Languishing
Dear Readers, I must confess, I am languishing.
Yes, languishing. Say that word very slowly and it’s almost sexy — in an Austinesque, lazy laudanum induced languor, one arm lolling over the side of the hammock, kind of way.
Speaking for myself, in all honesty, ‘languishing’ perfectly describes how I have been feeling. It is actually a thing, a true diagnosis. To be languishing means to be at a point on the mental health scale between depression and flourishing.
I’m fine. I’m not depressed but I’m not thriving either. I have motivation, I have energy, but not a lot of enthusiasm. And, I know I’m not alone here.
If you are feeling this way yourself, here is the link to the New York Times article which inspired this post. There are antidotes to counter feelings of languishing. (They do not include laudanum). Most of these recommendations are to allow ourselves uninterrupted time to be absorbed into tasks and enjoy the flow. A quick internet search brought up dozens of other articles. Languishing seems to be a popular topic. Quelle surprise.
For me, it was comforting to be able to name this feeling as a condition, to recognize it for what it is and set aside my worries that I ‘should’ be feeling something other than this languorous listlessness.
I’m optimistic, I’m making plans. When these restrictions lift, I am ready.
Knock knock. Who’s th — oh, it’s Anne already. That’s how ready I am.
Stay safe everyone.
You hit the nail on the head, me too, languishing….. thanks for sharing!
Thank you — it’s a lesson in patience too, while we wait.
Covid-19 has promoted languishing for so many — me included! Thanks for a great post!
Thank you — I hope we will be thriving again once we are past this.
How true. With little opportunity to travel and minimal contact with family, especially our grandkids, we too are languishing. I’m ready to get on with life.
I hope you get to see your grandkids soon and we return to flourishing. Thank you.