[2021-04-24] Languishing and flow
When I write a blog post, it can take as much as an hour to reach flow, which is what psychologist and professor Adam Grant defines as "that elusive state of absorption in a meaningful challenge or a momentary bond, where your sense of time, place and self melts away." Expressed another way, it's that feeling of being lost in an activity, such as work, a game, a conversation.
It can be difficult to attain flow, but rewarding when we do. In fact, Grant says that flow may be an antidote to languishing. In his article There's a Name for the Blah You're Feeling: It's Called Languishing, Grant suggests that many of us are languishing. As the pandemic has dragged on, the acute state of anguish we experienced in the early days of the outbreak has been replaced by a chronic state of languish. He writes:
In psychology, we think about mental health on a spectrum from depression to flourishing. Flourishing is the peak of well-being: You have a strong sense of meaning, mastery and mattering to others. Depression is the valley of ill-being: You feel despondent, drained and worthless.
Languishing is the neglected middle child of mental health. It’s the void between depression and flourishing—the absence of well-being. You don’t have symptoms of mental illness, but you’re not the picture of mental health either. You’re not functioning at full capacity.
Languishing is not burnout or depression, notes Grant, as we still have energy and hope. It's more a sense of feeling joyless and aimless, of lacking motivation and focus, of muddling through.
So what's the significance of flow? Grant explains:
During the early days of the pandemic, the best predictor of well-being wasn’t optimism or mindfulness—it was flow. People who became more immersed in their projects managed to avoid languishing and maintained their prepandemic happiness.
To reach the elusive state of flow, Grant recommends two things. First, give yourself some uninterrupted time, which may require setting boundaries. Second, focus on a small goal. Grant states:
One of the clearest paths to flow is a just-manageable difficulty: a challenge that stretches your skills and heightens your resolve. That means carving out daily time to focus on a challenge that matters to you—an interesting project, a worthwhile goal, a meaningful conversation. Sometimes it’s a small step toward rediscovering some of the energy and enthusiasm that you’ve missed during all these months.
Without realizing it, starting this blog may have been just what the doctor ordered. It has proven to be challenging, but also interesting, worthwhile and meaningful. When I finish a post that I especially like, I feel fulfilled, energized and enthusiastic. Perhaps this has enabled me to stave off a sense of languishing that I might have experienced as I cope with cancer and COVID.
Grant concludes his article by advising:
As we head into a new post-pandemic reality, it’s time to rethink our understanding of mental health and well-being. "Not depressed" doesn’t mean you’re not struggling. "Not burned out" doesn’t mean you’re fired up. By acknowledging that so many of us are languishing, we can start giving voice to quiet despair and lighting a path out of the void.
Some of us may find ourselves in a different place on the spectrum between depression, languishing and flourishing. Regardless of where we are, seeking out activities--such as writing, painting, playing, exercising, socializing--that enable us to get into flow no doubt helps us to better cope with whatever challenges life throws our way.
