Episode 70: Acedia - The Ancient Emotion for a Modern Pandemic

2020-10-19

“We get distracted by social media, yet have a pile of books unread. We keep meaning to go outside but somehow never find the time. We’re bored, listless, afraid and uncertain.” Does this sound like you? We certainly can identify, and we suspect that seven months into the COVID-19 pandemic, so can you. This feeling has a name: acedia. As Jonathan L. Zecher explains in this essay, Acedia: The Lost Name for the Emotion We’re All Feeling Right Now, the word “acedia” is a descriptor ...

“We get distracted by social media, yet have a pile of books unread. We keep meaning to go outside but somehow never find the time. We’re bored, listless, afraid and uncertain.”

Does this sound like you? We certainly can identify, and we suspect that seven months into the COVID-19 pandemic, so can you.

This feeling has a name: acedia. As Jonathan L. Zecher explains in this essay, Acedia: The Lost Name for the Emotion We’re All Feeling Right Now, the word “acedia” is a descriptor of emotion that goes back to ancient Greece.

The good thing is that once you can name something, you can deal with it. Sometimes that’s pushing through. Sometimes it’s honoring the feeling, sitting with it, and giving yourself some grace. We could all use an extra dose of kindness right now, so why not start with yourself?

Have you been feeling aspects of acedia? Please share your experience with us at soloprpro.com.

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