People are said to be happiest when they are in a state of #flow. But what does that mean? Flow is a state where you are completely absorbed in a meaningful activity, that challenges your abilities, especially your creative ones. It’s an optimal experience during which you feel strong, alert, in effortless control, unselfconscious, and at the peak of their abilities. So watching TV does not count. In fact, it is proven to produce some of the lowest levels of happiness. Flow-producing activities could include active leisure, but they usually require an initial investment of attention before they become enjoyable. So to it’s important to do some thinking. Find your flow and cultivate it.
#Psychologist #Csíkszentmihályi has identified 10 experiences that go with the state of being in flow, and these could help you identify yours:
1.Having a clear understanding of what you want to achieve.
2.Being able to concentrate for a sustained period of time.
3.Losing the feeling of consciousness of one's self.
4.Finding that time passes quickly.
5.Getting direct and immediate feedback.
6.Experiencing a balance between your ability levels, and the challenge.
7.Having a sense of personal control over the situation.
8.Feeling that the activity is intrinsically rewarding.
9.Lacking awareness of bodily needs.
10. Being completely absorbed in the activity itself.
Remember that all of these factors and experiences don't necessarily have to be in place for flow to happen. But you're likely to experience many of them when flow occurs.
Csíkszentmihályi has also identified 3 things that must be present if you want to enter a state of flow:
1.Goals – #Goals add motivation and structure to what you're doing. Whether you're learning a new piece of music or creating a presentation, you must be working towards a goal to experience flow.
2.Balance – There must be a good #balance between your perceived skill and the perceived challenge of the task. If one of these weighs more heavily than the other, flow probably won't occur.
3.Feedback – You must have clear, immediate #feedback, so that you can make changes and improve your performance. This can be feedback from other people, or the awareness that you're making progress with the task.
