What I call meh. Sociologists call languishing.

And as recent articles in the Guardian and New York Times make clear, it might just be the dominant emotion of 2021.

Think of languishing as a vast, meh-coloured desert. You're getting through the day, day after day, but life feels aimless and devoid of purpose. Moments of delight are few and far between. You can't really remember the last time you felt joy.

Part of the danger of languishing is that it's sometimes hard to spot. As Adam Grant, the psychologist, says, you slip into a state of being indifferent to your indifference. If someone asks 'How are you?' you might respond with 'ok' or 'alright'. But your tone will be flat. Like the way your kids respond when you ask them how their online schooling went.

The first step to overcoming languishing, this feeling of meh, is simply to recognise it. Name it and you'll be able to talk about it. You'll also realise you're not the only one feeling this way.