Being in this condition, you might not have a reason to stay in it. It is a difficult prospect to envisage or move on to success or happiness. It’s not like you give up all the time. You’re languishing.
“Languishing” is believed to be an original notion of a team of international researchers. They range from sociologist Dr. Corey Keyes, who characterized it as a clinical condition that has not been taken into consideration. The manifestation of the symptoms may be different from one person to another with a notable common feature.
- The belief that one is trapped or that one’s life has become irritating.
- Feelings of emptiness.
- Lack of motivation
- A glimpse of mental ill-health (general lack of wellness).
This study was based on three different studies, namely South Africans. The respondents answered questions about their ambitions, partners as well as their general outlook on life. The results imply that the lack of diagnosable mental conditions does not always correspond to mental health and well-being.
Mental Health as Seen from a Different Point of View
According to researchers who specialize in languishing, it is more prevalent than major depression-related mental health problems. Some are attempting to create different models for the assessment of mental health, thereby showing new perspectives for it. One critical assumption is that there is a diagnosis to mental illness and it always goes against mental health. As a result, mental well-being has been seen more as an either-or situation. On the contrary, scientists such as Keyes, Iasiello, and others describe a more divergent reality. One model classifies mental health or illness on a continuum. It employs four quadrants, or boxes inside a square, to compare and depict the different kinds of well-being.
Is Languishing a Psychological Risk Factor?
It is possible that any states or languishing symptoms may be considered as risk factors for mental health problems. Knowing and learning the signs may prevent them from appearing or coming out at a later stage.
One worry among experts revolved around the technologies and systems utilized for mental health evaluation and, in certain situations, mental illness diagnosis. As a result, these tools and practices might not take into account those things that contribute to the creation of a mentally good environment.
They could be less precise when there are defects in the way their algorithm measures variables such as the sense of your purpose and the quality of your relationships. They can create a false image of how happy you are.
Signs and Symptoms that Show Languishing.
Unlike the time-sensitive distress signals of acute mental illness, the small and “quiet” signals of languishing often go unnoticed by periods of life with no mental distress. Unlike languishing where the signs and symptoms are instead subtle and may be dismissed from overall life, languishing is the common form that may not be recognized from day to day.
These include:
- The usual mood or a sensation of being devoid of emotions, which is synonymous with the absence of feelings is the thing.
- Impossibility to enjoy life or to feel pleasure from what, earlier used, to be an engaging pastime.
- No motivation or having a drive to do something can lead to them not participating in activities.
- Maintaining concentration or performing tasks become difficult easily.
- As a wooden door constitutes a barrier between people’s abilities of wanting to reminisce about previous memories, it also makes them living a life without a feeling of belongingness and attachment.
- Having to endure this stuck feeling or to think that your life is just one long stretch of time into which your future is never ‘installed’ in.
- Social constructs and friendship circles form maintained through attendance of socialized activities and consistent engagement.
- Whether you are role-playing at work, working on aspects of your personal luxury or social persona, or anything in between- what you are not doing is fully realizing you’re potential.
- Emotional disturbance does not only surface like temporary mental relaxation but may develop into chronic melancholy or sadness.
- Being puzzled of life without any goals, meaningfulness, or destiny.
Causes nd Contributing Factor
Since languishing can be viewed as the exact opposite of flourishing, the factors that are missing and deficient in the languishing individuals can be determined by the things that promote flourishing.
In particular, the following causes and contributing factors stand out: continuous stress and fatigue, absences of social networks and helpers, dull or uninspiring activities, individual failure or let-downs, negative habits, and negative thinking.
Prolonged stress and burnout:
Persistent stress, even to a greater extent when the coping abilities are insufficient, certainly creates languishing to a lesser extent. A study on stress and coping brings to the forefront the issue of constant stress in an individual without applying effective coping strategies, which can lead to worsening mental health.
Moreover, job dissatisfaction, insufficient autonomy, and work-related stress are also often factors in the path to burnout, a condition that shares many characteristics with languishing.
Disconnection and loss of the social network:
Social support and close bonds with others are core to a fulfilling life. These relationships are an important part of a person’s life as they provide a sense of belonging and help prevent loneliness, but may result in a decline in the quality of life. Developing important interactions and participating in community projects can create an atmosphere of belonging and assurance.
Following the same boring pattern or uninteresting schedule for living:
Steger discovered that the meaningfulness of one’s life has proven to have a strong correlation with an individual’s well-being, thus the monotone and purposeless routine could be one of its factors.
The inclusion of diversity and interest activities into the program can help people to cope better with a feeling of boredom leading to the shift from a languishing state into a more fulfilling state of engagement.
Personal setbacks or disappointments:
Suffering the circumstances and feelings of letting yourself down or simply being disappointed with something can also result in languishing. These occurrences might result in contributing to the downward negative thoughts and the sense of being unable to move ahead, closing the chapter on mental stagnation.
Through mindfulness and positive reframing, we can strengthen our resilience and diminish the consequences of failure or tough situations. This would be restoring from poor experience and locating lesser impact on depression.
Negative thinking and rumination:
In addition, this sort of long-term negative thinking and ruminating could simply be adding to a bigger circle where the thoughts reinforce emptiness and lack of fulfillment, which can only lead to further entrenchment of the individual in a state of languishing.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy is one of the intervention methods that can lead to breaking the cycle of negative thinking that brings about rumination and therefore reverse that back to the eagerness to flourish.
Ways through which languishing is handled
Preliminary studies show that mindfulness-oriented methods might be the most efficient instruments to combat the torpor or burnout syndrome.
The concept of Mindfulness involves the experience of a present moment, without evaluating and judging reality.
By practicing mindfulness, you are able to reduce anxiety and manage your thoughts to feel less stressed and mentally clear. It may assist you in choosing the right ways of fighting against languishing.
In addition to mindfulness, these are the other ways to cope with languishing:
Focusing on physical well-being:
Working out, eating healthy foods, and having enough good sleeping hours must be done for both the promotion of physical wellness and mental wellness.
Journaling:
The process of writing a diary can be therapeutic by letting you pour out your feelings and make sense of your habitual actions.
Journaling is an area that allows to concentrate on the moments that are gratifying and the moments that brighten up your day. And after a period of time it could also make it possible to spot the symptoms earlier.
Exploring creativity:
You may be able to recount that memorable moment more easily if you are imaginative and think back to how much you loved it. It will certainly give you an opportunity to activate your brain and dictate your line of thought. Art therapy could be a way for you to express yourself by just using colors, images, and shapes without actually having to speak.
Maintaining relationships:
You will maybe not want to take part in social settings at all or you will even begin to hide from others. Being able to keep your lines of communication up with your family and friends is a good way of trying to stay connected and of helping you feel well-supported.
Making environmental changes:
Occasionally, your surroundings influence you emotionally. If you suspect that a home or office space environment causes a languishing condition, then it might be wiser to think of relocating. Such modifications may be rather trivial things like the color of your bedroom walls or flowers adding to the look of your desk. Thus, as you introduce these mini-changes, be aware of the impact they make on your mindset.
Volunteering for community service:
Making friends and living among them is a major psychological factor in someone’s mental safety for some people. Given the situation, helping your area through a service, for example, doing food pantry work, will not only make you feel that your purpose ultimately was higher but also make a difference in the lives of your community.
Learning new skills:
The acquisition of new knowledge gives your brain a reasonable shake-up and enhances the quality of your attention. Thus, it may also make you motivated and be able to achieve small targets that may cumulatively instill an urge to fulfill the challenge. In doing so, you have the power to influence your mood, which may ultimately change the way that things look to you.
Seeking professional help:
Worry not if you are doing little things at a time, but yet don’t realize any change in your mood. It could be the result of such psychological conditions that need the help of a specialist. Cognitive behavior therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, and reminiscence interventions have been proven rigorously to be beneficial in improving mental well-being.
References+
- https://psychcentral.com/depression/what-is-languishing#
- https://positivepsychology.com/languishing/#signs-and-symptoms-of-languishing
- https://www.verywellhealth.com/what-is-languishing-5181172
