The Flow effect.

Hey everyone <3 It's Atticus and I wanted to talk a bit about the Flow state of mind. I first learned about this many years ago from watching a bunch of productivity YouTubers that I really enjoyed and I will link the sources that I used to write this forum post below so that you can check out these awesome videos!

What is Flow?

The "Flow" state of mind is basically a mental state where we find ourselves extremely focused on something and it leads us to an enjoyable experience!

What's the history of flow/studies?

So Flow was actually discovered by the Hungarian psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi who wrote the book "Flow" in 1990. He describes the Flow state of being "in the zone" while working on things that you are passionate about. This can be seen with professions that focus on high-intensity activities such as athletes. When athletes engage in their sport, they tend to lose track of time and all focus is dedicated to the present moment. Studies showed that the Flow state was reached when people were engaged in meaningful and challenging work.

How can I apply Flow to my studies/school?

The study of the Flow state has also taught us that this concept can be applied to school and work related tasks! When we feel unmotivated to work or feel anxious about work, it might help to try and achieve something at least close to the flow state of mind

A simple way to do this is to make work "fun" or like a game for you. Games are both challenging and require some level of concentration, which helps them fit perfectly as a flow activity. For me, I like to make it a game for how long I can study for each day and compete with myself.

Studies conducted on flow also showed that most work that was done at the Flow state was work that required intrinsic motivation to complete. Intrinsic motivation is motivation acquired through personal wants and goals; not extrinsic or external motivations such as grades or money. Wanting to actually succeed in what you're working on (or at least convincing yourself) can help with achieving the Flow state or mind.

Lastly, studies done on flow suggested that the Flow state was achieved with intense concentration. This meant that there were likely no distractions around the person working and nothing to divert their attention away from what they were focusing on. A simple way to apply this with school is to put away your phone or shut off the TV to concentrate on what you're working on!

How can I apply Flow to my Mental Health?

The book Flow also describes applying Flow to achieving a happier life. Csikszentmihalyi talks about applying the Flow concept to dedicating more time to meaningful and engaging projects in life and looking forward to these projects to feel more excited about life in general.

Discussion questions on Flow

When have you felt like you have been in a state of flow?

What are some ways you think you can implement the flow effect to your own life?

What is your favorite quote and why?

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