Flow State: The Art of Escaping
In the Zone. Locked In. The flow state. If you have ever become so familiar with a task or a hobby that you escape into a zone where time seems to disappear, then you might know what it’s like to be in a “flow-like” state of being. If you’re older than 50 you’ve heard it as “In the groove”. In this place, you might even find you do your best work. Through repetition and passion, you have seamlessly integrated intention with physical execution. Your focus has lasered in on a single action and the need to be 100% consciously aware has lowered to allow for the effortless magic of your mastership to shine. It can feel good to get into this state, especially if you’re creating something artistic. What’s really happening to you deep inside? Could it actually be a form of mediation?
Well, yes! That’s basically what it can be for a person. Before you cringe at the word “meditation” and picture a group of hippies sniffing sage, just know that not all meditation happens on a mat. It’s far more accessible than that—it can even take place while tufting a rug at The Outrun Hour, surrounded by vibrant neon lights and cinematic synthwave beats (which, if you ask me, is pretty meditative in itself).
In the 1970’s, Psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi’s (muh·hay·lee chik·sent·mee·hai·ee) began researching flow and brought it to people’s attention, calling it “the secret to happiness”. Dr. C, we’ll call him, stated that within this “optimal experience” the creator feels “strong, alert, in effortless control, unselfconscious, and at the peak of their abilities.”
To help yourself stay in this flow, it’s important to:
Minimizing distractions to stay focused
Giving yourself ample time to fully immerse in the task
Breaking tasks into manageable steps and finding ways to make them enjoyable
For example, if you’re tufting a rug at The Outrun Hour, you might hinder your ability to relax into it by thinking about the entire process and the end result. Rather, try just focusing on the technique per each color of yarn you stitch into your canvas. Allow that steady, consistent motion to dampen the busy thoughts of dread as you remember all the tasks still left on your endless to-do list. They’ll still be there waiting for you…take time for self care. (I’ll be writing more about self care in a future blog so stay tuned for that).
We can become so sucked into our doom scrolling and endless binge watching that we drain our dopamine and waste away our precious time. If you’re going to use your waking hours to suspend ourselves in a space outside of reality, why not do it in a healthy way that raises our confidence and creates something meaningful to you? Take a chance on yourself. Create your own joy.
