Do You Know The State Of Flow?
Have you ever lost track of time because you were captivated by a concrete activity? Or have you ever devoted all of your energy to one thing so that everything else was pushed into the background? Have you ever said the words “I didn’t see the time go by”?
If the answer is yes, it could be that you’ve tasted the state of Flow before and didn’t know it.
What is the state of Flow?
The state of Flow, or fluency , is a positive emotional state that was developed by Mihály Csíkszentmihályi, one of the most prestigious psychologists in the field of positive psychology research.
When a person experiences this state, he finds himself completely absorbed in an activity from which he derives immense satisfaction and pleasure. Time passes in a flash, and actions, thoughts, movements follow one after the other without stopping.
This positive emotional state is characterized by full attention to the activity we are performing, and for which nothing else is important to us, thus allowing us to maintain a degree of absolute concentration.
When we find ourselves in this state, it seems that we can take control of our destiny, then feeling immense satisfaction, because this experience is pleasant in itself. Our mind is completely closed to any distraction, and nothing matters at this moment, neither the difficulties, nor the recurring problems of everyday life. Our whole being is focused on this task, thus taking our skill and skill to an extreme level.
When we are in a state of Flow, we experience a spontaneous feeling of less effort because we are doing what we are really passionate about.
When does this happen?
The state of Flow occurs when the abilities and skills that we possess are in balance with the challenges of the activity. The challenges are realistic to say the least, and the task is neither easy nor difficult, because it is in perfect harmony with our skills.
You can experience this positive emotional state by doing any type of activity, for example, painting, writing, playing any sport, or chatting with someone.
This happiness is within the reach of everyone, it is enough simply that all the conditions that we have explained above are met, that is to say that we must maintain the balance between our skills and the complexity of our activity.
This is why it is important to find what are the activities that offer us the possibility of knowing this state of Flow, or fluidity, because they will allow us to excel, and give us the satisfaction of having given meaning to this. that we do and more value in life.
What are the characteristics of the Flow?
– Decreased self-awareness. – Balance between challenge and skills of the person. – Union between action and thought. – Removal of fear of failure. – Continuous feeling of surprise while performing the activity. – The activity is an end in itself. – The person shows security in what he undertakes. – Distortion of the notion of time. – Elimination of distractions.
How can we achieve the state of Flow?
– By carrying out an activity, task or game. – By focusing on the activity, thus seeking transcendence or ecstasy. – By setting a goal. – By seeking to carry out the activity as efficiently as possible while providing a minimum of effort. – By controlling our state of consciousness. – By not chasing success or success. – By breaking away from the apathy and the urge to procrastinate that accompany daily activities. – By letting oneself be carried away by the process of carrying out the activity.
The key is to do what we love the best we can, within the limits of our abilities.
Image courtesy of Luis Sarabia
