¿Por qué te has estado sintiendo tan "blah" últimamente?

Most of us recall where we were when we heard the news: local governments across the country issue mandatory stay-at-home orders due to the emerging coronavirus pandemic. “Two weeks,” we were told. Two weeks of staying at home, social distancing and quarantining until things get back to normal. The problem is, the pandemic carried on much longer than two weeks, and things continue to be, after almost two years, not normal.

El pesimismo inicial que muchos de nosotros experimentamos durante los primeros días de la pandemia residía en nuestro sistema nervioso simpático, la parte del cuerpo responsable de nuestra respuesta inherente de "lucha o huida". Había pánico e incertidumbre por todas partes. Navegar por la vida cotidiana se sentía insuperable, hasta el punto de que era más fácil quedarse adentro que hacer cualquier otra cosa.

Lo más probable es que hayas hecho algo para pasar el tiempo. Tal vez tomaste un nuevo pasatiempo, le escribiste a un amigo o viste videos de ejercicios. Eventualmente, la deslumbrante amenaza de lo desconocido disminuyó un poco, y usted pudo llevar su día de una manera un tanto normal.

After a while though, the initial excitement of taking on a new project faded. Maybe you just weren’t into that one yoga video anymore after watching it for the 26^th time. The acute onset of fear and panic left a while ago, but a new, hollow feeling might have begun to emerge. It’s called languishing.

¿Qué es ese sentimiento de "blah"?

Researcher Corey L.M. Keyes defines languishing as an “emptiness and stagnation, constituting a life of quiet despair that parallels accounts of individuals who describe themselves and life as ‘hollow,’ ‘empty,’ ‘a shell,’ and ‘a void.’”

Languidecer puede manifestarse de manera diferente de persona a persona y puede caracterizarse por lo siguiente. Tenga en cuenta que estos sentimientos asociados con languidecer pueden aparecer y desaparecer:

• Sensación de "bla"
• Falta de motivación
• Desconexión del propósito en la vida.
• Sentirse inquieto por no estar muy ansioso
• No sentir estados de ánimo altos y bajos

Una forma de pensar en languidecer es imaginar la salud mental como un espectro. En un extremo están los sentimientos positivos (florecimiento) y en el otro están los sentimientos negativos (depresión). A medida que avanza hacia el extremo positivo del espectro, avanza hacia la prosperidad o el florecimiento. A medida que avanza hacia el extremo negativo del espectro, avanza hacia el debilitamiento que puede manifestarse como trastornos de salud mental, como la depresión mayor.

Entonces, ¿dónde cae languidecer? Languidecer está más cerca del extremo negativo del espectro, pero no lo suficientemente lejos como para ser una enfermedad de salud mental diagnosticable. Sin embargo, los profesionales creen que languidecer podría ser tan debilitante como la depresión mayor, y que languidecer es un factor de riesgo importante para la depresión.

A notable difference between languishing and depression is the lack of despair in languishing. Languishing is not sadness nor anger nor happiness. Instead, languishing can be thought of as that “blah” feeling. You aren’t sad, you aren’t happy, you just are. You exist. If anything, you may feel unmotivated and stuck where you are, even if you are doing something.

Por ejemplo, tal vez tengas la costumbre de correr. Todavía vas a correr todas las mañanas, pero ya no te sientes conectado con la actividad.

It’s that lack of connection coupled with existing for existence’s sake that is languishing. It’s not hard to see how this may lead into more major forms of mental health illness like depression, which can be characterized as feeling extreme sadness, hopelessness or despair. Depression may also involve more self-criticism and thoughts of harming yourself. Other signs of major depression include:

• Irritabilidad o ira
• Pérdida de interés en actividades y cosas que antes traían alegría
• Insomnio o dormir demasiado
• Fatiga o dificultad para completar tareas
• Cambios en el apetito
• Ansiedad o inquietud
• Movimientos lentos o pensamiento
• Problemas de memoria/cognitivos
• Dolor físico inexplicable (es decir, dolor de espalda, dolores de cabeza)

Cómo hacer frente a languidecer

Incluso con la disminución de los casos de COVID-19 y una vacuna, muchas personas continúan reportando sentimientos de languidez. ¿Eres uno de ellos? Puede probar algunas de las sugerencias que se enumeran a continuación para hacer frente a la languidez en el día a día:

• Name your feelings. Recognize that you are experiencing languishing. This is an important step that allows you to accept and honor what you’re feeling as well as determine how you can move forward.
• Ask for help. You do not need to have a diagnosable mental health condition to see a therapist. In fact, it may be best to see someone before you reach a more urgent mental health state. Maybe therapy isn’t for you, but you can still reach out to supportive loved ones. Humans are social animals, introverts and extroverts alike. We need and crave human connection.
• Get restful sleep. If you have irregular sleeping patterns (i.e. wake up in the middle of the night frequently with trouble getting back to sleep, trouble getting to sleep, etc.) reach out to your healthcare provider for recommendations to improve sleep quality. There are many strategies you can try before medication, but your provider may also recommend an appropriate medication if needed.
• Eat a balanced diet. Stop focusing on trendy diets that constantly emphasize what you need to remove from your diet. Healthy eating is a habit, and when building habits, you are much more likely to succeed if you focus on what you would like to be doing rather than what you think you should not do. For example, instead of focusing on not eating sugar or carbs, focus on getting more fruits, vegetables and whole grains into your diet, as these are the elements missing from most peoples’ daily eating. You can start with the simple 5-a-day guideline—get two fruits and three vegetables each day.
• Get some sun. Get outside, if you can, for some sunlight and movement. Sunlight is important in promoting the production of vitamin D, a crucial vitamin for bone health, which is often lacking in Americans’ diets.
• Move more. Being more physically active can have monumental positive impacts on your mental health. Recent research suggests that exercise may be as effective as some anti-depressants! It’s important to note that more research is needed, and you should not stop taking any current medications prescribed to you without talking to your doctor first.
• Change up your routine. Adding newness and novelty to your routine can be thrilling to your life, especially if you are feeling stuck. Try planning a getaway, join a sports team or group exercise class, pick up an old hobby or try a new one. Many of these ideas will not only help get you out of your languishing rut but could also increase your day-to-day and weekly socialization. Most of us have socialized less in the last year or so, so re-engaging with others might be what you really need!

Nuestro bienestar mental está impulsado tanto por nuestras esperanzas y visiones del futuro como por nuestro sentido actual de propósito y progreso. Por lo tanto, para lidiar con languidecer a largo plazo, podría valer la pena explorar su propósito.

Begin discovering your purpose by thinking about what brings you joy or what you feel Mayo bring you joy—maybe a hobby, skill or career you want to pursue. Carve out time in your schedule each day to focus on that one thing. Don’t stop there. It is not enough to plan and think about what we want to accomplish. We must act. How to know if something is worth doing? You’ll know. Some psychologists refer to it as “flow” and it is a state of being when our sense of time, space and self fades away. Find your flow. Discover your purpose!

Si tiene o ha tenido pensamientos suicidas, solicite ayuda. Puede comunicarse con la línea directa nacional de prevención del suicidio al (800) 273-8255.

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