Do all these feelings sound familiar? Well, I recently found out that I wasn\u2019t alone and this feeling had a name: languishing. Languishing is indifference, a sense of emptiness and monotony or a lack of interest in life or the things that typically bring you joy. Unlike depression or other mental illnesses, languishing is a series of emotions, the absence of feeling good about life, it\u2019s feeling nothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The term was first coined by sociologist Corey Keyes who realized that many people who weren\u2019t depressed also weren\u2019t thriving, and researched about this topic years ago but the Covid-19 lockdown continuation in 2021 helped the term resurface again. In 2020, when the pandemic first hit, we were on survival mode, we were reading the news, taking precautions. And we innocently thought that the year after would bring back our old lives, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wrong! It\u2019s true that 2021 has made vaccines more accessible, giving us a glimpse into the future, however, it has also highlighted the feeling of waiting, repeating the same days, making our routines pointless and with an unclear future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I read somewhere, maybe it was a meme, something that said \u2018lately I feel like I\u2019m a Sim. It takes me six hours to cook spaghetti and if something is blocking my path I start crying.\u2019 For non-millennials who don\u2019t know what Sims is, it\u2019s a simulation video game where the player creates virtual people and places them in houses, directs their moods and satisfies their desires. The reference here implies that the characters are drained and can easily get frustrated. Which is what languishing feels like. While it isn\u2019t a mental illness, research about the topic has concluded that people who are languishing risk getting depressed down the line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the bright side, there are things we can do to \u2018cure\u2019 this languishing feeling. A concept known as \u2018flow\u2019 is a state we enter when we are doing a task that we\u2019re so involved in that our sense of time and place fades away. Becoming immersed in a project avoids the languishing and can get you to your state of pre-pandemic happiness. These are small tasks or things you love to do that will give you a sense of productivity and progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are a few small and predictable things I\u2019ve been trying to do\u200a\u2014\u200aon and off\u200a\u2014\u200ato create my own \u2018flow\u2019:<\/p>\n\n\n\n I love making lists. So, every morning I plan my day (including activities such as \u2018have lunch\u2019) and I cross them off as soon as I do them. Something about crossing things off gives me satisfaction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I step away from my desk and I stop myself from getting sucked into a project. I set a specific time and I close-up shop even if I didn\u2019t finish everything on my to-do list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Putting feelings on paper really helps me personally. Doing this daily becomes repetitive, so sometimes I simply write 3 things I\u2019m grateful for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Singing drastically elevates my mood (sorry neighbors).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Of course, any kind of exercise boosts our mood, but sometimes a simple walk (with blasting music) can do the job just fine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Netflix can sometimes get very intense as if we need more negativity. I find that watching feel-good shows makes me laugh and lightens up my mood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re also feeling the same I hope these things pave your way to well-being too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So now, after knowing more about this pandemic blah feeling, whenever someone asks me how I\u2019m doing, I\u2019m going to simply respond with \u2018I\u2019m languishing\u2019.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" During this past year, whenever someone checks up on me asking me how I\u2019ve been doing, I reply with a simple \u2018I\u2019m fine\u2019 and move on [\u2026]<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":46,"featured_media":36201,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[406,50,29,1289],"tags":[973,964,102,966,961,618,870,960,962,576,302,972,108,589,967,871,872,969,965,970],"yoast_head":"\n![\"An](\"https:\/\/cdn-images-1.medium.com\/max\/1600\/1*cSBRE12PQH6LJAoFsvRz1g.png\")
<\/figure><\/li>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/scienceofthetime.com\/dlc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/languishing-1024x576.webp\")
<\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n1)<\/strong> Making to-do lists and crossing them off:<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
2)<\/strong> Stopping to work like I would if I worked in an office:<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
3)<\/strong> Journaling<\/strong>:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
4)<\/strong> Blasting music and singing my heart out:<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
5)<\/strong> Going for walks:<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
6)<\/strong> Watching lighthearted shows and movies:<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n