How Journaling and Planning Can Help You in Your Languishing State
Have you ever woken up and felt like you just don’t want to do anything the whole day? You lack the motivation to move, interact with other people, or complete your daily routine. You feel less engaged with work or school and you can sense burnout brewing inside even if you’re not overloaded with activities. You go through your day and there’s this emptiness that won’t go away. You just can't shake the general feeling of not feeling okay even if you’re healthy. If you find yourself saying yes or nodding along as you’re reading this, it might be that you’re in a languishing state.
What does languishing mean?
Sociologist Corey L. M. Keyes used the word in his journal article “The Mental Health Continuum: From Languishing to Flourishing in Life” where languishing is described as a state of “emptiness and stagnation, constituting a life of quiet despair.” It’s the feeling of restlessness and lack of interest in life. People experiencing this are not diagnosed with any mental health disorder, but it can and does feel like being depressed, for instance.
Experiencing a pandemic has made people go through languishing as the world changes to cope with the spread and the dangers of the coronavirus. Not everyone adapts to the changes at the same rate, and reactions to it differ from person to person. That’s where people fear the unknown, lose human connection, and become demotivated to move forward.
Journaling and planning while languishing
While there are several things you can try to overcome languishing, some can be harder than others as you’re expected to stay home most of the time. Working on your journal and starting your plans can be your outlet, and it doesn’t have to take too much effort and time. You can work on your journal or planner at your own pace and do whatever you want with it. Here are some of the ways journaling and planning can help you in your languishing state.
1. Keep doing something
2. Reflect and unload
3. Understand yourself
4. Look ahead
It’s okay to not feel okay anytime
The pandemic can test your resilience and grit. It can challenge how you are able to stay with the status quo even if the world is changing. There are times when we expect too much of ourselves that we put a lot of unnecessary pressure on ourselves to say that we’re okay. Allow yourself to accept changes and challenges. It’s human to feel lost and not be in control sometimes. Whether you’re languishing or moving forward, a journal or planner can be a friend that listens to your thoughts.
What does languishing mean?
Sociologist Corey L. M. Keyes used the word in his journal article “The Mental Health Continuum: From Languishing to Flourishing in Life” where languishing is described as a state of “emptiness and stagnation, constituting a life of quiet despair.” It’s the feeling of restlessness and lack of interest in life. People experiencing this are not diagnosed with any mental health disorder, but it can and does feel like being depressed, for instance.
Experiencing a pandemic has made people go through languishing as the world changes to cope with the spread and the dangers of the coronavirus. Not everyone adapts to the changes at the same rate, and reactions to it differ from person to person. That’s where people fear the unknown, lose human connection, and become demotivated to move forward.
Journaling and planning while languishing
While there are several things you can try to overcome languishing, some can be harder than others as you’re expected to stay home most of the time. Working on your journal and starting your plans can be your outlet, and it doesn’t have to take too much effort and time. You can work on your journal or planner at your own pace and do whatever you want with it. Here are some of the ways journaling and planning can help you in your languishing state.
1. Keep doing something
2. Reflect and unload
3. Understand yourself
4. Look ahead
It’s okay to not feel okay anytime
The pandemic can test your resilience and grit. It can challenge how you are able to stay with the status quo even if the world is changing. There are times when we expect too much of ourselves that we put a lot of unnecessary pressure on ourselves to say that we’re okay. Allow yourself to accept changes and challenges. It’s human to feel lost and not be in control sometimes. Whether you’re languishing or moving forward, a journal or planner can be a friend that listens to your thoughts.