The Antidote for Languishing is Flourishing

In the NY Times article titled, There’s a Name for the Blah You’re Feeling: It’s Called Languishing, the author describes languishing as the dominant mood in 2021. Languishing is defined as a condition of one’s general mental health characterized by restlessness, apathy, boredom, or an overall general lack of interest in life or the things that typically bring you joy.

The antidote for languishing is flourishing. We begin to flourish when life enriches rather than depletes us. When you are in the flourishing zone you are typically experiencing a state of positive psychological, physical, emotional, social functioning and well-being most of the time.

After spending over a year under pandemic conditions, the idea of flourishing may seem distant. Life may even seem grayer. Yet, we have a Source that we can go to fill these empty voids.
Let me help you with some guidance that will lead you to flourish:

• Meditate on Scripture. Psalm 1 tells us if we meditate on Scripture, we will become like a tree planted by streams of water, and that in all we do we prosper. Meditation upon Scripture can be for 5 minutes or longer and is known to give great benefits of peace, joy, and security.
• Spend time with those who fill your soul. Seek out those around you that encourage you and do not deplete you.
• Turn down the inner critic. Notice whether you are practicing kindness toward yourself or walking alongside yourself with a strong critical voice.
•  Let beauty heal you. Get out in nature for exercise and beauty. God created beauty to heal those barren places within in us.
•  Focus on small goals. If you are feeling overwhelmed take small steps towards your goals and regaining some control in your life.
•  Create space with no agenda. Coming out of a period in which there have been no activities, many may find themselves feeling overwhelmed now that their calendars are full. Instead of over filling your calendar create space to drink a cup of tea or read a favorite book.
•  Keep a journal of those things you are grateful for. Writing down every day 3 things that you are grateful for, is a well-known medicine to lessen anxiety and depression.
•  Stay connected with your church. Psalm 92 clearly states those who are planted in the house of the Lord will flourish.

By acknowledging that so many of us are languishing we can begin to find the light which will guide us out of this feeling of void. Here at Christian Counseling Centers, San Francisco we want to give you support and help you move from languishing to flourishing. We have many types of counselors and therapists to meet your needs. We look forward to hearing from you.