Languishing

“If I’m going to be a mess, I might as well be a hot mess.”
—Mindy Kaling

You know these days when you are feeling alright but not quite, when you feel fine, but something just does not feel right?
AKA Languishing
a: to be or become feeble, weak, or enervated Plants languish in the drought.
b: to be or live in a state of depression or decreasing vitality languished in prison for ten years
2a: to become dispirited
b: to suffer neglect the bill languished in the Senate for eight months
3: to assume an expression of grief or emotion appealing for sympathy languished at him through screwed-up eyes— Edith Wharton

–  Merriam Webster Online Dictionary

Simply expressing ourselves is a gift we chose to give the world and to others. When we express ourselves, we pave way for others to do the same or just allow them to feel they are not alone. Whatever it is we may feel, there is a name for it and if there isn’t then no one has to ‘name’ it because it’s unique to us and our journey and there is no shame in that. What is important is that we recognize our own feelings, emotions, and demons (call it what you want) try to see what they want exactly and learn to dance with the discomfort till it can go solo on its own.

There is something that many of you may be experiencing since 2020 and that my friends has a name, apparently it’s called ‘Languishing’. The article titled, “There’s a Name for the Blah You’re Feeling: It’s Called Languishing” by Adam Grant published in the New York Times this year explores the different types of feels we maybe be experiencing post global pandemic times. It was not a black and white situation, more like a dimension of grey hues and none of these colors had a name.

For one

“It wasn’t burnout — we still had energy. It wasn’t depression — we didn’t feel hopeless. We just felt somewhat joyless and aimless. It turns out there’s a name for that: languishing.” (Adam Grant, 2021)

You know, we woke up in the morning we had things to do but…

“Languishing is a sense of stagnation and emptiness. It feels as if you’re muddling through your days, looking at your life through a foggy windshield. And it might be the dominant emotion of 2021.” (Adam Grant, 2021)

And the worst part is this emotion is the neglected middle child of mental health, if it goes on unrecognized it could lead to something worse, as Grant puts it

“Part of the danger is that when you’re languishing, you might not notice the dulling of delight or the dwindling of drive. You don’t catch yourself slipping slowly into solitude; you’re indifferent to your indifference. When you can’t see your own suffering, you don’t seek help or even do much to help yourself.”

Don’t grow indifferent to your indifference, you are so much bigger and better than that. Your unique blueprint of the being you are is a gift in it self, a miracle to this lifetime so don’t ever sell yourself short. It’s ok to languish from time to time but don’t unpack your suitcase and set up home there.

Find what makes you flow, gives you that spart and keep lighting that match till you set your entire house on fire.

P.S Cat naps are purrfectly fine even if you haven’t done anything all day.

Read the full article here.