Mid-point Mental Health: Why Are We All Feeling So Flat?

'Meh', defined as “expressing a lack of interest or enthusiasm”, describes perfectly the state of limbo between not being sad but not being happy either. It represents a state of lethargy or emptiness that's difficult to shake but isn't so bad that it renders you unable to get out of bed in the same way depression can.

This feeling can stem from anything, from feeling uninspired at work or feeling like you aren't enough. Mind coach Anna Williamson says that feeling overwhelmed by the constant stream of information, be it Instagram, the news or constant requests from your boss can result in a feeling of inner emptiness.

“Burnout is a key cause for this in-between feeling,” Williamson. “We mustn’t be quick to self-diagnose when in actual fact a lot of people just need to make the small tweaks and changes. Reduce time spent on social media and technology, and spend more time with people face-to-face, doing exercise, and getting outdoors."

This article first appeared on Harper's BAZAAR UK

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“Being happy and feeling your best all the time isn’t attainable”

Being happy and feeling your best all the time isn’t attainable, nor is it realistic. It’s a dangerous ideal – the pressures of perfection can leave us in a grey area with our mental health, neither happy nor sad, just flat. Take Bryony Gordon, journalist, author and mental health campaigner, who recently voiced her lacklustre mood on Instagram. She explained that feeling low needn’t be a precursor to conditions such as depression or anxiety and that we should simply sit with it as a feeling and know that it will pass.

“I’ve been very meh today – meh often being the precursor to the dreaded blurghh of depression, but not always,” she wrote on Instagram. “Anyway, I’ve realised that the meh is just fine. Previously I would have fretted about the meh…

“Hello to anyone feeling the meh or the bluergghh right now, imagining that everyone but you is out there this sunny bank holiday enjoying themselves,” she said after highlighting that in earlier stages of her life she would have turned to drink rather than face her feelings. “Know that there are others like you out there, and that there will be other bank holidays. In the meantime, sit with the meh and the bluerghh, accept them for the time being, and know that they will eventually go. Have a cup of tea with the meh, watch a box set with it, read a book with it. Talk to it, see what it wants and why it’s here. Remember that the meh and the bleurghh are ok, even if they don’t feel that way at the time.”

Williamson recommends taking five minutes for self-care, even on the busiest days, which has lasting effects on our moods and perceptions. “When things start to get a bit overwhelming, perhaps the stress button is being pressed a little ‘too’ much, and you feel things are perhaps getting on top of you, it is quite common to feel a bit blank, empty and a little out of sorts,” explains Williamson.

“Recognising this feeling is key, if we do something about it quick smart, there is every chance things will begin to improve quickly.”

As feeling ‘meh’ is a sign of burnout, ask yourself what changes need to be made in the short term to help you feel back on track and experiencing different waves of emotion. “It’s important to remember that having a range of emotions is really important, feeling appropriate levels of sadness, stress, as well as happiness, is important – we must ‘feel’ in order to know, recognise and regulate our mood and emotions,” says Williamson. It’s vital to recognise that feeling a range of emotions is completely normal, without just focusing on feeling your best happy self all the time.