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56 BODY & SOUL PUT THE WELL IN WELLBEING By Emily Devon. ‘Wellbeing’ is one of the most popular buzzwords of the moment, which is unsurprising as people around the world face life-changing predicaments and stress-causing situations. “Over the past few months in community pharmacy, we’ve seen a wave of rapidly changing emotions in our customers – confusion, anger, fear and anxiety, which isn’t normal at all,” said Pharmacy Retail Manager Catherine Brandis of Bunbury Drive-In Chemist, Western Australia. The past few months have brought many big changes that have affected the whole population. Job loss, isolation, and potentially contracting COVID-19 or worrying about loved ones contracting it have been issues at the forefront of most minds. Ms Brandis says making a simple trip to the local pharmacy for a friendly chat to the staff and to pick up some paracetamol has “come to an abrupt halt”. “Customers have been greeted with face masks, hand sanitiser and a 1.5m \[distancing\] rule, and in many cases can’t even enter the pharmacy they’ve been going to for years,” she said. While it’s easy to say to a customer or patient, ‘Focus on your wellbeing, take time for self-care’, often the individual won’t fully comprehend the full meaning of wellbeing. A range of factors contribute to wellbeing. It can be so much more than simply putting on a hydrating face mask or trying out a new hair style (and sometimes regretting it). The inner health relating to wellbeing also includes such elements as the right amount of sleep, accomplishing calmness and maintaining as much energy as possible, which can be incredibly hard in slow moving times like the present. RETAIL PHARMACY ASSISTANTS • JUN 2020