What is the Flow State and How to Find It

We’ve all experienced what it’s like to be bored, when the task at hand is well below your abilities, and we’ve all experienced what it’s like to be extremely challenged, when the task at hand far surpasses our current abilities. But there is a place between the two where there is a perfect balance between the challenge difficulty and our current abilities. This is called flow.

What is Flow?

Flow is a psychological state you can achieve when the difficulty of a challenge is properly balanced with your current skills and abilities. This balance creates a convergence between action and awareness, an absence of self-consciousness, and an altered sense of time. It is the ultimate mental state to attain as, when in it, there is no gap between action and reaction and no doubt or anxious thought. However, reaching a flow state is difficult for even seasoned athletes to achieve as it requires full immersion into the task at hand with high energy focus, total involvement, and being fully present.

How to Find the Flow State

This state is best reached when you are whole heartedly doing the task for intrinsic purposes, meaning you are doing it out of enjoyment and interest rather than for receiving a reward or praise. The flow state is not “one-size-fits-all,” and anyone can achieve it at any level of challenge or abilities. It is the balance between the two that creates a flow state. The beauty of it is that once your abilities catch up to the level of difficulty, you must increase the difficulty to re-enter the flow state. This creates upward progress in your abilities while still maintaining the same level of enjoyment in the activity. If the task is too difficult for your abilities, you will experience stress and anxiety. If the task is too low of difficulty, you will be bored and tired. Finding and maintaining the right balance is the key.