The Art of Being in Flow

You may not know what a flow state is, but you almost definitely have experienced it. What people do to get to a flow state varies hugely from person to person but they are all characterised by this sense of effortless momentum and complete absorption by what we are doing. For some, it’s exercise or reading a book, for others it’s solving puzzles or playing music. And many find themselves in deep flow states doing work that they find interesting.

The one thing that is universal about flow states is that they do not typically occur during periods of relaxation. Flow states can only be experienced when we are doing something challenging or engaging. Where we are being active, not passive.

Flow states are also not about how passionate we are about something. The key ingredient to flow states is that the activity needs to hit the right sweet spot between being challenging and being achievable. It is only when we hit this balance that our brain is at full capacity, and we experience flow.

As is the case with every activity that leads to better wellbeing, in order to get more of it, we need to actively practice it. So here are a few steps that can help us bring more flow into our lives:

1)?????Pick a challenge that excites you – remember, it needs to hit the right balance between being challenging and achievable. Too challenging and you will just get frustrated, too easy and your mind won’t be fully engaged

2)?????Identify your most productive time for doing it – If you are not a morning person, you are unlikely to reach a flow state by setting an alarm at 5am to do something, no matter how exciting you find it

3)?????Find a space that feels as distraction free as possible – What is distracting differs for different people. I know many who are distracted by silence and others who find overly tidy and bare spaces stressful, so focus on eliminating the distractions that most influence you

4)?????Be patient and willing to accept failure – If you already have an activity that helps you reach a flow state (playing music, art, writing), then it is just a case of carving out time to do more of it. But if you don’t have an activity that helps you get there, it will be a case of trial and error. Sometimes you will pick something that you end up finding too easy. Others, you may realise you bit off a bit more than you can chew. Stay curious and explore what might work for you until you know what the right challenge/achievability balance is for you

5)?????Detach from the outcome – this isn’t necessarily about what you produce at the end of the process (though it can be a great by-product). It’s about the process itself and learning to be present throughout it and learning more about what helps you find flow

6)?????Finally, journal about the experience – by the end of this week you will probably get tired of hearing me say this, but journaling is the only way to really reflect on and evaluate the impact of any exercise on your wellbeing

So, what’s next? Well, when we know what the right level of challenge looks like we can explore ways of bringing it to other areas of our lives. Maybe we change the way we work, maybe we start approaching day to day activities like cooking or exercise with a bit more self-knowledge. But more importantly, we have the ability to become more actively engaged in what we do and bring those feelings of flow into our every day.?