The Ease Of Being In Flow
We all want to be in a state of flow as often as possible, but what is it and how do we achieve it? Flow is an optimal mental state where you become so engrossed in the moment that nothing else matters. It can come from any of your interests or hobbies, and if you're lucky, from work.
The great thing about flow states is that they make us happy and motivated. If you find yourself feeling bored or uncomfortable in your day-to-day life, try switching up your routine to find something that triggers flow for you.
Who knew that a boring task could be used as a path to happiness?
The book Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience is the definitive source on flow states and there are many great tips on how to achieve them. I like this article because it explains what goes on in your brain when you're in flow, and there's also some great suggestions for how to get into it.
This concept has been popularized by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, a psychologist who studies these kinds of things (among others). He calls the 'optimal experience' flow, and has dedicated his work to understanding why we have such hard time finding it.
Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
THE STATE OF FLOW: JH
There are many names for this state. The most common is being in the zone, or flow, which happens when we are completely immersed and engrossed in what we're doing. A good example of this is as sports player competing for a win, or a musician performing with such passion that it's impossible to not listen to them. Each of these people experiences flow.
Others describe the state as being more centered, focused and even productive because they are so deeply involved with what they're doing that they lose track of time and place.
There is a scientific explanation for its existence that is supported by the findings of many research studies. Csikszentmihalyi discovered that flow happens when our bodies and minds have time to switch modes from the conscious mind to a state of pure instinct and intuition, which makes it easier for us to perform at our best.
What's going on inside your brain when you experience flow? When we're in flow, there is increased activity in the following areas:
The experience of flow starts in your head. When you're engrossed in what you're doing and focused on it, your consciousness becomes more passive so that it can focus solely on absorbing the moment and performing at your best.
The PFC is in charge of making decisions and judging the world around us, but when you're in flow your mind is too preoccupied to do this. Instead, your intuitive or subconscious mind takes over. This happens because a lot of people spend a lot of time in their heads and ruminating over things they can't do anything about. Being in flow takes you out of that state and lets you escape the mental chatter that keeps you up at night.
When we pay attention to what's going on around us, our senses become sharper so that we can focus better on our tasks. This allows you to absorb the moment completely.
When there is a strong desire in us we are more motivated to perform and therefore work faster and more consistently.
The PFC and subconscious mind also develop a stronger partnership than they already have , so they can communicate with each other more easily.
The experience of flow happens when you're completely immersed in what you do. The only thing that matters is your subject at hand, so you can feel the intense focus of the moment. The tension builds when you're doing well, until you reach a peak where everything becomes crystal clear to your senses, making it easy for your mind to switch modes from the conscious mind into instinctive awareness and intuition.
These things all happen in your head, so when you're in flow, it's not clear what's going on inside your body. One of the reasons why Csikszentmihalyi invented the term 'flow' is because he thinks we are already aware that we can be passionately engaged with the right activity and achieve an optimal experience, but we don't know how to achieve it. The next step is to figure out how to get into flow and then stay there.
Csikszentmihalyi decided to call it 'the state of flow' from a psychological point of view [1]. He believes that we are already aware that we can be passionately engaged with the right activity and achieve an optimal experience, but we don't know how to achieve it. The next step is to figure out how to get into flow and then stay there"
Flow means combining work, fun and play [2]. Being in flow means that you combine your interest in something with a feeling of flow. This combination makes it a lot easier for you to focus all your attention on what you're doing and perform your best. If you're an artist trying to draw a masterpiece or a musician trying to play your best, who wouldn't want this kind of motivation?
Flow enthusiasts will tell you otherwise. They believe that flow is a state of mind that allows you to perform your best. They'll tell you that it's your alone time, the time when you're so absorbed in what you're doing that you stop thinking about yourself and the consequences of what happens next.
Science has found proof for this kind of 'flow' too. While psychologists are still trying to understand how it works, research has shown that on average meditation increases your creative intelligence by about 14% [3]. It does this because when we meditate we learn how to stay in the moment and be mindful, which helps us focus on what we're doing but also stay calm when things become challenging.
Other subjects that benefit from meditation are:
"Scientists have found that meditation can also increase short-term memory by 14% [3] – so you'll be able to remember more of what you've learned while meditating.
In the game of Go, players who meditate think and process information at a faster pace [4] which means they're able to see more of the board and make better moves.
Researchers found that people who were highly engaged in meditation had better decision-making skills than those who were not involved in any kind of meditation [5].
It's been proven that making the decision to start meditating makes it easier for you to stick with the practice later on.
The key to how meditation works is mindfulness. When we meditate, we learn how to stay in the present moment and be mindful of what's going on inside our heads and around us [6]. When we meditate, we're not worrying about the past or future. Our minds are clear because they're focused on one thing: observing the moment for what it is. It's just like when you discover flow. You get so focused that your mind stops ruminating about all your worries and instead, becomes relaxed and content."
Another way to figure out why flow happens is by thinking about what happens between the time when you are completely absorbed in an activity and when you get completely distracted by something else.
Conclusion
When we talk about it, flow seems like a mystical state of mind. It's like when athletes talk about being "in the zone" or "in the groove." It's a state where expert performers reach their highest levels of skill, and most people can't explain why that happens because it feels like magic.
We understand exactly why people are in the zone and why they get in the groove. When you're in flow, your mind is relaxed but alert. Your intuition and senses are sharper than usual so that you can focus on one thing and let your conscious mind take a break from trying to make decisions for you.