Leaving Languishing Behind

2020 was, if nothing else, a year of health awareness, as many people were faced with the threat of health issues they thought they would never have to deal with. The pandemic has forced us all to be more aware of that aspect of our lives. Taking note of how you feel on a day to day basis is now, more than ever, the norm. In fact, the habit is encouraged by most friends and employers. While our physical health has been in the spotlight, the possibilities of related mental health issues loom in the shadow of this pandemic. 

If you've noticed a dip in your overall happiness, productivity, or energy during the past year, you've most likely suffered from a little dose of what is called "languishing". You might have even experienced the full effect of this psychological state, which is recognized as a mode somewhere in between depression and a state of "flourishing". Languishing is, in simple terms, a sense of empty joylessness and a loss of direction. The intensity, shock and grief of the pandemic, the news cycle, the politics surrounding the effort to combat it; all of these things combined to form a cocktail perfect for instilling "languish" on a massive scale.

 For those of us who live a sizable distance from the equator, the worsening conditions of the virus were coupled with a move indoors as the days began to freeze, and winter time inactivity became easily (and understandably) excusable for many. Languishing, while being a mental state, can manifest itself in very physically obvious ways. A habitual dent in your couch cushions could be a sign that you are suffering from a little bit of languish. ​

There has been a residual light at the end of the tunnel though, and many people feel hopeful about the coming summer, as more and more communities become vaccinated and the weather allows for more days spent outside. If you feel like that sentiment resonates with you, as if you have been in that tunnel waiting for the light, you may still be in, or are slowly crawling out of, a state of languishing! Recognizing it is the first step! 
​For many people, falling into a state of languishing has a lot to do with the loss of habits, and as this contributes to a loss of direction. Habits are the foundation of a healthy, purposeful life. Things like eating breakfast, drinking lots of water, and being active daily are great places to start. Creating habits will help rebuild some of that loss of structure that many of us are feeling.

Our Level Up Your Results Workbook covers these habits and more, as well providing some info on combatting stress, healthy snack ideas, better sleep, journaling prompts, and activity tips that will help you break out of your post-2020 languishing.  You can download that workbook right here:

LEVEL UP WORKBOOK

Daily habits are essential, and also help to combat the other major symptom of languishing: joylessness. It has been shown that joy is tied to productivity. Many, if not all people, are simply happier when they possess a sense of accomplishment. While this may seem simple and obvious, as the need for this sense would seem to be a core characteristic of what it means to be human, it is important to recognize when we have lost the feeling that we are accomplishing something meaningful to ourselves. 

A year of uncertainties, stress, more time indoors, a loss of income, a major overhaul of routines both at work at at home, learning to work from home, a hold on projects or public events: all these can lead to a loss of productivity, which will have huge impacts on mental health. ​

A great way to jump back into a happier, more productive state is by starting a plan, and making an agreement with yourself. A week of focused, pointed eating and activity could be what you need to shed your languishing habits. Our minds thrive within self-imposed discipline, and the reward can be a joyful sense of direction. 

​If you're not already a member of our amazing community here at Wilcox Wellness & Fitness, we are here to help!  There are a couple of ways for you to get started TODAY!

#1:  Our 7 Day Quickstart Guide with a jumping off point - a week of structured, healthy eating instructions, and workout sessions aimed at changing your mental status by changing your daily habits. Download that here and get INTO it:

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#2:  Join us for a FREE 2-Week Trial through The Greatest Gift. 
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Through this gift pack you will receive a number of on-line tools to help you start working towards your health & fitness goals, as well as the option to join us for a free 2-week trial in our group personal training program. 

Start by clicking the link below, fill out a short questionnaire to help us learn a little bit about you, and schedule an initial Fast Track Transformation Success Session so that we can help you set yourself up for success in reaching your goals.  We would LOVE to support you in your health & fitness journey!

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Understanding and diagnosing a problem is always the first step. I highly recommend reading the paper published in The Journal of Health and Social Behavior about languishing, cited in the sources below. The paper goes into much deeper detail about the detriments of this often overlooked psychological mode, and provides a lot of information that would help anyone seeking to understand their own mental blocks and hang-ups. These kinds of issues have, I'm sure, been on the radar for more and more people in recent times, and hopefully one of the things we can learn from the past year is how to recognize these problems and better address them for the inevitably  tumultuous future ahead.

In Good health!

​Allison

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Sources: 

​The Mental Health Continuum: From Languishing to Flourishing in Life

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/19/well/mind/covid-mental-health-languishing.htmlText