Languishing has become a widespread affect of the pandemic …

Are you feeling like you’re experiencing a “pandemic hangover”?

Do you find yourself lacking motivation?

Do you feel like your mind is “foggy” and your thinking unfocused?

Do you have a low level of enthusiasm about life in general?

Are you experiencing feelings of emptiness?

Do you generally just feel dull?

Are you not very engaged or lacking much sense of passion about your career or school?

Do you find yourself working toward goals to avoid something negative rather than to accomplish something positive?

These are all signs that a person may be experiencing a state of languishing.

Prior to the pandemic, America was already experiencing a mental health crisis. The impact of the pandemic and other events would result in a skyrocketing of mental health issues and reports of mental illness, with record numbers of people reporting struggling with anxiety and depression. But many who did not experience actual diagnosable mental illness did report feelings of boredom and restlessness. Now that we’re moving into the “new normal” with people back to work and everything open again, you might assume those people have bounced back from any “pandemic malaise” and are fully re-engaging in life again.

That is not the case for many people.

Instead, all across the country people are reporting they are not bouncing back to a state of flourishing mental health. Instead, they find themselves feeling sluggish and struggling with an overall empty, “blah” feeling.

They’re languishing.

WHAT IS LANGUISHING?
Languishing isn’t laziness or simply not wanting to get out of your pajamas and get back to work; it’s a real psychological state that can be difficult to push through. Languishing is not a mental illness, but it is the antithesis of flourishing.

It was sociologist and psychologist, Corey Keyes, who defined languishing in his research study reported in 2002 as “the absence of mental health.” Keyes explained that languishing is “a state in which an individual is devoid of positive emotion toward life, and is not functioning well either psychologically or socially, and has not been depressed during the past year. In short, languishers are neither mentally ill nor mentally healthy.”

Mental health is a continuum, with flourishing being the fullness of mental health, and mental illness being on the opposite end of that continuum. According to Keyes, languishing fits on a mental health continuum like this:

“Languishing encompasses distressing feelings of stagnation, monotony, and emptiness,” says Dr. Leela R. Magavi, a Johns Hopkins-trained adult, adolescent, and child psychiatrist and regional medical director for Community Psychiatry, California’s largest outpatient mental health organization.

Other signs a person may be in a state of languishing include:

• • Moods that are not too high or too low (you’re not happy but you wouldn’t say you’re sad either).
  • Feeling unmotivated more often than usual.
  • Feeling unsettled but not highly anxious.
  • Difficulty focusing on certain tasks, especially some days more than others.
  • Feeling detached from life, tasks, or people but not experiencing negative emotions toward them.
  • Apathy toward life and difficulty getting excited about anything.
  • Fatigue and burnout.
  • Loss of interest in passions and hobbies.
  • Feelings of stagnation.
  • Feeling disconnected from your purpose in life.

IMPACT ON THE SPIRITUAL LIFE
A Christian with a strong sense of purpose who is diligent about practicing spiritual disciplines would be less susceptible to the pull toward languishing. But for many professing Christians, that wasn’t their experience during the pandemic. Multiple studies revealed that as many as one-third of churchgoers stopped attending church or streaming church services online, Bible reading declined, time in prayer faded, and connection with other church members was lost. One study reported a majority of churchgoers stated their primary way of dealing with the pandemic was by watching TV and streaming movies.

These are signs that many Christians moved into a state of languishing. What is especially troubling about that is now that churches are moving from only streaming services online to once again meeting in person, the struggle with languishing is keeping some Christians from re-engaging with their church families and a fuller spiritual life. This will be a major issue church leaders will have to deal with; however, it can be easy for church leaders to misunderstand why some of their members are not re-engaging with their local church families because they are unaware of the issue of languishing.

THE DANGER OF LANGUISHING
The Newport Institute states, “While languishing isn’t devastating, it creates a susceptibility to worse states of mental health.” Those “worse states” can include an eventual slide into declining mental health that may include chronic anxiety, PTSD, and depression.

10 THINGS YOU CAN DO TO MOVE TOWARD FLOURISHING
1. Spiritual renewal. It is in Christ that we find both our identity and purpose for living; stirring that up afresh by re-engaging in spiritual disciplines can be a powerful push toward flourishing mental health. When King David struggled with languishing, he called out to God: “Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing; heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled,” Psalm 6:2 (ESV).

2. Practice mindfulness. Research has shown that mindfulness can be one of the most effective ways of combatting languishing. Mindfulness is simply the practice of being intensely aware of what you’re sensing and feeling in the moment rather than dwelling on the past or entertaining fears of the future; this can help you feel less stressed and think more clearly.

3. Smart self-care. Getting exercise, eating nutritious meals, and getting adequate sleep can contribute significantly toward moving away from languishing and toward flourishing.

4. Social support. When you’re languishing you may not feel like exerting yourself enough to maintain relationships, but doing so can provide valuable support and encouragement that can help lift you toward flourishing.

5. Serve. Newport Institute reports that research shows people with flourishing mental health are more focused on the well-being of others and their greater community, while those who languish are focused more on just themselves.

6. Achieve small wins. Not everyone has the will and self-discipline to quickly push themselves out of languishing. That’s okay, starting with small daily achievements like getting up, showering, getting dressed, and making your bed can foster feelings of accomplishment that motivate increasing engagement.

7. Practice gratitude. Fostering an “attitude of gratitude” forces you to focus intentionally on the good and what you have, rather than the areas that may be lacking or that you’re unhappy with in your life.

8. Develop flow by exploring creativity. Flow is the experience of being fully immersed in an activity; that can enhance a person’s sense of well-being by activating their skills, focus, and creativity. Learning a new skill can foster greater engagement and boost a sense of achievement and motivation.

9. Change of environment. This can be finally getting out of the house to visit family or friends, or to go to church, or for recreational activities. Sometimes we can feel like our environment itself contributes to languishing, so making changes like changing the color of paint on walls, replacing old carpet, fixing or replacing furniture, adding some art to the walls, or doing some landscaping with your yard can contribute to changes in how you feel.

10. Seek professional help. If you’re struggling to make any progress from languishing toward flourishing, do not hesitate to seek professional help.

Scotty