What is the Flow State (and How Do You Train It)?

Jump to: The Benefits of the Flow State | How to Trigger Your Flow State | How to Train Your Flow State

In the past, discussing the flow state was limited to a small population of athletes, musicians, and scientists. However, in recent years, the concept has gained broader appeal as people have come to realize that it’s a very real phenomenon.

But what is flow state, and why should anyone care about it?

The “flow state” is a state of being that involves being fully absorbed in an activity. While in the flow state, people feel that everything else falls away, and they can be entirely focused on the task at hand for the sheer joy of it. 

While in a flow state, many feel a sense of euphoria and feel that time has sped up or slowed down. They may even lose track of what is happening around them. 

This state of flow is often referred to as “being in the zone.”

The neurology of flow states is still being revealed, but some things are certain: the flow state is very real and it can be trained and triggered. 

Our experts at Healium are here to walk you through the benefits of the flow state and how to use the flow state to your advantage.

The Benefits of Being in Flow

The flow state can have a profound effect on every area of one’s reality. While in flow, people are completely focused and present with the task at hand; they’re not thinking about anything else other than what they need to do at that moment.

This can be beneficial in many ways; this laser-like focus allows people to achieve optimal performance and produce their best work, and it can even improve the overall quality of their life. 

Here are what we consider to be the biggest benefits of being in flow:

– Enhanced happiness: When people are in a flow state, they are able to completely focus on the task at hand, allowing them to shut out intrusive thoughts about other things that may be stressing them out. 

This allows people to feel a sense of peace, joy, and happiness that can be hard to come by in day-to-day life.

– Increased intrinsic drive: While in a flow state, people often feel motivated to continue the activity they’re engaged in due to the sheer enjoyment that they’re getting from it. 

This intrinsic drive is much more powerful than external motivation, such as rewards or punishments, and it can lead to increased productivity and improved performance.

– Greater authenticity: Flow state allows people to be their authentic selves without any distractions. 

When people aren’t worrying about what others think of them or whether or not they’re good enough, they are able to just be distinctively themselves, which can lead to a far greater sense of fulfillment.

– Improved positive emotion: Being in a state of flow can lead to an enhanced sense of enjoyment. However, it can also lead to other positive emotions such as inspiration, love, and awe. 

When in a flow state, people may feel as though they are one with the universe and everything around them, which can lead to some pretty intense emotions.

– Improved productivity: The combination of increased focus, motivation, and emotional control allows people to be extremely productive while in flow. 

As a result, people can get more done in a shorter time and achieve better results.

– Boosted creativity: The flow state is often associated with spikes in creativity. People become less constrained by their usual thought patterns,  which makes thinking outside the box or considering new perspectives more feasible.

How to Trigger Your Flow State

As we’ve explained above, flow states can be highly impactful on the quality of our lives. However, if you’re unfamiliar with them, it can be hard to get into this powerful state of mind on purpose. 

We have found these to be the most common and accessible ways to intentionally trigger flow states in your own mind:

Concentrating Your Mind

The natural state of one’s mind is disorganized stream of consciousness, which is why focusing your mind is one of the most effective flow triggers. Activities that rely on intense focus on technique, rhythms, or pacing are oftentimes great triggers for flow. Think: oil painting or long-distance biking. There are many ways to train this, including meditation and mindfulness.

Setting Clear Objectives

This is true with many aspects of life, but especially so when you’re trying to trigger flow. Identifying precisely what you want to achieve makes it easy to break that goal into actionable steps. As mentioned above, when you have a pace or rhythm to follow, your mind is more focused and more likely to enter the flow state. 

Make sure your plan is specific and measurable so you can track your progress. This will lead you to a sense of control and mastery, which are both crucial factors in triggering flow states.

Remember to start with small habits and nourish them into larger ones as you continue to make progress.

Finding Your Challenges

To identify effective flow triggers, you need to find an activity that is challenging enough to engage all of your attention but not so challenging that it becomes overwhelming. This sweet spot is different for everyone, so experiment with various activities to find what works for you. This could be anything from playing a sport to working on a complex project at work.

Paying Attention to Your Body

Your body plays a significant role in triggering flow states. Make sure you are well-rested and have enough sleep and energy to take on the challenge at hand.

 Pay attention to your breathing and ensure that you aren’t holding your breath, as this can lead to anxiety and stress that can impede your flow state.

How Healium Helps You Train Your Flow State

Healium is a meditation app featuring meditation experiences for athletes and helps our users live happier, healthier lives through flow state training.

Our app uses EEG neurofeedback to track each of your brainwaves in real-time and provides feedback that enables our users to reach a state of deep relaxation. This feedback teaches users to control their stress responses and find a state of calm amidst the chaos of everyday life.

Healium also offers guided meditations and breathing exercises that can be customized to suit our users’ specific needs. This combination of features makes Healium an effective tool for managing stress, anxiety, and depression.  The added portability of Healium means you can meditate before or after you workout, give a presentation, or any tackle other application where triggering your flow state would be beneficial. Healium even helps users increase optimism, reduce worry, boost empathy, and improve sleep, 

Here’s how it works: 

Healium has been clinically validated to reduce stress levels in as little as 4 minutes. 

Conclusion

So, what is flow state? Simply put, it’s a mental state of complete and utter immersion in the task or activity you are currently involved in. 

With the right mindset and some practice, anyone can learn to enter the flow state and harness its power. By understanding what it is and how to achieve it, we can unlock our potential and perform at our best.

Consider Healium as a drugless aid to guide you back to your flow state.  Our meditative nature-based virtual reality experiences  make it easy and engaging to practice mindfulness and achieve flow. Small actions through consistency add up, and with more practice comes more control of your flow.

Download Healium today to relax and focus your mind!

About the Author

Sarah Hill, a former interactive TV news journalist at NBC, ABC, and CBS affiliates in Missouri, gained recognition for pioneering interactive news broadcasting using Google Hangouts. She is now the CEO of Healium, the world’s first biometrically powered VR/AR channel, helping those with stress, anxiety, insomnia, and other struggles through biofeedback storytelling. With patents, clinical validation, and over seven million views, she has reshaped the landscape of immersive media.