Languishing

I have found myself suddenly at a point in my life, without realizing that I have been traveling that way for awhile now.

And to be honest, I have noticed a lot of people suffering the same fate. Especially during this Covid Pandemic the past two years.

It is called languishing.

Merriam Webster Defines languishing as

1. to be drained of energy or vitality
2. to be or live in a state of lack of interest, enthusiasm, or concern
3. having lost enthusiasm and hope; disheartened

Not everyone who is languishing will experience it in the same way or with the same intensity.

In general, languishing will affect some of your decisions, behaviors, and emotions toward yourself, others, and the world.

Declining invites to activities you would normally enjoy, for example, can be a sign of languishing. You may not feel strongly about not going, but you might not see why going would be any better than sitting at home.

For someone else, languishing may mean attending the event only to leave early because it brought them no enjoyment.

Other possible signs of languishing may include.

• Moods that are not too high or too low (you’re not happy but you wouldn’t say you’re sad either).
• Feeling unmotivated more often than usual.
• Feeling unsettled but not highly anxious.
• Difficulty focusing on certain tasks, especially some days more than others.
• Feeling detached from life, tasks, or people but not experiencing negative emotions toward them.
• Losing enthusiasm and hope toward life and difficulty getting excited about anything.
• Fatigue and burnout.
• Loss of interest in passions and hobbies.
• Feelings of stagnation.
• Feeling disconnected from your purpose in life.

We need to get ourselves out of this feeling of just going with the motions. Or to be blunt, feeling dead inside.

Make the effort to reconnect with family and friends as much as possible [Covid-19 restrictions allowing]. Rediscover new ways to experience joy. Build routines into your lifestyle to re-establish feelings of control. Make plans for the future, even if you don’t feel like it and build in a plan B, if necessary.

Remind yourself of your values and look for any upsides to the ‘new normal’. Get creative, there might be ways for you to live a value-driven life even with the ongoing trials and restrictions of the pandemic. Be kind to yourself. And help others if you can, one of the most rewarding and meaningful experiences in life is to be there for other people.

For me, that would include making some lists of things I used to love to do and making time to do it. And making lists of things that needs to be done and doing them.

What has also been helpful, is to journal. To write about all the things going on in your life. Write about your passions, your disappointments, your hopes, and your dreams. I gave someone some advice recently, that I really need to follow myself, and that is to write down every day, something that you are thankful for. Even if it is just one thing.

That is my challenge to you this week, start a journal (it could be a handwritten one, or one that you type up). And write something down that you are thankful for everyday this week.

Love and Peace

Vanda