On New Year’s Eve, a good friend sent a video she had just made The Power of Art in Covid Times: A Visual Journey. This led to a discussion with my husband about the importance of being involved in activities that completely absorb your attention so that when you are done you find yourself feeling a bit lighter, more positive and have given your over taxed brain a much needed break.
Covid has occupied a lot of our thinking in the last 10 months, resulting in feelings of frustration, high stress, anxiety, depression etc. But there is a healing option.
“Flow” as coined by the positive psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi describes a feeling where, under the right conditions, you become fully immersed in whatever you are doing. He describes it as "being completely involved in an activity for its own sake. 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."
In my friend's video, one of the musicians points out that life can be pretty crazy but when she’s playing, she’s completely absorbed. That’s a flow state.
An aside, but still on target, Csikszentmihalyi was a prisoner during WWII and he became interested in why some people could experience contentment in their lives, despite circumstances, while others could not. Through research he concluded that happiness/contentment was an internal state of being, not an external one.
Flow experiences vary from one person to the next. You can find it playing sports, music, exercising, meditating, creating art, through work (my husband actually loves problem solving) etc. According to Csíkszentmihályi, there are ten factors that accompany the experience of flow. It is not necessary to experience all of the following for flow to occur:
- The activity is intrinsically rewarding
- Clear goals that, while challenging, are still attainable
- Complete focus on the activity itself
- Feelings of personal control over the situation and the outcome
- Feelings of serenity; a loss of feelings of self-consciousness
- Immediate feedback
- Knowing that the task is doable; a balance between skill level and the challenge presented
- Lack of awareness of physical needs
- Strong concentration and focused attention
- Timelessness; a distorted sense of time; feeling so focused on the present that you lose track of time passing
Adults who spend more time in flow are happier overall. Happiness derived from flow is more under our control than the happiness we get from pleasure or relationships, since it doesn’t necessarily depend on external circumstances or other people.
Years ago, I came across an article by the sociologist and life coach Martha Beck about how she could never relate to the idea of “just be still.” Instead what worked for her was making something.
You
see, creative work causes us to secrete dopamine, a hormone that can make us
feel absorbed and fulfilled without feeling manic. This is in sharp contrast to
the fight-or-flight mechanism, which is associated with hysteria hormones like
adrenaline and cortisol. Research indicates that we're most creative when we're
happy and relaxed, and conversely, that we can steer our brains into this state
by undertaking a creative task.
To get a dopamine "hit," make something that pushes you to the
furthest edge of your ability, where you're not only focused but learning and
perfecting skills. Cooking an unfamiliar dish will do the trick, as will
perfecting a new clogging routine. At first, depending on how addicted to mania
you happen to be, the excitement-grubbing part of your brain won't want to stop
obsessing about over-the-top experiences. It will cling to its fantasies about
the next huge thrill, its fears of Suicide Tuesday. Keep creating.
As you persist, your brain will eventually yield to the state psychologists
call mindfulness. Your emotions will calm, even if you're physically and
mentally active. You won't notice happiness when it first appears, because in
true presence, the mind's frantic searching stops. In its place arises a
fascination with what's occurring here and now. Though this feeling is subtle,
it's the opposite of dull. It's infinitely varied and exquisite.
The aftermath of a creative surge, especially one that involves a new skill, is
a sense of accomplishment and increased self-efficacy—which psychologists
recognize as an important counter to depression. Instead of a Suicide Tuesday
crash, you're left with the happy fatigue of someone who is building strength.
Pay attention to this process, and you'll see that the motivation to be here
now will gradually grow stronger than the cultural pressure to seek excitement.
You'll find yourself increasingly able to tune in to the delights of the
present even when you're not actively creating. When this happens, you'll be on
your way to genuine happiness: abundant, sustainable delight in the beautiful
moments of ordinary life. How to Find the Kind of Joy That Lasts
The connection between mindfulness is simple- if you do tasks mindfully you may develop a flow experience. The bottom line is that it’s important to make, create and have mindful flow experiences. Everyone’s had them at some point, but as noted above, Covid has certainly taxed our ability to achieve them.
Every Wednesday is “Take a Break” day on this blog, whose intention is to help increase the chances you’ll experience a flow state/mindfulness. Check out the Take a Break Pinterest Board. You can literally do something different every day for over a year.
Read more on this topic
• 11 Activities and Exercises to Induce aFlow State from Positive Psychology
• Mindfulness and Chronic Disease
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