FLOW

In positive psychology, Flow is one of the terms used to describe a joyful state of happiness.  Hopefully everyone has had this happen to them at least once as an adult and probably multiple times as a child, whether or not they remember.  When you are focused on something so deeply where you lose track of time, other noises, problems, etc... this is called Flow.  The focus can be in a sport, art, a meaningful talk with someone, spending quality time with your children, something that has a goal you want to reach for. In a sport it would be to have fun and win, art would be to finish or continue the project you are working on; some people lose focus of the world around them because they are just spending time with their loved ones, or perfecting something like an instrument. 


I relate the term Flow with a child.  Most children are quite happy, sure they have their bad days, but even as babies their Flow is going strong.  When a baby sees something and stares at it and holds it and plays with it for a long time, not noticing anything else because the child is so wrapped up in what this new exciting "thing" is.  Can you remember as a child playing with your friends tag, hide-and-seek, or playing pretend house?  And then all of a sudden your mom or dad calls for you because it's time to come in for dinner, or do homework, or something not as fun as what you were doing.  That's Flow. 


As adults, the Flow becomes harder to attain because there is so much going on in an adults life. Families, work, bills,  and cleaning (although some people find cleaning very enjoyable and could spend hours doing it).  This is why it is so important for adults to take time out of their normal day to day rituals and spend some time for themselves doing something they love.


Studies have shown that the more Flow you have, the better self-esteem you will have, the happier you will feel, and the better your life can be.  That is why most children are just happy, rowdy, hyper, kids.  They are in the Flow all the time.  Everything is so new to them and they are experiencing the wonderful Flow life has to offer.


I remember as a teen, my Flow was the computer game Sims.  I would spend HOURS UPON HOURS playing that game.  I didn't play for controlling the people and making them fall in love, I played to create and design the houses.  I would make these beautiful homes and landscape the front yard, and then I would look on the corner of my computer screen and see that it would be 3:00 in the morning and school started in four hours. As an adult, photography has been my Flow I have found.  Pure happiness, with forgetting the world around me, no stress involved.  It's just me and my camera.


Everyone has their own Flow and it's important to find it and use it.  Take the time, to spend Flow time to break up the stresses of the world and give yourself some deserved happiness.