Dr Satish Kumar, the Consultant Clinical Psychologist at Manipal Hospitals, Bengaluru, told the Indian Asian News Service (IANS) that since the beginning of April, there has been a sharp rise in telepsychiatry consultations by at least 20 %. The face-to-face consultations have plateaued, however, teleconsultations requests for seeking help have steadily increased.
What is often tangible is also what receives more attention, than what is intangible, somewhat unexplainable, and therefore, a victim of neglect. Languishing too is one such concept. It has often been described as a “blah” feeling, but Adam Grant, a renowned organizational psychologist has defined languishing as “a feeling of stagnation and emptiness.” Another globally accepted notion on mental health is that it exists on a continuum, that is, it may change gradually over time, across situations, often but not always, without concrete deviance or evidence.
As India faces an increased surge of COVID-19 cases, owing to the second and deadly wave, there is a sense of collective grief. With over 3 lakh cases every day, there are many families who have had several casualties, many children who have lost both their parents to this deadly virus. At a time like this, what is also a question of concern is that the contagious virus allows only brief mourning. While those affected continue to experience deteriorating mental and emotional health, the others as spectators to such adversities do not remain unharmed emotionally.
Adam Grant, in his article in the New York Times, explains how the novel coronavirus and the threats it posed in 2020 put us on an alert, and our amygdala was on high threat alert, therefore, in-flight or fight response. We bought N-95 masks, perhaps hoarded sanitizers, and only took brief and quick runs to grocery shopping. It is as if we all were, and perhaps still are, “Man with a Plan” each time we go out. However, as the pandemic grew only larger and disastrous, it also crept its way into our schedules, our lifestyles. Most of us almost made space, not for the virus, but for the safety precautions that must be taken in order to avoid being infected.
As this feeling has only intensified, psychologists across the globe have identified what many may have felt- a sense of meaninglessness, emptiness, dulled motivation, and difficulty in concentrating. However, these individuals mostly do not meet the criteria for a diagnosable mental health condition. It is here where languishing is identified. Coined by Sociologist Corey Keyes, Languishing is not a mental illness in itself, but rather, an absence of mental well-being.
In an interesting study by Marta Bassi and colleagues in 2021, in Italy, it has been found that frontline workers who merely felt a sense of anguish in spring 2020 are now at a three-fold risk of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) diagnosis. Matthew Iasiello, an Australian researcher pointed out that people who languish often score poorly across domains such as positive emotions, life satisfaction, interactions with society, and positive relationships.
While there could be subjective reasons for this ‘blah’ feeling, Adam Grant points out that this could be particularly happening to many of us due to the fear of coronavirus and its deadly nature. This poses uncertainty which strips meaning from daily activities as one feels the dread of the situation and insecurity about the future.
The question that then arises is that if one does not meet the criteria for a mental illness, how does one seek help or attempt to cope with languishing, if not resolve. Though seeking help does not require any kind of a diagnosis, there are some other ways in which one could perhaps directly address this “blah” feeling. Identification of the problem remains the first step, and subsequent measures can come to aid this feeling of meaninglessness.
One such way could be taking time off, but meaningfully. A research finding revealed that nearly 72% of Americans did not go on a vacation owing to the pandemic, but they also did not replace the vacation with just taking some time off. This may have led to exhaustion and subsequently a feeling of monotony and meaninglessness in their work. Taking time off to perhaps find meaningful activities to engage in is known to be of help in combating languish feeling.
Additionally, research across the globe is suggestive of mindfulness, cognitive behavioural therapy, and commitment and acceptance-based interventions as effective means to deal with languishing and lead to flourishing. In a 2021 study by Joep Van Ageteren and colleagues psychological interventions for wellbeing were reviewed among participants in Australia. It was found that in a sample of 53,288 participants from clinical and non-clinical set-ups, mindfulness-based positive psychological interventions were the most efficacious. Cognitive behavioural interventions, as well as commitment and acceptance based interventions, were found to be impactful too.
Many researchers have also concluded that mindfulness meditation promotes metacognitive awareness, and causes disengagement from preservative cognitive activities. This enhances emotional regulation and attentional capacities.
Mindfulness is known to act as an effective intervention for physical, mental, social, and emotional health, as growing evidence suggests that it has a positive impact on altering health behaviors such as enabling smokers to quit smoking, and aid in better eating-sleeping patterns and so on. In these dreary times of uncountable waves of the virus, perhaps, mindfulness practices can act as a guardian angel, and to a great extent, foster flourishing from languishing.
Bhavyaa Sehgal
Image Credit: Gurleen Kaur
