Getting Into the “State of Flow”

There’s this concept that I’m utterly fascinated with and ever since I’ve had my first ever conscious encounter with it, I’ve been striving to find my way back to. It’s called the “state of flow”. It’s this feeling you get when you spend time practising a favourite hobby, indulge into your artistic expressions, or just about doing any of your daily tasks slightly more focused and relaxed. It’s when you immerse yourself with your fullest dedication, attention and energy that you start to feel like you’re flowing within the task. Nothing seems impossible. Suddenly, something brings your attention back to reality. Hours have passed and you didn’t realize it. Your whole body and mind have been so aligned with whatever you’ve been doing that it just felt right and easy. And you kept going. The productivity is so high, the results are so good that once it’s over you can’t seem to comprehend where it all came from. You were so synchronized with the universal flow, that you unconsciously aligned with “the law of the least resistance”. Everything falls into place easily and successfully. It feels exceptional. 

How is this accomplished?

Getting into the flow might seem like the “impossible thing” once you first hear about it, simply because it’s borderline magical. The perception is that this process is very similar to experiencing a higher state of mind in meditation – yes, it can be that hard. However, if you’ve found a hobby or activity that engages your attention and you enjoy doing, you’re already a step ahead. Now you only need to lay out the foundation for your environment, because the state of flow requires a few particular predispositions. On the other hand, if you’ve managed to train your ability to focus and cut off distractions – it’s also a great way to start. Then you’ll just need an activity or engaging task to dive into. Either way, here are the steps a person needs to take in order to prepare their mind and body for entering this incredible new dimension of human capacity.

First: Silence the noise

The disturbance of the surroundings is certainly a factor when we’re getting some work done. First and foremost, you need a quiet environment. The more noisy it is around you, the more you will struggle to tune into your inner voice. The more the body and mind feel distress and alertness – the harder it is for a person to stay regulated and balanced. And this defines how well we can pay attention. If it’s not entirely quiet – the mind will keep wandering in and out of whatever you’re doing and whatever is going on around you. Putting some headphones on might help, but remember to play music without vocals or play some very subtle frequencies (or the so-called meditation music). Only a quiet mind can become a very focused one. A mind that has only one goal and task at this particular moment and keeps its attention on it for as long as possible. It should feed on the simple pleasure of doing something it enjoys, rather than focus on the results that might or might not follow.

The key difference between your “normal way” of practicing an activity and the “state of flow” is how well your mind can actually turn off the world outside, while doing it. You need to reach a state of focus so deep that the outside environment cannot bother you. At that certain point of time only this particular activity matters. There’s no thought of anything else, no stress, no worries, no hyperactivity, no hundred opened “tabs” for what-to-do-next. There’s only one focus and goal, and you’re so indulged into it, that a very particular subtle pleasure accompanies this activity. This feels enough and it is enough. The body and mind are aligned at this very moment. Nothing is more important than preserving this flow. 

Second: A body in good shape – calm, but energetic

Having a healthy body does not always mean lean muscles, exercising twice a day and doing a hundred crunches without taking rest. Although the latter might point out that you have a strong body, being healthy means much more than that. It’s a fine balance between feeling energetic enough to know you can climb a mountain right now and giving yourself the needed rest when you feel like the mountain can wait. The second one is especially hard for people that do various sports, love the dynamics of movement and have a hard time to say “No” or hear the body when it’s time to rest.

In order to go into and keep the state of flow, the body needs to have the energy to go all in and indulge into the activity, as much as it needs to have the stability and endurance to stay in that flow. Because if we’re easily getting tired – even the most inspiring moment and a mind that’s overwhelmed with passion and joy cannot keep the body “awake” for too long. On the other hand, if the body is not in balance and is hungry for some movement, or actually hungry (I’m not the biggest fan of dieting – you don’t need that stress), it will need to “get away” and try to get the thing it lacks. Especially if the task we’re currently focused on does not require movement, rather than is a more static, abstract, or related to idea generation, then we’ll feel the need to “escape” this stagnation and ”run for the hills”. It’s a fine balance – being as dynamic and in shape, but also preserving your energy for other tasks that require mind power.

Third: Letting go of expectations, and staying mindful of the process 

Most times if you’ve set yourself off to enter the state of flow, it might not happen. Simply because expectations can ruin an experience. Not only this one. As people who are trying to live adequately in this very intense world, we have the tendency to control stuff a little bit more than to trust how they’ll unfold. It’s completely normal and as it might actually serve us in our daily job, or routine, but sometimes pushing too hard, might do the opposite. No wonder it’s called a “flow” – it’s supposed to be light, easy, effortless, not “commanded”. What works best? Letting it be as it is. Letting it flourish and transform. Letting the task evolve and change. Letting yourself be mindful of the process, of your emotional state and maybe reactions to certain ways that might “not suit you”. It’s about observing your limitations and beliefs that might actually stop you rather than help you succeed, or even proceed. 

And what I believe is the most essential – try getting into the activity with joy and contentment. Try to awaken your inspiration and delight. Try to enjoy rather than expect a certain outcome. Do it with passion, with heart, with dedication and the “right” path will appear. Follow your instincts, listen to the inner voice, let yourself be spontaneous, respond to an impulse, act as if anything’s possible. All of this related to and focused on your task at the moment. Present and fully immersed as this experience of creation is all there is. This moment – here and now – with all its little imperfect details is the only moment that matters. You should be dedicating yourself fully to the task, but without creating this huge assumption it’s too important. It might sound a little bit controversial, but there’s a fine line where trust and lightness meet commitment and effort. That’s what you’re consciously looking for so it eventually becomes a part of your subconscious. 

A secret about the state of flow?

You can only access it once you surrender control.

Journal Prompts:

Ask yourself some questions to understand where this need to control and “be ahead of everything” comes from:

• Is it because deep down you feel insecure of your own ability to handle things unfolding differently?
• Is it your need to hold everything together in your own hands, because ”Trust” is not a concept in your personal dictionary?
• Is it because you’re not good at adapting quickly to changes?
• What does letting go of control mean to you? Does it feel like downfall, like “no way out”? 

Give yourself time to sit with those questions. Answer them as honestly as you can. No one is watching, nor judging you. Find your answers, then dig deeper on which qualities you might need to work on. But don’t get desperate if it seems too hard or too much. The only thing you need to do is one simple step. One action towards letting go and trusting the higher alignment. It might feel like you’re giving your power away, but the actual power is staying comfortable into the unknown. We’ll cover this in more detail in a separate post.

Can you fake it till you make it?

Absolutely! Make yourself feel it. Feel in flow. Feel how you let go. Meditate on the feeling of ease and lightness. Dream about accessing this state effortlessly. It’s a part of you as it is of anyone else. Don’t close yourself off to it. And as I mentioned earlier – don’t get too serious about it. Make it playful, make it fun. Practice the activity or hobby with ease and enjoy yourself while doing it. Even if you don’t feel like even starting, sometimes taking the first step is the hardest. Once you begin, the flow comes on its own. Suddenly, the energy of the experience amplifies, you feel more motivated to continue. There’s a desire to do more of it, just to feel more of the same dose of dopamine and maybe a little adrenaline.  You start feeding on your own actions, it’s really hard to explain, but it feels like you can conquer the world once you channel these emotions and energy into your task. Nothing can stop you.  And you just keep on going and creating. The productivity levels spike up, the work is flowing, you feel boosted and hyped. 

Last tip: Be as emotional and expressive in your daily life

You might be wondering how this is related to achieving a state of flow. Well, authenticity is the biggest driving force in life. I’m so stroked by its power and how much easier everything starts to feel once you start expressing your truest self. 

Disclaimer

Being authentic and being emotional can be two different things. It does not mean that you’re overly hyped by everything and expressing it makes you authentic. No. Being too aggressive, or too serious, or trying to appear too distant – everything at an extreme extent is most probably because of dysregulated emotions. What I mean is not being afraid to show how you feel, not faking it to make an impression. Finding authenticity is a long path, we’ll touch on separately, as it definitely deserves its own limelight.

“In the flow state, there’s no longer any separation between what you do and what you feel – everything flows into one another. The sense of time and self-doubt disappear. Space and time vanish.”

In addition, creativity thrives in love as much as it does in pain. I’ve long believed it is born ONLY when one is in pain, but I’ve proven myself wrong recently. There’s a way to tune in and sparkle the creative energy in the most joyful and emotionally high times, as well. However, it is a distinctive path. Accessing the creative desire, that’s birthed by positive emotions, requires a slightly different approach. First, you need to tune in to the frequency of gratitude. Appreciate what’s happening to you, how you feel, treat each little emotional spark as a small wonder. You need to let yourself feel inspired by love. And more particularly – inspired by the fact that you can share your deepest thoughts and still feel understood. Mutual understanding, togetherness and validation create a safe space for the soul to express and therefore – create. Because what’s a creative process actually? It’s the purest expression of the soul.

Yes, you need the right people for that. Unfortunately, sometimes it’s a long way to meet those people. But most times, we’ll have at least one close friend that we absolutely adore and share everything with, who makes us feel understood and not weird at all, in spite of our awkwardness or quirkiness.

Finally: Let yourself flow

Simple as that – create a cozy space for yourself, where you’ll feel comfortable and at ease. And just give it a go. Start small, no expectations, no pressure. Little by little, the process will unfold by itself. Lean in with trust and a calm mind. Open up to new possibilities. Tune into your soul’s cravings and pay attention to how you feel along the way. It’s a process, don’t push it. Simply enjoy and let yourself express and create freely.