Life isn’t always easy, and making friends can be a real challenge. As we balance career, motherhood, and other responsibilities, it can feel like friendships take a back seat. This can lead to many of us feeling lonely and isolated. The Swedish pharmacy chain Apotek Hjärtat wants to help combat that and is piloting a revolutionary new program. According to the BBC, the pilot “friendcare” program offers pharmacy employees paid time to spend with their friends. It might be the sweetest thing we’ve heard in a long time.
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The Pharmacy Chain Wants to Help Employees Relax with Friendcare
Right now, there are 11 participants in the year-long friendcare trial.
Participant Yasmine Lindbergh told the BBC she loves the idea.
“I’m really tired when I go home. I don’t have time or energy to meet my friends,” she said.
Yasmine found that she wound up spreading herself too thin, and friendcare helps alleviate that.
“I wanted to make it better for myself… like, kick myself in the back to do stuff,” she said.
“I feel happier. You can’t live through the internet like most people do these days.”
Monica Magnusson, Apotek Hjärtat’s CEO, told the BBC the friendcare program stemmed from a previous project with the mental health charity Mind.
“We try and see what the effects are from having the opportunity to spend a bit of time every week on safeguarding your relationships,” Monica explained. “This is a reflection on that, but targeting loneliness and relationships instead.”
Daniel Ek, a Swedish psychologist and co-author of The Power of Friendship, added that friendcare fits well with the Swedish lifestyle.
“The Swedish mentality is like – you shouldn’t disturb others. We value personal space a lot, and we have a hard time breaking the ice,” he shared.
This story’s featured image can be found here.
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