time to be alive. He points to increased global wealth, higher human IQ, longer lifespans, improved safety, and greater personal freedoms. Yet, despite this we still tend to focus almost exclusively on the doom and gloom.

Negative emotions narrow us, and when we feel a negative emotion, we enter threat mode, and focus solely on our problems and ourselves.”  

Negativity bias

To counteract this tendency, it is helpful to be aware of our brain’s negativity bias. As humans we are pre-programmed to notice the dangers, threats, and problems in our environment. From an evolutionary point of view, this bias gave our ancestors a survival advantage, to be primed to notice any would-be attackers or threats to our life. However, in the modern world where, thankfully, our lives are rarely under threat, this bias can contribute to a general feeling of anxiety and fear. It is said our brains are like velcro for the bad, in that problems, threats and mistakes are very attention-grabbing for our brains, and like teflon for the good, meaning that we experience many blessings in our lives at all times, but our problem seeking brains tend to either not notice, or discount them.

Because of this negativity bias, our brains are really only interested and invested in one side of the equation. As a result, we need to actively seek out positivity, and doing so has been shown to provide a welcome boost to our wellbeing. So, before you throw your eyes up to heaven and discount this as some kind of happy clappy happiology, let me explain. It is not sufficient to assume you’ll get out the right side of the bed half the time, and the wrong side the other half, and sure things will balance themselves out. Our negativity bias means we need to actively prioritise positivity to rebalance things.

Prioritising positivity

The value of this is not just that it will make us feel better, but that positive emotions lead to what Barbara Fredrickson, Professor at the University of North Carolina, calls the ‘broaden and build effect of positive emotions’. She proposes that positive emotions don’t exist just because they feel good, but because they alter how we interpret and interact with the world around us. Negative emotions narrow us, and when we feel a negative emotion, we enter threat mode, and focus solely on our problems and ourselves. When things are good and we feel positive, we are far more cooperative, collaborative, and creative. We are more outward looking, and far more likely to engage and connect with others. I’m sure we can all relate readily to this in the pharmacy environment, when things just seem to flow so smoothly on the days we are bright and cheery, and the issues and problems always seem to arise on those days we feel less than at our best.

So, what can be done to tip the balance in favour of the positive? There are ten positive emotions, namely love, serenity, forgiveness, awe, joy, interest, hope, pride, amusement, and inspiration. If we are experiencing emotional turbulence, stress or some sense of anxiety, one potential solution is to put the focus on these positive emotions. Even during the most difficult and stressful of times there exists the possibility of experiencing these emotions, though our initial thoughts may suggest there is no such chance.

Here are some simple questions to get you started:

• How aware am I of my emotional state and how it affects my thoughts and behaviour?
• Given that our emotions are contagious, what effect do I have on those around me?
• What could I, or we as a team, be thankful for in our working day?
• Do I express gratitude to my colleagues for all their assistance and hard work?
• How could I create an environment that encourages excitement, enthusiasm, and fun?

Séamus Ruane is a community pharmacist and Positive Psychology Practitioner. Visit www. iThrive.ie for more information. Séamus delivers the IPU training course ‘IPU Wellbeing in the Pharmacy’.