The New York Times just published an article titled, “There’s a Name for the Blah You’re Feeling: It’s Called Languishing.” I thought it was spot on in describing how so many of us are feeling right now.
The author writes, “Languishing is a sense of stagnation and emptiness. It feels as if you’re muddling through your days, looking at your life through a foggy windshield.”
Mental health is often described as a continuum, and languishing seems to fall right in the middle. It’s been a hard year and none of us have been immune to that.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Mental health problems were common before the pandemic, but some say that problems, like depression and anxiety, have tripled in the last year.
So, what can we do?
The term “self-care” gets a lot of hype, but I believe that self-care is vital to mental health. And yet it is not a one size fits all. We are all unique individuals so it’s important to find what works for you.
Take care of yourselves. Because you are worth it. You matter.
This is Denise Hensley for Church Health.