We have many names for it: "so-so", "not bad", meh, whatever, average or blah.  No matter what you call it, this emotion has become commonplace during the various restrictions and lockdowns of recent years. It describes that feeling somewhere between happy and sad: where you lack motivation and care but can’t really explain why. Psychologist Adam Grant draws on the old word ‘languishing’ to define this emotion. He explains it well by reflecting: 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 feels as if you’re muddling through your days, looking at your life through a foggy windshield.[Adam Grant - New York Times, 19/04/2021] You may have experienced this emotion recently, for days or even weeks at a time?  It can be an unfamiliar and confusing place to be. Knowing things aren’t right, but not quite being able to pinpoint the cause or a pathway out of it. All the while, struggling with motivation to stick to daily tasks you once did without blinking an eye. The good news is, you’re not alone and there is a pathway through it!  Even better, it’s not a new emotion that a world in pandemic has produced, but an emotion as old as humankind.  The ancient Greek word for it is ‘acedia’.  It means to be “without care” and is used to describe both mental and spiritual apathy.  The word acedia was used by early Christians known as the ‘Desert Fathers’: hermits, ascetics...