Languishing . . Why 2022 Feels ‘Meh’

Happy New Year! If the “Happy” in reference to the start of 2022 feels a bit like toxic positivity, you’re not alone. Here we are, again, starting another year with rising COVID-19 levels, and mass confusion about the protocols we need to follow for ‘normal’ living.

 According to a recent New York Times article, the name for the malaise that’s as contagious as the omicron variant is ‘languishing’. Languishing is the state of being where you’re neither exhibiting signs of mental illness nor at your best self. Maybe you’ve noticed that it’s harder to focus, you’re less decisive, or that feelings of excitement and joy are more fleeting. In any case, you’re not alone. Feeling adrift when there’s no end in sight to a worldwide pandemic is understandable.

One thing IS clear: Waiting for COVID to ‘go away’ isn’t a way to claim a better way of being. Imagine you’re floating on a tiny iceberg in the Arctic. Your little berg is slowly melting, as you drift towards multiple huge ice chunks. There’s no way to know which chunks might be land…which will lead you to a determined future. The only clarity is that to survive, you must take one step forward. And YOU get to choose the direction.

Stepping out of languishing is the same. It may be clear that life has lost its luster and that you’re longing to have it back. You just don’t know where to start. The practices I’ve learned as a holistic wellness practitioner, life and wellness coach, and yoga instructor can help you get there. Being in a flow state, learning to celebrate small wins, and regularly scheduling uninterrupted time for yourself are among the techniques I help clients embody, to shift from languishing to flourishing.

Whether you’re more inclined to learn kinesthetically through Yoga for Wellbeing, participate in a group Mental Fitness Immersion, or partner with me in private Life and Wellness Coaching, it will be my privilege to walk alongside as your guide to a better (and even a “happy”) 2022.