I recently started an online parenting class about raising happy kids. The professor said something that I found particularly interesting. She encouraged the class participants to look for “flow” in your life. She explained “flow” as moments of engagement where time seems to stand still.
I decided to dive in a little deeper. The idea of “flow” comes from research in the 90’s by a Hungarian Psychologist, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. The main idea is that we can develop happiness in our lives by stretching our body & mind to its limits in an effort to accomplish something worthwhile. The idea of flow can be compared to an athlete being “in the zone.”
Complete engagement in an experience could occur while you are singing in a choir, dancing, playing cards, or reading. If you love your job, it could happen during a complicated procedure or when you close business deal. It may occur in a social interaction, when talking with a good friend, or while playing with a baby. Moments such as these provide flashes of intense living against the dull background of everyday life.
So this week I am going to attempt to achieve flow! Want to join me? I'll let you know how it goes.
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