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LANGUISHING: WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY YOU MIGHT BE STRUGGLING WITH IT

PUBLISHED BY: LIFEWORKS, 28TH APRIL 2022

You may have heard about a phenomenon called languishing—an aimless, joyless
state somewhere between depression and flourishing. A New York Times article in
April 2021 helped start a trend of discussion around languishing, describing it
as a “sense of stagnation and emptiness” that many people seemed to be
experiencing as part of the “emotional long-haul” of the COVID-19 pandemic.

But is languishing a real health condition? How might it appear in your life, or
in the life of a loved one? And if it does, what can you do about it?

The spectrum of wellbeing

Psychologists think about mental health on a spectrum, from depression to
flourishing.

When you’re flourishing you feel purposeful, fulfilled, happy, and thriving.
It’s that state of emotional, mental and physical wellbeing we all hope for.

Depression involves feeling hopeless, worthless, joyless, and without energy.
Major depression is a painful and dangerous mental illness.

Languishing falls in between. It’s an absence of wellbeing, but without symptoms
of mental illness. Put simply, languishing is “the absence of feeling good about
your life,” says sociologist Corey Keyes, who coined the term.

Are you languishing?

A prolonged state of languishing can lead to depression, anxiety, and a higher
risk of suicide attempts and premature death. So if you think you or a loved one
may be languishing, ask yourself if you’re experiencing some or all of the
following:

 * reduced ability to concentrate
 * foggy thinking
 * lack of motivation
 * reduced enthusiasm about life in general
 * loss of interest in activities you normally enjoy
 * focusing on avoiding negative things rather than striving for positive ones

There’s also a quiz from Harvard’s Human Flourishing Programme that can help you
judge whether you’re languishing. Take the quiz here. The results of the
‘Flourishing Measure’, based on research by Professor Tyler J. VanderWeele, can
help you to gauge your level of wellbeing based on six domains, including
physical and mental health, life satisfaction and purpose, relationships, and
financial stability. VanderWeele says “there’s no specific score to determine if
someone is definitely flourishing, the higher the score, the better.” Put
simply, you can add up your scores and assess how well you’re flourishing or see
what area of your life you can focus on improving.

Steps to take if you feel you’re languishing

Socialise. If you haven’t been seeing friends and family as often as usual,
don’t let isolation become a habit. Make the effort to socialise, even if it’s
just small get-togethers or a good conversation with a friend you haven’t talked
to in a while.

Get outdoors, whether it’s a hike in the woods, a trip to the beach, an outdoor
sport, or just a vigorous walk. The widespread languishing that seems to have
resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic likely arose partly from spending too much
time cooped up indoors.

Practise mindfulness. Put aside anxiety about the future and regrets about the
past by bringing your attention to the present moment through meditation, yoga,
or breathing exercises. Mindfulness has been shown to improve mood and overall
satisfaction with life.

Explore new things and take on new challenges. Take music lessons or a dance
class, learn a new language or skill, and go on small excursions to new places.
An active mind will lead to improved wellbeing.

Do good deeds. Performing acts of kindness have a powerful effect. Help a friend
with a project, donate blood, and volunteer.

Express gratitude. The flip side of doing good deeds is expressing gratitude for
what others have done for you, or for the ways in which you’ve been fortunate.
Studies show that reflecting on what we’re grateful for improves our quality of
life.

The ascent from languishing to flourishing

Languishing isn’t new, but it’s being talked about more lately. That’s partly
because there’s a newly popular word for it: languishing. The fact is, it’s
always easier to solve a problem when you have a good word to describe it. (The
French language already had one: ennui.)

Thinking about this poor state of mind as languishing, and using some of the
techniques above, can make it easier to understand the condition, accept it as
something that happens to a lot of people, talk about it with others, and above
all, make it go away! If you are having trouble coping, be sure to reach out to
a mental health professional for support.

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