In her reflection paper for the Well-being Week, one of my students this semester talked about how creative activities like drawing and painting are an essential part of her weekly well-being practices...she suggested that I talk about creativity in a future Well-Being Wednesday segment. So, creativity it is...but we are also going to look at the concept of "flow" and creative activities--among other things--can help us enter a flow state and contribute to greater levels of happiness and joy.

What the hell is "flow"?

According to PositivePsychology.com flow:

"captures the positive mental state of being completely absorbed, focused, and involved in your activities at a certain point in time, as well as deriving enjoyment from being engaged in that activity. Perhaps the Flow state, colloquially termed being ‘in the zone’, is best described by one of the participants interviewed in the earliest stages of ‘Flow research’ (Csikszentmihalyi and Csikszentmihalyi, 1988: 195):

"'My mind isn’t wandering. I am not thinking of something else. I am totally involved in what I am doing. My body feels good. I don’t seem to hear anything. The world seems to be cut off from me. I am less aware of myself and my problems.'

"Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, the positive psychologist credited with having popularized the concept of Flow, offers another definition for the mental state of being ‘in Flow’ in his interview with Wired magazine:

"'…being completely involved in an activity for its own sake. The ego falls away. Time flies. Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from the previous one, like playing jazz. Your whole being is involved, and you’re using your skills to the utmost.'"

Being engulfed in the moment, being present in the hear and now, without the chattering voice in your head offering unsolicited comments about you and your performance--have you experienced that "flow state"?

I get there sometimes when I'm engaged in home improvement projects that involves using power tools to build stuff...measuring, cutting, putting things together with nails, screws or wood dowels...it is gratifying, similar to the flow state I can enter when I am working on a new prep for a class or writing a paper for publication...those are creative processes that have put me "in flow" in the past.

For others, flow comes with painting, playing music, listening to music, sculpting, exercising, drawing, crafting...the avenues to "flow" are endless and invaluable...and there is research supporting its importance to our well-being.

What is one thing you can do this week to get into "flow"? Is there a creative activity in which you have engaged in the past that helps you to enter that flow state?

You are worth prioritizing in your busy schedules!