October 1 - Flow

"Grow with your inner flow."

I have been listening to an audio book entitled "The Craving Mind". It has been very interesting to me as the essence of the book is about overcoming addictions and bad habits by being mindful. I have previously posted about mindful eating and some strategies to help with that. For me, this has been an ongoing struggle.

There is a section in the book about flow, which is essentially "being in the zone". We all have experienced flow. When you are so involved in something you look up from what you are doing and wonder where the time has gone, that is flow. Flow, like many things, if taken to far can also be addictive. For example, if someone continually puts them self into a harmful situation because of thrill or rush. Many other elements of flow are similar to meditation, which is a great mindfulness technique. According to the author of "The Craving Mind", the aspects of meditation that are similar to flow are "Concentration focused and grounded in the present moment. Subjective experience of a continuously unfolding 'present' moment. Intrinsic reward."

Practicing mindfulness helps to generate flow experiences directly.Here’s what you experience when you’re in a state of flow:

• You feel at one with the world. 
• You let go of your worries and problems. 
• You’re completely focused.
• You feel very satisfied with what you’re doing. 
• You’re happy, although you don’t really notice it at the time because you’re so engrossed in whatever you’re doing. 

By knowing when you’ve been in flow, you can encourage more opportunities to experience it in the future.

What activities do you engage in where you experience flow? (Examples - reading, exercising, drawing, playing an instrument, etc.) .

Days 288 - 298