What is languish?

The tendency to languish is innate to humans. It means failing to make progress or be successful. The onset of the pandemic has particularly made us inclined towards languishing. Situations around us tend to make us feel dull and purposeless. It is as though we are failing to make progress despite trying and are not functioning at full capacity. Sociologist Corey Keyes first used the term. ‘languishing’ to describe “the absence of feeling good about your life.” Alternatively, it has also been referred to the state between flourishing and burnout.

 

How can we increase our productivity in this phase of dullness and languish?

All we need to do is to take small steps towards bettering ourselves. Importance of the first completed task is very high. After we finish that first task, the journey thereon will get progressively easier. Once we finish that first task, it gives us a feeling of accomplishment and takes us one step closer to our goal. In fact, people do not realize that small wins are as important or even more important than big ones. We need to know small and motivational wins can do wonders to boost our self-confidence. These wins need to be glorified and enjoyed as magical moments or micro victories as they hold the key to eventually breaking through languishing. They leave us energized, confident and motivated and satisfied. We really need to acknowledge these moments that lead us to our final goal. The sense of satisfaction at having completed something will give us the motivation we need to complete the other tasks.

 

Getting the best from languish

Ironical as it may sound, we can get the positives out of languish when we follow the concept of “flow.”  Those who wish to overcome the blues of languishing , engage  in a meaningful challenge with the situation rather than wallowing. As they go with the ‘flow’ , they allow their ‘sense of time, place and self melt away’.

When we languish, we normally tend to idle away our time and sometimes we may get lost in our thoughts. When we do this, we tend to reflect back on the things  we have done.

Rather than dwell on our mistakes, we could learn from them and move on, appreciating our own accomplishments along the journey. We have to learn to love ourselves.

Languish also gives us the scope to introspect. We should ask ourselves who we are and what we really want. Rather than buckle under pressure and blindly follow societal norms, one needs to be independent and take charge of his own life. One needs to be capable of making his own decisions. Once we have a goal, we can start prioritizing on the next step that is important for us. Self-reflection is an essential activity for every teen.

Languishing can also at times lead us to identify something that can become our lifelong passion. We invest time and hone our skills towards developing that newly found interest.

 

About the authors

The article has been contributed by the following students from Our Lady Queen of the Missions School, Park Circus- Imsa Alim, Prarthana Tarafdar and Arieana Islam.