Have you ever gotten so beautifully and intensely absorbed in an ‘action’ that time ceased to exist? You look up from the task at hand and two, three or more hours have mysteriously passed without your being aware of it?
Welcome to the State of Flow!
Flow is a mental state that emerges when a person is so fully involved and immersed in what he or she is doing that time ceases to exist and a feeling of energized focus flows.
A Rose by Any Other Name.
The state of Flow is also referred to by athletes as “being in the zone.” Practitioners of Eastern religions have spoken about “being at one with things.” Stock market operators describe the psychological state of flow on high volume trading days as being “in the pipe.” Other names include “optimal experience,” “feeling on a high,” and “being totally focused.”
The Flow Experience.
Flow is, in effect, a ‘trance’ state. And trance states are the very best states to be in to create, to see, to experience, to get lost in channeling the juices that will manifest your dreams into reality.
Flow is a space out of time and away from thought. To feel flow is to feel completely at one with what you are doing, to intuitively know that you are strong and, in this very special flow state, able to control your destiny. Flow is accompanied by feelings of great pleasure independent of the results.
One is IN Flow when one is truly IN the process.
Here are some tips for helping your flow trance state to show up a little more often as well as strengthening it!
Six Succulent Steps to Flow
1. No News is Good News
The creative part of you is more sensitive than you might realize. The negative stream that passes from the news desks across America to your heart and mind short circuits flow. Choose your news sources carefully. Avoid screaming anchors, short-sighted pundits, and anyone that promotes fear and intolerance.
2. Listen to Poetry
If you do enjoy having ‘sound’ on in the background, do listen to music. Music activates the same feel good part of the brain that food does. And for a real treat – try listening to poetry. (You can purchase great poetry on i-Tunes! Wow. What a world!!)
3. Creative Work Bench
Whatever your medium, be it collage, painting, writing, sewing, cooking, thinking great thoughts … have your ‘creative work bench’ standing ready. Designate an entire room or even a corner of a room as your very own ‘creative space’ and keep your tools open and ready to go. When the urge hits, you can let it ‘flow.’
4. Sacred and Spiritual Moments
Carve out time for creative acts and honor them. Keep those times sacred and separate! Do not stop to make phone calls or run an errand. Allow yourself to let go and fully give yourself to the activity, whether it is listening to music, reading a good book, writing poetry, or singing. Acknowledge the sacred and spiritual in these moments.
5. Aesthetics Matter
Nature is always (yes, always) awe-inspiring. If you can live in a beautiful place, do. And if you are city folk (as am I), a few houseplants on the windowsills does wonders. Every new leaf is a miracle.
6. Stand Ready for Creative Thought
When aHA moments happen, when creative thoughts bubble to the surface, write them down. We think we’ll remember them, but more often than not, they disappear into the ether. So, be prepared. Pens, pencils, pads in every room, in every bag. Maybe a mini-recorder in the car!
What can you add to this list that can activate your inner-flow?
Spread the word … NOT the icing!
Janice
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