“Every wall that would entrap me has a door that would free me.
And I languish because the fear of freedom often leaves me preferring the familiarity of the wall.”
― Craig D. Lounsbrough
Recently I read a New York Times article on something I hadn't heard of before; Languishing, a mood that up until now I didn't know actually had a name, and sums up greatly the slump I've been feeling as we kick off the second half of 2021.
"Languishing is a sense of stagnation and emptiness. It feels as if you're muddling through your days, looking at your life through a foggy windshield."
That description is probably a little over the top for my particular episodes of languishing. Overall I'm pretty content with my life, with loads of exciting things happening and amazing friends and family to share those experiences with. But day-to-day this feeling does pop up from time to time, and fighting it can takes a lot of energy!
I've found what combats this feeling best, and what the research in this article confirms (and which helped me put two and two together) is entering a state of flow. By immersing yourself in a project, a book, or maybe when those things seem a bit too much, a Netflix binge, can put you in a state of flow. In fact, I'm using this blog post as a means to that end. Extra meta, I know.
Tons of my friends that I've been speaking with have mentioned a similar feeling. It seems to be a theme that started to appear in 2020, and is continuing well into 2021 as well. Hopefully as we slowly but surely move towards a managed COVID future we'll start to fight this feeling.
I've been wanting to share some of the dope things I've been enjoying lately, and through it might be fun to add this sort of stuff to the end of my blog posts every now and again!
Top songs in the past 30 days:
Been on a bit of a nostalgia trip lately, so some classics have made it to the top! Hotel Apache is a band I constantly come back to if I want some Cali Pop vibes. Super chill times. And I have a mild to moderate obsession with HONNE at the moment, a recent find that I can't believe took me this long to come across!
I've loved all of Nat's videos - and this incredible interview by Courtney Act cemented him as someone that I love even more. If you haven't checked out his Youtube channel, you should!
So...Orange Juice isn't What it Seems... Interesting look into the different types of orange juice available, and which is best for the environment. Also I just love Hank and John.
I Became Everything I Ever Wanted. A dive into a realisation that even when you get yourself to where you've always dreamed, you still get stuck in slumps, and strive for more. Outstanding cinematography by Natalie as well, as usual!
I'm Homeless & Alone. I've been obsessed with this Youtube channel for some time. Every episode feels like life in the form of a Netflix series, and I love it.
