Are You Languishing?

Languishing. The dictionary defines it as “failing to make progress or be successful.” Most of us wouldn’t think of that term when we describe our feelings. But, a recent article by organizational psychologist Adam Grant, says that’s exactly what many of us are feeling as the emotional effects of the pandemic and other world events drag on. 

“In psychology, we think about mental health on a spectrum from depression to flourishing. Flourishing is the peak of well-being: You have a strong sense of meaning, mastery and mattering to others. Depression is the valley of ill-being: You feel despondent, drained and worthless.

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,” says Grant.

If you can relate to this feeling, you are not alone. “Many of our clients are struggling, including those who were making progress towards healing prior to the pandemic. They express frustration at feeling stagnant, and they’re struggling to return to pre-pandemic levels of enthusiasm. We are seeing that across the board, in clients of all ages. In therapy, we are helping them to address these feelings of lethargy and they’re getting re-energized by setting goals and working towards accomplishments that they can look forward to,” said Director of General Counseling Sherri Pratt.

Read the article “There’s a Name for the Blah You’re Feeling: It’s Called Languishing” in its entirety here.