Flow, the Secret to Happiness
In the last blog post, we talked about Living in the Present Moment. Well, being ‘in the flow’ is the ultimate way to feel joy and happiness in the present moment. It’s not quite something you can just put on your ‘to do’ list, but it is something you can learn about.
As for the connection between money and happiness, in many studies, it’s been shown that if you have much less than needed, this contributes to unhappiness but having somewhat more than poverty-level and more, is enough for most people to feel happy. There’s no direct correlation between the amount of money you have and the amount of happiness you have.
The idea of ‘flow’ comes into this………
What is FLOW?
Flow is a state of mind in which a person becomes fully immersed in an activity. Positive psychologist, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi describes flow as a state of complete immersion in an activity. Being immersed can be defined as a state of focus in which a person is completely absorbed and engrossed in their work.
While in a flow state, people are highly involved and focused on what they are doing.
“The ego falls away. Time flies. Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from the previous one, like playing jazz. Your whole being is involved, and you’re using your skills to the utmost,” says Csikszentmihalyi.
Here’s an important point: flow experiences can occur in different ways for different people. It often happens when you’re doing something that you enjoy and in which you’re quite skilled.
This flow state is often associated with the creative arts, such as painting, drawing or writing. However, it can also occur while engaging in a sport. Athletes will often speak about being ‘in the zone’ (or ‘in the flow’). It can also occur in other endeavors where you’re passionate and skilled, ie: music composer or a scientist, like Albert Einstein.
It seems that you need both PASSION and SKILL.
Many who describe ‘flow’ speak about ecstasy or an alternative reality. You create a new reality and a moment of ecstasy. It’s intense, almost as if it doesn’t really exist. (this sounds good to me).
When in the flow, one is in a completely engaging process of creating something new. As humans, we only have a certain amount of bandwidth or energy. When we’re in this ‘flow state,’ there’s not enough brain attention to think of other things (ie: food, others, challenges, etc.), so your existence feels suspended. How nice is this!
Those who experience flow speak about it feeling like an automatic, spontaneous process or flow, without thinking, that happens to someone who is trained (skilled); ie: music, arts, math, etc. These skills may often take years to develop.
It seems that business leaders, who are most successful, financially and ethically, say that service (helping others) and flow, make them feel happy.
CHARACTERISTICS of Flow:
According to Csikszentmihalyi, there are 10 factors that accompany the experience of flow. While many of these components may be present, it’s not necessary to experience all of them for flow to occur.
1)The activity is intrinsically rewarding. (this is where loving it and passion come in).
2)There are clear goals that, while challenging, are still attainable. (I feel this when I paint….)
3)There is a complete focus on the activity itself. (Everything else seems to fall away. You don’t think about anything else).
4)People experience feelings of personal control over the situation and the outcome.
5)People have feelings of serenity and a loss of self-consciousness.
6)There is immediate feedback. (ie: if I don’t like something I’ve painted, I know it right away. I’m completely in the moment).
7)People know that the task is doable and there is a balance between skill level and the challenge presented. (Otherwise, it will take more energy for your mind to learn something new).
8)People experience a lack of awareness of their physical needs. (When you’re entirely absorbed, you don’t think about food, movement or what’s going on around you).
9)There is strong concentration and focused attention.
10)People experience timelessness, or a distorted sense of time, that involves feeling so focused on the present that you lose track of time passing. (I can attest to this. When I paint, I often feel that a few minutes have passed by when, in reality, a few hours have passed by).
What are the BENEFITS of a Flow State? (“What is a Flow State” by Kendra Cherry)
Flow has many advantages, a big one being that it makes activities more enjoyable, not a small thing.
Other BENEFITS:
1)Fulfillment and Happiness: You enjoy what you’re doing more when in a flow state. Since the task is more enjoyable, you’re also likely to find it rewarding and fulfilling. Research suggests that flow states are, most likely, linked to increased levels of satisfaction, self-actualization and happiness.
2)Engagement and Performance: When in a flow state, you feel fully involved in the task at hand. Researchers have found that flow can enhance performance in many areas (ie: learning, athletics and artistic creativity).
3)Learning, Skill Development and Creativity: Achieving flow indicates a substantial mastery of a certain skill (ie: artist, scientist, like Einstein, etc.), so you have to keep seeking new challenges and information in order to maintain this state.
Flow states often take place during creative tasks, which can help inspire greater creative and artistic pursuits. (As a painter, I say yes, yes, yes).
4)Emotional Regulation: You experience growth toward emotional complexity with increased flow. This helps people develop skills that let you regulate your emotions more effectively.
5)Intrinsic Motivation: Flow helps to increase motivation because flow is a positive mental state.
Intrinsic motivation involves doing things for internal rewards (how they make you feel) vs. external rewards (such as prizes, awards or payment).
In the end, intrinsic rewards outshine external rewards ($) every time, when it comes to long-term and sustainable contentment, joy, inner peace and happiness in your life.
Summary:
The benefits to flow are increased happiness, greater creativity, higher intrinsic motivation, and better emotional regulation, among other positive effects.
Now that we understand more about being ‘in the flow’ or being in the ‘flow state,’ in the next blog post, we’ll move on to: examples of flow state, the neuroscience of flow, flow in various fields and at work, and HOW to achieve flow.
The goal here is to do more and more of our daily activities and life in a ‘flow state’………….
“When we strike a balance between the challenge of an activity and our skill at performing it, when the rhythm of the work itself feels in sync with our pulse, when we know that what we’re doing matters, we can get totally absorbed in our task. That is happiness.” ---Ariel Gore, from Bluebird: Women and the New Psychology of Happiness
With smiles and love,
Dr Gigi
PS: Well, I’m back from a wonderful few days in London, discovering the city and seeing friends and finally, meeting in person, my coach Gloria. Fabulous!
Getting away seems to clear my perspective and allows me to return to my daily activities and be in the flow.
Autumn is starting and it’s time to go inside, both literally and figuratively. Are you ready to become who you really are and express it in the world? Are you ready to feel your body and what’s inside and connect it to your mind and thoughts? Are you starting to understand that trauma has been knocking you off track?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, then, you’re ready for Life & Mindset Coaching and maybe, a bit of hypnosis, too.
Sign up for your Free 45-minute Clarity Call @www.gigiarnaud.com and let’s get you going……….to the authentic you, to your flow state and to your happiness! When you sign up, you’ll also receive your Free guide and my blog posts, with tons of helpful information and tips and exercises.
I look forward to meeting you soon!
Change your Thoughts, Change your Mind, Change your World