At some point in our lives, we may just feel "meh", not depressed, but not good, not burned out, but not fired up. When you're languishing, you have a feeling of emptiness, stagnation and listlessness. Languishing is part of the human condition. It can disrupt your focus and interfere with your motivation. You may feel indifferent to being indifferent, meaning you don't seek help and might do nothing to help yourself.

Languishing

Researchers found that the best predictor of well-being is not optimism - it is flow. Flow is the state of being absorbed in the present. For example, it might be cooking or running or gardening where you lose track of time and your sense of self.Bingeing is a temporary escape from languishing. You might love hanging out with the characters in a show, but they don't even know you exist. So, bingeing is passive engagement in a fictional world. Conversely, peak flow depends on active participation in the real world. Peak flow is capable of moving us out of the slump.

Bingeing vs peak flow

<ol><li>Mastery. Psychologists find that a sense of progress helps us feel motivated and joyful. Even small wins can make us feel motivated. </li><li>Mindfulness - Focusing your full attention on one task. When we task switch every 10 minutes, we lose focus. If we want flow,  we need to treasure uninterrupted blocks of time.</li><li>Mattering. It is knowing that you make a difference to other people. A peak moment of flow can be making the time to have fun with the people we love.</li></ol>

Three conditions of peak flow

This Ted talk helps to understand that "meh" feeling and how to get out of the slump.

Have you found yourself staying up late, joylessly bingeing TV shows and doomscrolling through the news, or simply navigating your day uninspired and aimless? Chances are you're languishing, says organizational psychologist Adam Grant -- a psychic malaise that has become all too common after many months of the pandemic. He breaks down the key indicators of languishing and presents three ways to escape that "meh" feeling and start finding your flow.

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