When everything feels a little meh: understanding ennui

Do you ever get that strange restless feeling where nothing is wrong but nothing feels right either? You’ve got things to do, people to see and a life that’s technically fine yet there’s this quiet low hum of bored discontent in the background and life feels like it has lost its spark… That’s ennui.

An emotional gray area

Ennui isn’t sadness, depression, overwhelm, stress or burnout. It’s not the dramatic kind of emptiness that makes you want to cry into your pillow either. Ennui is much softer than that but also sneakier. You go about your day (work, errands, dinner and netflix) and somewhere between “I should probably fold the laundry” and “what should I watch next” you think to yourself “is this it?”.

Not the enemy

Ennui is not your enemy. It’s not a flaw either. And it definitely doesn’t mean that your life is broken. It simply means your soul is bored. Ennui is your mind’s way of saying your emotional landscape needs fresh air: new experiences, new conversations or even new ways of seeing the old ones.

For example, you could try something that isn’t on your usual to do list or reconnect with a part of yourself that you’ve put on the back burner. Trying out new hobbies, creating something (not for productivity but for joy) or saying yes to something small and a little bit scary are also great for giving your mind new input. But even a tiny shift like a walk in a new neighborhood, a solo coffee date or a spontaneous call to an old friend can jolt your system awake.

But whatever you decide to try to shake things up: remember that the antidote to ennui isn’t more doing. It’s reconnecting with meaning, with your senses and with yourself.

©jessicahermans2025