Do away with Delta doldrums
Are you feeling sad and listless amid the pandemic? Gary Martin offers some tips
ALMOST 20 months after Covid-19 upended the country, many of us feel like a plant wilting in a pot because it is devoid of the essential nutrients needed to flourish.
Many of us are languishing and it is a feeling that is increasingly being tagged as the dominant emotion of 2021.
So prevalent in Covid-19 times, languishing has been dubbed the Delta doldrums.
Languishing is perhaps best described as an ongoing state of awfulness, stagnation, emptiness or, as some describe it, “blah-ness”.
Those living in the land of languishment are able to get through their daily routine without much trouble, though they have lost their mojo, their sense of joy and purpose.
There is no question our current state of languishment has been induced by disrupted plans, border closures, lockdowns, periods of isolation, the need to wear masks, social distancing and being separated from family and friends.
And the feeling persists among many of us despite there being much to look forward to.
Vaccinations rates are rising, with some predicting a return to normal later in 2022 — yet many of us cannot seem to get excited.
We see a little bit of hope on the horizon, though do not feel close enough to be inspired.
Our response is to muddle through the day as if we are looking at life through a pair of fogged-up lenses.
The term “languishing” was coined by American sociologist Dr Corey Keyes in 2002, when describing the condition as the middle ground between being mentally healthy and experiencing mental ill health.
The danger with languishing is that many are not able to catch themselves slipping into this state of indifference, which is why looking out for red flags is important. The warning signs associated with those spiralling into the land of languishment are numerous and varied.
You are not happy, but neither are you sad. You feel unsettled, but not anxious. You feel detached from others, but are not harbouring any negative feelings towards them.
Perhaps you have difficulty focusing on work — an experience that will change daily.
Maybe you feel detached from life in general.
Or perhaps languishing for you is more about your inability to get excited about anything.
The good news is that there are ways to climb down from the top of the ladder of languishment.
The best way to manage our emotions is to be able to name them.
It may not solve your predicament immediately, but it is an important step on the road to recovery.
Those languishing also find it useful to tackle small but achievable challenges that sharpen our focus.
Some quickly discover that making new connections with others, particularly high-quality ones, can foster fulfilment and kickstart our journey to recovery.
There is also the opportunity to performs acts of kindness, which can help bring with them a sense of purpose. Helping a friend with a task, mentoring someone who needs support, writing a thank-you note or helping out a neighbour in need can all have a powerful impact on our wellbeing.
And changing up our daily routine can also make us feel more energised. The same routine all day, every day can make us feel trapped and bored.
We need to engage with people, places, pastimes, possessions or pursuits that drag us out of the land of languishment and into the peak of wellbeing — where life feels good and we see ourselves having a strong sense of meaning, mastery and mattering to others.