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We can conceptualise mental health as a spectrum – with flourishing on one end and depression on the other. But what sits in the middle?

It’s called languishing.

While the term isn’t new, it’s been discussed more in the past year due to the long emotional toll of the COVID-19 pandemic.

To understand more about this stagnant mental state, we’re sharing what languishing feels like – and how to overcome it.

Breaking it down: Languishing means what?

Not thriving. But not depressed either. Languishing: it’s that point in the middle where one feels stagnant and empty.

You’re not on top of everything, but you’re also not feeling down.

With languishing, one doesn’t experience symptoms of mental illness – but they’re not a picture of mental health either.

The term was coined by American psychologist Corey Keys in 2002, and it has circulated in articles over the years since. However, it never drew as much public attention as it did last year, with Adam Grant’s viral piece for the New York Times.

And it’s no surprise why. After the prolonged emotional rollercoaster of coping with the pandemic, it makes sense that more people are resonating with this mental state.

How does it feel to languish?

Languishing isn’t the same for everyone. In fact, it can take many different forms.

Some might feel a drop in their motivation – or feel generally indifferent towards daily tasks.

An easy way to explain languishing is that ‘bleh’ feeling we can all relate to.

The tricky thing about languishing is that it can creep in suddenly. And it’s often hard to notice it within ourselves. As it’s not so intense as depression, it can also be challenging to observe it in other people.

However, there are some changes you can pay attention to. Someone who is languishing will:

• Have trouble focusing
• Not enjoy activities they used to
• Want to reduce their workload
• Appear more joyless or aimless

Why is languishing cause for concern?

Besides the immediate drop in functioning and productivity at work, there are some deeper reasons why languishing isn’t ideal.

In fact, Keyes’ research suggests that people languishing today are most likely to suffer depression and anxiety in the future.

The main cause for concern with languishing is that it’s hard for the affected individual to realise they are, in fact, languishing. These feelings can then worsen over time – leading to something more severe, like depression.

Okay, I think I am (or someone I love is) languishing. What can I do?

The antidote to languishing? Losing yourself in the ‘flow state’. This is where you become so absorbed in an activity that you lose your sense of time and place.

It could be drawing, sewing, gardening or cooking. Maybe it’s dancing, playing the piano or doing a jigsaw puzzle. Whatever the task, when we enter the flow state, we help increase our creativity and productivity.

Achieving the task will also put a nice spring in your step – elevating you from the sense of stagnation.

Yet it’s a double-edged sword. Because as we mentioned, a symptom of languishing is feeling unmotivated.

So our advice? Instead of waiting for motivation to strike, experiment with a few different activities – just to occupy yourself. Make sure to choose something you’re passionate about, and it should be somewhat challenging.