Finding Things You Can Get Lost In to Add Color to Your Days (Part 1) - From Flow Theory -

Hello everyone!

Last time, I shared the importance of consciously creating positive emotions and time where you can truly feel that you are "alive."

Please make sure to cherish the time you create for yourself, by yourself.

In fact, these positive emotions are said to be the source of well-being.
This means that finding creative ways to experience positive emotions every day is key to enhancing your well-being.

This time, I would like to share some things you can do to gain positive emotions while explaining the theory of flow.

■ What is Flow?

Have you ever heard the term "flow"?
I feel like I have been seeing and hearing this word more often lately, but it is such a wonderful concept that I would be happy if you could take this opportunity to learn about it.

First, regarding "what flow is," it is...

“a state of being completely immersed in the activity right in front of you”.

For example, playing a musical instrument, creative activities, reading, or even office work.
A state where you forget yourself and the time, and are completely absorbed in what you are doing—this is flow.

The characteristics of experiencing flow include the following:

・In a flow state, thoughts and emotions do not exist
・Time feels faster or slower than it actually is
　⇒ Sensations like "Has it already been this long!" or "(Even though I did so much) it's still this early"
・After a flow state, you feel positive emotions such as exhilaration, enjoyment, satisfaction, increased self-esteem, and a sense of self-control

What do you think?
I imagine many of you can think of times when you have experienced this.

Experiencing flow detaches you from negative thoughts and emotions as well, so having even one activity you can get lost in will make your leisure time even more fulfilling.

Flow, which allows you to distance yourself from the negative and gain positive emotions after the activity, is truly an important concept for well-being.
※ As I mentioned last time, it is impossible to eliminate the negative entirely, so taking action to intentionally and consciously feel good emotions is important for well-being.

■ How to Experience Flow

Next, I will share some points for entering a flow state.

First, I would like you to be conscious of “clarifying the purpose of the activity” and “maintaining a good balance between challenge and skill”.

Please take a look at the diagram below.

This diagram shows how to tune into the channel for flow.

It is easy to imagine that while anxiety increases when things are too challenging, boredom arises when you keep repeating the same level of tasks even though your skills have improved.

The balance between challenge and skill is the key.

Let's consider soccer as an example here.

When a girl or boy, inspired by the Japanese national team, thinks, "I want to get better at soccer!" (this is the clarification of the activity goal), what should a beginner start with?

To become friends with the ball, practicing knee juggling might be a good start.
As you repeat the juggling practice, the number of times you can do it will gradually increase, and you will likely get a sense of success (this is a good state where you are focused on the activity and gaining positive emotions).

Now, what would happen if you were told, "Okay, next let's play in a match!" just as the number of knee juggles started to increase?

If you have only touched the ball with your knees, being told to play in a match would make you feel anxious, wouldn't it?

On the other hand, wouldn't you get bored if you were told, "Please continue practicing knee juggling for another three years"?

Considering the balance between challenge and skill, it would be better to gradually step up by adding juggling with the top of your foot, juggling with your head, and passing practice, in addition to the knees.

In this way, the presence of a coach, mentor, or guide/companion is important to grow while balancing challenge and skill little by little.

Since there will be times when things don't go well when you try to do something, it is good to be able to feel growth by receiving appropriate feedback on both good points and areas for improvement.

Having written this far, I am thinking that the concept of flow should be applied more to education and work settings, not just to sports and artistic activities as mentioned in the examples.

I feel the importance of maximizing each individual's potential by adjusting what should be done now and the next steps according to their state, providing positive feedback on their efforts and attitude when things go well, and thinking together and encouraging them to take the next step even when things do not go well.

Well, I have introduced the concept of flow this time, but Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, the proponent of flow theory, touches on many things that are as important as (or even more important than) the state of immersion in his book "Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience," so I would like to introduce them next time.

↓ Continue here! ↓