Are You Languishing? The Feeling of “Blah”

What is Languishing?

Languishing refers to stagnation and emptiness, leading to a feelings of despair. Also, it defines as the counter-opposite of flourishing. Experts characterize languishing as a lack of engagement, dissatisfaction, and apathy (sometimes referred to as “meh.” Scientifically speaking, of course).

Flourishing is the opposite of languishing.

It’s not a health condition like depression or anxiety. It’s a kind of state where people find themselves stuck. Though languishers don’t show any signs of specific mental health illnesses, they are unable to thrive either. Languishers just go with the flow throughout the day. They might have the energy to complete their task, but they don’t find enjoyment in their work.

Why has languishing gotten worse during the Pandemic?

Many more people have been languishing since the COVID pandemic. But why is it happening? Why has COVID increased feelings of languishing?

Your brain is only conditioned to function effectively under stress for a few days, such as working to meet a deadline at the office. But when you get exposed to daily anxiety, it leads to chronic stress, causing your body to break down. As a result, you become emotionally exhausted.

Going through excessive stress regularly can be harmful to your wellness. During the last few years, COVID has caused people to be worn down by fear of illness, uncertainty, and grief. Unfortunately, distance from loved ones and feelings of loneliness and isolation also have increased the problems. All these stressors during the pandemic have led people to a state of languishing.

Wharton Organizational Psychologist Adam Grant highlighted “languishing” as what people were feeling during the COVID Pandemic in this NY Times piece (click on photo).

We also have seen people dying, getting sick, losing their jobs, and failing to make a plan for the future. This has also led people to suffer from a COVID post-traumatic stress disorder. Since the COVID restrictions have lifted and many people have started to live a “normal life,” people will get the space to process everything that has happened during the pandemic that they weren’t able to acknowledge through the stress.

So, it might be the time to feel joy, gratitude, and enthusiasm about the end of the pandemic. However, you might have already developed a feeling of languishing that could prevent you from flourishing in your life.

How to Know You May be Languishing

Identifying languishing is a bit difficult. Here are the signs of languishing at work.

• Feeling irritated, sad, or confused.
• Feeling dissociated or disconnected from your coworkers
• Inability to feel excited about any upcoming projects
• Cynicism about your colleagues, career, or leaders
• Difficulty remembering or focusing
• Lack of motivation or procrastination to complete assignments
• Experiencing “Sunday Scaries”
• Increasingly stressed with work

You will also notice symptoms of languishing in your personal life. This includes:

• Inability to make people understand your feelings
• A sense of existential crisis or emptiness
• Engaging in inflammatory or risky behaviors to try to avoid the “meh” feeling
• Unable to feel healthy even though you don’t have any illness or sickness
• Feeling as if there is no exciting or joyful thing to look forward to
• Feeling as if you are struggling with an existential crisis

How to Get Back to Flourishing

Journaling is a great way to get back to flourishing.

If you feel that you are languishing, then don’t get hard on yourself–millions of others across the globe are going through the same thing. You can practice some ways to improve your life. Start caring for your health–eat healthy foods, exercise, get good sleep, and connect with friends and family.

Also, listen to your inner voice. If your body tells you that you need rest, then try to rest your body. Another good technique to overcome languishing is journaling. Write all the things you have that you feel gratitude for. Journaling every morning or evening can help you focus on the good side of your life.

Lastly, start making plans for the future and slowly works towards them. The world is changing, and if you want to thrive in it, you need to prepare yourself for it.

Bottom Line

In a nutshell, languishing is something a great portion of the population has been increasingly suffering from due to the pandemic. Though it impacts both your personal and professional life, practicing simple things can help you get reduce it. Just don’t beat yourself up, and care for your well-being. Give yourself some time and patience and grieve about things that might have impacted your mental health in the last few years.