What Is Languishing? How to Cope When You Feel Stuck, Bored, and Kind of 'Blah'

When someone asks you how you're doing with genuine concern, you might be at a loss for how to articulate an answer. It might be so hard to find the words because you don't really feel anything—or more specifically, you feel that your life has become sort of stagnant and directionless, and that you're mostly bored, apathetic, restless, or dissatisfied (or all of the above). All you really do know is that if someone asked if you were thriving, you'd have to answer "no."

In other words, you might be "languishing." Even if you're not familiar with the term, you may be familiar with these feelings (or lack of feelings)—and you're not alone. So what exactly is languishing, how does it manifest, and how is it any different from, say, depression? We asked mental health experts for the key signs and helpful coping strategies for anyone who's languishing.

What is languishing?

The American Psychological Association (APA) Dictionary of Psychology officially defines as languishing as "the condition of absence of mental health, characterized by ennui, apathy, listlessness, and loss of interest in life."

Languishing can also be described as a "dulling of our emotions," says Dion Metzger, MD, a psychiatrist practicing in Atlanta. "It's not sadness, but a lack of joy," she says. "It's a neutral feeling of emptiness."

American sociologist and psychologist Corey Keyes, PhD, was the first to use the term languishing as a way to describe a person's mental well-being. Much of his research has approached mental health as a continuum, with the idea that the absence of mental illness does not automatically translate into the presence of mental health. More specifically, on one end of the spectrum, Keyes would describe someone who is mentally healthy as "flourishing," while someone with an absence of mental health would be "languishing." In his seminal 2002 paper on the mental health continuum, Keyes notes that people who are languishing face a risk of a major depressive episode that is two times higher than those who are moderately mentally healthy, and almost six times greater than those who are flourishing.

"Languishing can feel like a gray cloud of 'blah' has settled over you," says Carla Marie Manly, PhD, a clinical psychologist in Sonoma County, California, and author of Joy From Fear. And while languishing is often associated with depression, she explains that it "is often seen as a more temporary response to unremitting stress, disempowering experiences, and frustration."

Languishing vs. Flourishing

In his work on the mental health continuum, Keyes indicated that, generally speaking, positive feelings and functioning in life indicate flourishing mental health. Languishing exists on the opposite end of the spectrum and refers to lower levels of positive feelings and lower functioning in life. As Dr. Metzger puts it, "languishing is joyless," whereas a person who is "reaching [their] full potential of capturing life's joy" is flourishing.

"Languishing involves a general 'pulling back' from life, and involves a decrease in positive feeling states," Manly explains. "Flourishing, on the other hand, involves engaging with life in positive, healthy ways as well as enjoying positive mood states. That said, flourishing mental health does not mean that you are happy all the time or that your life is 'perfect;' flourishing involves facing life's ups and downs with hope and resilience."

The Signs of Languishing

Some of the most common markers of languishing are low motivation, difficulty concentrating, and poor energy, according to Dr. Metzger. It can also affect a person's appetite and sleep. "Some experience reduced appetite, whereas others tend to overeat to self-soothe," Manly adds. "Similarly, some experience poor or interrupted sleep, whereas others have hypersomnia (sleep more than usual)."

As Manly points out, languishing encompasses a wide range of experiences, including dysphoric mood states and an ongoing sense of ennui—both of which often result in reduced or no interest in interacting with others socially. Additional signs of languishing include a lack of focus, lack of purpose, disinterest in normally pleasurable activities, and inability to engage in necessary daily life tasks, or feeling "blue," she adds.

The Key Difference Between Languishing and Depression

Because there's some overlap in symptoms, at times it can be hard to differentiate between languishing and depression, but there are in fact some clear distinctions.

Although languishing can involve or become clinical depression, not everyone who experiences languishing meets the criteria for depression, and vice versa. Clinical depression is a disorder outlined in The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), whereas languishing is not. "In general mental health terms, depression would be viewed as a clinical diagnosis, whereas languishing might be viewed more as a failure to thrive," Manly says.

Dr. Metzger likes to use a thermometer analogy. "Languishing is when we're at zero degrees, neutral—not negative or positive. Depression is when the temperature goes into the negative numbers. These negatives include feelings of hopelessness. Languishing is a feeling of nothing, and depression is a feeling of sadness," she explains.

How to Cope With Languishing