Three Ways to Banish the Blahs for You and Your Team

Three Ways to Banish the Blahs for You and Your Team

A NAME FOR “MEH”:  Our kids call it “meh”, we may call it feeling blah. In any event, many of us are slogging into 2021 – not really depressed, but not inspired either. As one of the most emailed New York Times pieces recently put it: “There’s a Name for the Blah You’re Feeling: It’s Called Languishing” by Adam Grant, an organizational psychologist at Wharton.

For those of us who were not grieving tremendous personal or job losses the past year: “It wasn’t burnout – we still had energy. It wasn’t depression – we didn’t feel hopeless. We just felt somewhat joyless and aimless. It turns out that there’s a name for that: Languishing.”

 For mental health pros, languishing lies in the middle of the mountain between flourishing on top and the valley of depression. As many of us realize that the pandemic and its consequences drag on, we may feel as if we are wading through a swamp. We’re no longer afraid of alligators or snakes, but the path feels endless and uncharted.

Recognize the symptoms for you and your staff:  We may find ourselves staying up way too late binge watching a detective series we’ve already seen twice, neglecting our morning run, eating an extra cookie because well, why not?

We may have trouble starting new projects or finding the joy in spring flowers. We complete the work with hard deadlines and shovel food at the kids and dogs so they don’t starve, but beyond that? Not so much.

What Should You Do?

Name the Mood: Psychological research has found that admitting the feeling is the first step to walking through. When someone asks how you’re feeling, admit that you have the blahs, or, if you think they’re interested, languishing. Encourage your staff to do the same. If you don’t feel safe in your work environment with that level of transparency, find a coach, friend, therapist, or spiritual advisor to help you through the thicket.  

Recognize Flow States:  The opposite of depression and lethargy is flow: the feeling of being immersed in work or pleasure so that time melts away, concentration peaks, and our boundaries collapse in a healthy way. Again, vocabulary is helpful. Use the concept with your own self talk and with your staff so that you know when you’re in a flow state.

Intentionally Create Flow:  The research on flow is extensive but psychologists have a few tips. Try to schedule uninterrupted time: no checking email or phones when you’re on a project, create and celebrate small goals and above all, recognize that you’re not alone with what you’re feeling now.

For more ideas on thriving now, go to Monday Memo Archives (workplacesthatwork.com)

https://www.workplacesthatwork.com/resources/monday-memo-archives/

What Do You Think?

Have you found ways to experience flow during this past year? Contact us at: 303-216-1020 or Lynne@workplacesthatwork.com