It’s not depression, but everyday feels the same.

Every day I wake up and go to bed feeling the same exact way, I move through the motions of my day with such a lack of something I can’t quite put a finger on. Is it a lack of motivation? A lack of interest? A lack of zest? A lack of focus? The days are a blur, and everyday feels identical.  

According to an article in the New York times, this feeling is called languishing and it’s the most dominate emotion of 2021.  https://shortest.link/Languishing

According to Adam Grant, organizational psychologist at Wharton, “Languishing is the neglected middle child of mental health. It’s the void between depression and flourishing — the absence of well-being. You don’t have symptoms of mental illness, but you’re not the picture of mental health either. You’re not functioning at full capacity. Languishing dulls your motivation, disrupts your ability to focus, and triples the odds that you’ll cut back on work. It appears to be more common than major depression — and in some ways it may be a bigger risk factor for mental illness.”

In other words, languishing is indifference to everything, and a dulling of delight.

I’ve researched languishing a lot, and I’ve read a lot of articles on how specialists advise us to fight & here’s what I took away from it:

1)    Don’t feel bad for feeling languishing. It’s normal.

2)    Understand that you need to put concentrated effort into trying to get out of this languishing zone. Staying in it for too long can lead to mental illnesses.

3)    Focus on the small wins. Set tiny goals and achieve them. Progress pushes you out of the zone.

4)    Have meaningful conversations.

5)    Do something different today. It doesn’t have to be major or productive. For example, stay up late, watch a documentary about something you know nothing about, order in something new.

6)    Set aside time for something you can completely indulge in. For example, an hour to paint something, do a puzzle, or read a book.

7)    Reconnect with someone you’ve lost touch with.

8)    Try Exercising, and not a light walk, but something you can completely immerse yourself in and actually exert effort.

9)    Talk about it. Normalize languishing and find someone that can relate to it. Feeling understood initiates, a certain satisfaction that we don’t feel often.

10) Do something different with your physical appearance. Get hair cut! Paint your nails a wild color you wouldn’t normally go for. Get a second piercing? Lash lift? Spray tan? (actually, don’t lol. I’ve never seen a good spray tan job). Do something that will excite you.

I decided to write this article, because I’m slowly becoming indifferent to my indifference and this is my effort to fight off this feeling of blah. Maybe you are reading this will feel provoked to fight it off too. #We’reInThisTogether