Are you in the doldrums?
This phrase means to be depressed or listless, to have no interest in anything and consequently to do nothing, to be aimless and drifting. The origins of the phrase arise from a popular nautical term that refers to the belt around the Earth near the equator where sailing ships sometimes get stuck on windless waters. The Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone, (ITCZ, pronounced and sometimes referred to as the “itch”), is a belt around the Earth extending approximately five degrees north and south of the equator. Here, the prevailing trade winds of the northern hemisphere blow to the southwest and collide with the southern hemisphere’s driving northeast trade winds. There is often little surface wind in this area and sailing ships can stay there for weeks, unable to move forward.
This NASA satellite image shows the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone, known to sailors around the world as the doldrums.
