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Getting Better – Mental Flow And Its Many Benefits

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Mental flow is a concept used in psychology to describe a state of rapture when someone is immersed so deeply in an activity that he or she experiences single-mindedness in a freeing manner. The good news is that flow is more than just a concept. It can also be turned into a tool that serves you to achieve your goals and become better. It is also useful to alleviate the symptoms of stress and anxiety.

An ally against negative thinking

Some experts compare flow with a feeling of complete happiness in which any negative thought is eliminated for the duration of the experience. Flow can help you in your work by allowing you to focus on what you are doing without any negativity trying to nip at your state of mind all the time.

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In a state of flow, your mind doesn’t wander and doesn’t become a victim to negative thinking related to any inadequacy you might think you have in regards to how you must finish your task. Without these enemies at the gate, you can happily concentrate on the task at hand and without any suffering.

A tool for improving performance

Your creativity needs to be free to reach its potential, and when you experience flow, you are bound to release it and let it roam as it desires. There are no obstacles, imagined or not, and there are no worries related to your activity. At the workplace and whenever you are in a creative mood, flow can help you improve your performance and get better at what you do.

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Flow and skill

To achieve flow in any type of activity, it helps you tremendously to master that skill. The level of your abilities influences how you experience flow, and that’s a great motivation to achieve mastery in the type of activity you want to get involved.

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You will enjoy everything you do

Flow is a concept for psychologists to analyze, but regular people can enjoy its benefits without having to delve entirely into such an analysis. What you should remember – and could also motivate you to achieve flow is that this state of mind will make everything you do enjoyable.

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If you feel yourself bogged down when you must work or even create something you love, that’s what flow can help you with. Together with the ability to unlock your creativity, it is what makes you not only better at what you do, but also happier in the process.

Flow against stress

Stress is something that affects everyone to some degree today. Many people choose to meditate to alleviate stress and its symptoms, and it’s definitely a suitable path to get rid of its back effects. However, if you are an active person who prefers to do something instead of opting for a passive experience, you will find that flow is the opposite of stress. When you experience flow, you are in a state of mind that doesn’t allow stress to exist.

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You do, you create, and you are involved in an activity you love when flow happens. While stressors around you try to pull you down, flow pulls you up. When in flow, you can experience the highest moments of your life and pure happiness.

You face life with renewed strength

Flow can also give you something else: confidence. Life throws challenges at you all the time, and under their burden, you may feel overwhelmed. With flow on your side, you will find life challenges much more manageable, and, as you conquer them, you will achieve confidence, as well. You can also consult other materials I enjoyed reading about this topic so that you can see for yourself what flow can do for you.

Photo by Brooke Lark