Week eight of 2022 ended sadly. Another war and more people dying for no good reason. What does war solve?
To write about what I was making this week, or to tell you what delicious recipe you should try next, seems completely irrelevant. And honestly, I haven’t been inspired to do either since Thursday.
Actually, even before the events of the past few days, I have been noticing myself feeling kind of blah about everything. The pandemic has lasted too long; even after vaccinations and now with the new post-pandemic “normal” slowly setting in, everything has changed so much. I think I’m just exhausted, and it seems like there’s no end to bad news.
All this led me to an article by Adam Grant about languishing. He describes it as a mental state in which you aren’t quite depressed, but are not flourishing, either. He wrote it to describe a general lack of joy and direction many people were experiencing in 2021. But in 2022, I can relate.
In his article, Grant tells us that flow (a concept introduced by psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi through his research on “optimal experience”) may help us fight the feelings of languishing.
Grant summarizes flow as “…that elusive state of absorption in a meaningful challenge or a momentary bond, where your sense of time, place and self melts away.” The idea is that moments of flow will generate positive emotions and increase our resilience.
It might seem useless and trivial to focus on trying a new recipe or handmade project when so many people around us are suffering, but these are just the types of activities that can lead to a state of flow and help us cope with what we can’t control.
Taking up a hobby or meditation, focusing our attention as we take a photo, trying to solve a challenging puzzle, or tackling a new craft project are all activities that can help.
Of course, attaining flow will not help solve the political or economic problems of the world. But at least it might help us endure the chaos we are living in.
As I said, I haven’t felt like making much in the past week. Instead, I’ve been spending my evenings watching Bonusfamiljen, which could make sense. I found interesting what Grant says about ways he achieves flow, “A late-night Netflix binge sometimes does the trick too — it transports you into a story where you feel attached to the characters and concerned for their welfare.” Perhaps this has been my way of finding flow and coping, lately.
There is not much I can do to stop a 17-mile-long convoy on its way to Kyiv this instant, just like there wasn’t much I could do to save all the people that died from Covid in the past two years. I also cannot feed all those suffering from hunger all over the world, or stop the next climate disaster. But letting the chaos of the world slowly suck me into a depression won’t solve anything, either.
There are small things I can do to help the world be a better place. I can invest in my mental health which will make me a more resilient person. I can be a good parent and teach my children to be kind to others. I can support humanitarian organizations I believe in. I can help promote cultural understanding and acceptance by learning about and sharing inspiring work by makers and artists from different parts of the world. I can teach others how to knit so they can practice a hobby that might help them with their own mindfulness and mental health. I can practice gratitude daily. And most important of all, I can do my best to model kindness, understanding, and love.
I wish you all well, and as my father-in-law always says when he bids farewell…
🕊️ Peace!
Some of what I’ve been reading this week:
A Prayer for Volodymyr Zelensky
How to Flourish in the Face of Adversity.
Coping With What You Can’t Control.
What Is Languishing?
Flow
Link: Ways to help Ukraine
Enjoy this colorful art by Ukrainian artist Maria Prymachenko. I hope it brightens your day.