The Opposite Of Languishing Is Flourishing

After a year of trauma, isolation and grief, it’s no surprise it is taking longer for life to finally feel good again. Now, let’s dive into the other side of languishing – flourishing – and how you can get thriving again. 

You Can Flourish

A growing body of research shows that there are simple steps you can take to recharge your emotional batteries and spark a sense of fulfillment, purpose and happiness. Here are a few ways you can get back to flourishing:

1. Assess yourself. First, how do you know if you’re languishing, flourishing or somewhere in between? Simply asking yourself is an effective diagnostic tool. Do you wake up ready to start your day or would you rather go back to sleep? Do you have a sense of purpose or do you find how you spend much of your day to be meaningless?
2. Savor & celebrate small things. Acknowledging small moments is as important for well-being as celebrating the big wins, research shows. Psychologists call it “savoring.” Savoring is about appreciating an event or activity in the moment, sharing tiny victories and noticing the good things around you.
3. Try something new. Now that life is getting back closer to normal, there are more opportunities to branch out. You can join a book club or running group, take a pottery class, visit a museum or outdoor art exhibit, try a new recipe, explore a nearby trail or neighborhood or test out a free language learning app like Duolingo.
4. Do a good deed. Acts of kindness not only help others, they also can help you flourish. To make it easy, start off with a daily “five-minute favor,” like introducing two people who could benefit from knowing each other, or sending an article or podcast link to a friend, saying you were thinking of them.
5. Look for communities & connections. Even a quick chat with a stranger or a momentary bond with someone new can foster a sense of fulfillment, particularly when what researchers call a high quality connection occurs. Moments of being seen by other people, and being met with respect or even enthusiasm, can energize and invigorate us and help create bonds within our neighborhood or community.

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