Sharon doing a “pour painting” class

I don’t know if you feel the same way, but I have been feeling that many of us are taking a collective “sigh,” or break. I have the typical A personality type that values efficiency and I generally feel great satisfaction when I cross things off my “to do” list. Lately, I have found myself getting really frustrated when others are not responding to questions, emails or texts in a timely manner. Which has been happening across many of the groups that I work with both professionally and personally. Since this hasn’t been an isolated event, I have come to the conclusion that we are all in need of a collective sigh/break. Many of us are trying to get through the day.

Are you in a state of “languishing?”

Have you heard the term, languishing? Languishing is a state of being, where you are not depressed but you feel unmotivated and in one word, “blah.” The term was believed to have originated with international researcher, Dr. Corey Keyes, who defines it as a previously overlooked clinical state.

Symptoms may be unique to each person but include:
· A sense of feeling stuck, or that life has become stagnant
· Feelings of emptiness
· Lack of motivation
· A general lack of well-being

For more on languishing click here.

How to get out of languishing

Final piece Sharon created from her “pour painting” class

Do you feel like you are in a state of languishing and need to take a collective break or sigh? The good news is, you can get yourself out of this state. Adam Grant, author of the book, “Think Again,” recommends you find activities that put you in a “flow” state. A state where you are completely immersed in doing something you enjoy, and spend 100% of your energy on an activity such as:

1) Do ART/get creative; paint, do pottery, write, color, or do anything that works the “left” side of your brain
2) Engaging in group sports or play games with friends. For Adam Grant he started playing Mario Cart with his family online.
3) Volunteer! For me personally, volunteering to help 2 Afghan families resettle in Denver has been a huge blessing to me, and helped me get out of languishing.

For more about my experience volunteering, click here.

Whether you feel like you are languishing or just need to take a break, I hope, you are doing something that nurtures both your emotional and physical self. We are living in a very challenging time in history, know that you are NOT alone.

Here’s to taking a collective “sigh” together.

In Health,