Things I learned in 2021

As I sit down at the laptop on this, the final day of 2021, I naturally find myself reflecting on the year that was. Last year was supposed to be a year of hope and optimism as we rebounded from the turmoil and stress that COVID-19 imposed on the world the year prior. Needless to say, 2021 did not exactly deliver as advertised. Regardless, amidst the continuous and ongoing strains that stretched many of us to our breaking points—and sometimes beyond—the year delivered, for me at least, many exciting moments and many enduring lessons. Below are some of the lessons learned that were most impactful to me. Say 'Yes’ to everything Starting from the very first days of the pandemic, my personal and professional life was thrown into upheaval by the dual threats of COVID-19 and an unexpected change in my career path. New, exciting opportunities seemed to lurk at every corner but carried tremendous risk. What were my next steps? What do I want to do with my career? How to choose amongst the many opportunities? Don’t choose. Just say ‘Yes’ to everything. If it sounds interesting, say yes. If it takes you in new directions or opens up other potential opportunities, say yes. If you believe in it, passionately, say yes. If you’re scared that you aren’t up for it, say yes. (And, sure, if it replenishes your bank account or retirement fund, you might want to consider saying yes.) For me, this meant saying yes to many diverse and interesting ventures, including: Working locum contracts at numerous pharmacies—urban, rural, and remote—across multiple provinces Beginning to write continuing education modules and provide expert review Presenting at pharmacy conferences Hosting webinars Agreeing to participate in panel discussions Publishing blogs for Pharmacy Practice + Business magazine Guesting on a podcast (thanks, Aska Patel!) Joining advisory boards Numerous appearances in print, radio, and television media Meeting with my MP virtually as part of CPhA’s advocacy work related to COVID-19 Networking with more of my colleagues, stakeholders, and other health professionals from across the country than I ever thought possible Becoming a Pharmacy Practice Specialist, a newly created role, for Pharmacists Manitoba as we launch a new province-wide smoking cessation program Oh yeah, almost forgot. In late summer, my partner and I launched Simplicity Wellness, Manitoba’s first clinical practice pharmacy, focused on metabolic health and sleep optimization, unlike anything else in our province. We help make health simple through coaching and consultation, without dispensing medications. Every single step of launching Simplicity has been a new growth experience and we learn more every day. Despite the tedium of ongoing COVID case reports, public health briefings, and botched government communications, 2021 was never boring. There was always a new adventure just around the corner. I don’t know yet which of these opportunities I will persist with over the long term, but I do know that I won’t look back with regret because I let them pass. Learn how to say ‘No’ Okay, okay. It’s not possible to say yes to EVERYTHING. One of the most important lessons I learned this year as my commitments piled up was the necessity of saying no to some things. I’m not very good at this yet but I am learning to give critical thought to whether a request truly fits into my schedule, or aligns with my beliefs, or comes with enough compensation (financial or otherwise). This is very much a developmental area for me (as evidenced by the 70-80-hour workweeks I had been putting in recently) but setting some boundaries and getting comfortable with “no” is vital to keeping things sustainable. Hopefully when I reflect twelve months from now, I’ll be able to show some real improvement in this area. Self-care is essential As I took on increasingly challenging and consuming roles, it became crystal clear to me that I needed to prioritize rest and recovery in those few spare moments left over. My self-care routines might look very different to many of yours, but some of the things that were virtually non-negotiable this year included eating well (whole-food, protein-prioritized meals), early to bed and early to rise, finding time to decompress and be mindless, and developing the skill to focus and be mindful. The other component of self-care that is essential to me is movement. I cannot get through a challenging week without fulfilling my daily commitment to being physically active, whether that’s a grueling session with the weights or a leisurely bike commute to work. Movement is, for me, like investing for retirement—you need to pay yourself first. It’s easy to say there is no time or energy for exercise (and I certainly do not always feel like doing it), but it is the single most valuable investment I make in myself and always repays itself many times over. COVID: the good, the bad, the ugly There is no getting away from the fact that COVID-19 took up all the air in the room again in 2021. As we entered the year, hope seemed on the horizon as effective vaccines were readied for rollout. The early phase of vaccination was truly one of the most important and joyful periods of my career as Manitobans were excited to come to the pharmacy for their shots and it seemed the end of the pandemic might be around the corner. Of course, the optimism has since faded as we were faced with new and dangerous variants, either more deadly or more contagious than before. Recently it has seemed like the beginning of the pandemic all over again. Truthfully, it is becoming hard to make out the light at the end of the tunnel. In many cases, our communities are more torn apart than ever before in recent memory. Whereas in the early stages of the pandemic, we were often overjoyed just for the opportunity to smile and say hello to another human being walking along the road (socially distanced and usually masked), we are now divided by our beliefs on vaccinations and public health orders. Pharmacists and other health professionals are now often subjected to angry comments, verbal abuse, and even threats, as governments across the country use restrictions to encourage the unvaccinated to come forward. I know I’m not alone in feeling exhausted by this pandemic and its continuing twists and turns. As we enter 2022, I remain cautiously optimistic that maybe this year will be when we finally turn the corner and begin to put COVID-19 behind us. Of course, there will be many other crises and opportunities to deal with, but those can be a topic for another blog. In the meantime, I’ll continue saying 'yes' to (almost) everything. Stay safe and stay warm. Tim Smith, BSc (Pharm), CDE, CTE (he/him) is the co-founder of Simplicity Wellness (@simplicitywell), a health coaching practice focused on metabolic health and sleep optimization and Manitoba’s first clinical practice pharmacy. He lives in Treaty One Territory and serves as the Pharmacy Practice Specialist

Things I learned in 2021

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