Flow: The priceless path to well-being

Even if you’re unfamiliar with the formal term, chances are you’ve lost yourself in the ‘flow state’ at some point or another.

What is 'flow'?

Described as a state of ‘effortless effort’ by psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, who did much to bring it into mainstream awareness, 'flow' is also frequently described as being ‘in the zone’. Or, in other words, the state of being fully absorbed into a task or activity, making all sense of time drop away and creating total focus on the process itself rather than the outcome.

Creating the right conditions for flow

This is important in the wider context of well-being. The feeling of ‘doing’ or ‘being’ is highly beneficial, providing the opportunity for a break away from the stress cycles that striving towards goals can create. Another way of examining it is that flow can be the immersion into the feeling of control that comes when a task has just the right amount of challenge, being not too tedious or difficult.  

Experts say that the right level of pushing oneself is important, which can be afforded by activities in which learning, self-improvement, creativity and attention to detail are inherent.

Become immersed in the benefits

Entering the flow state can provide a nourishing break for the mind, giving it the opportunity to ‘down tools’ for even a short amount of time, away from its usual all-encompassing role of analysing the past and anticipating the future to highlight, inspect and categorise dangers and threats. Flow offers the chance to escape all this, even just for a while, and help us regain a feeling of balance.

Some simple suggestions

However, finding the flow state can sometimes be elusive – and, like sleep, being too impatient to achieve it can often have the effect of pushing it away.

It’s better instead to establish some parameters and focus on the notion that, as with many aspects of wellbeing, a more gradual, measured approach is often most effective.

Examples of these could include breaking tasks up into bite-sized chunks to make them feel more achievable. That way, the mind is less likely to become preoccupied with framing the task as an impossible mountain to climb, and it is easier to get started.

That’s an important aspect, because if anything is deemed by the mind as being a bore, a chore or something that detracts from our happiness, then it won’t be long before the mind is bargaining with itself, trying to engineer reasons to avoid doing it – and procrastination is often not far behind.

Focus instead on the intrinsic aspects of what you stand to acquire from the task, such as a sense of enjoyment, personal growth, challenge, discovery, fascination or fulfilling your potential. Reflect on how much you have achieved so far – how much, for example, of a course you have completed and what you have learned. Or how far you have already progressed in a new skill you have been practising. If an hour seems daunting for the duration of your gym session, try splicing it into separate ten-minute pieces instead.

Flow in practice: A case study

Some years ago, when I was writing novels, I discovered that it was immeasurably more effective (and enjoyable) to completely forget about word count and instead concentrate on just writing the next scene. And every time, the process invariably resulted in the flow state. I know this, because I always made a cup of tea and then sat down to write, starting with a few sentences, and then reached for the cup of tea after what I thought was a few minutes only to find the drink to be stone cold – more than an hour had passed, in which time I had become completely immersed in the story and the characters.

Contrast this with the approach of several years before, when I focused exclusively on word count, which, by contrast, made the entire process unnecessarily wearing. There was no enjoyment in it and certainly no flow state – the mind was too focused on the fact that I seemed to be engaged in a task which it found unpleasant. In the end, the thing that made flow achievable was simply reframing the task so the mind was comfortable working with it, rather than battling against it. This reframing maximised the chance of the flow state occurring.

Using flow as a wellbeing tool

Curiosity can be a very useful tool in triggering and maintaining flow. Curiosity can help us continue to learn, and it can enhance our thirst for knowledge; curiosity is a very effective force for motivation.

None of these parameters needs to be rocket science. They should be kept simple, and writing down a few points or reminders on Post-it notes or a calendar can be a great place to begin. Think of them collectively as a lens for your mind – you need the right lens to bring things into a clear focus so nothing can get in the way.  

From there, just give the task a chance and don’t try to push yourself too hard. Be mindful of the positives, the enjoyment, the things you are achieving and gaining, and suddenly you’re flowing headlong into something wholly invaluable for your wellbeing – and the process didn’t cost you a thing.