If you ever feel completely absorbed in something, you may be experiencing a mental state that in psychoanalysis is defined as "flow" Achieving this state can help people feel more pleasure, energy, and involvement.

In dictionaries, we can have the meanings below for the word "flow":

• 1. to run, flow, or slide in a liquid state; to gush or flow: the water flows toward the mouth;
• 2. to pass or pass without great difficulty; to travel or circulate easily: the months flowed by quickly;
• 3. occur or leave naturally: the flow of emotions.

Difference between flow and fruition

"Flow" is a word that can be applied in several sentences with different meanings, as can be seen above. The word "enjoy," on the other hand, can cause confusion between the two. In the dictionary, enjoy means: "action of using or using; possessing or having; act of enjoying, enjoying, disposing, or taking advantage of.

Flow and flow

Have you ever been so involved in what you are doing that you lose track of time? This can happen while you are at the gym, when you are writing, or playing a musical instrument.

You go to work with your head down and hours have passed when you got up, skipped lunch and found 3 unanswered calls on your cell phone. There is nothing more to those minutes or hours than what you are doing.

Without distractions, you just do it. If you identify with it, you have flowed and experienced the Flow State! Many characters have talked about it throughout history, from the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius to Elon Musk. Businessmen, musicians, writers, artists, but also athletes, doctors...

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

Thanks to his studies, the Flow and Fluid Theory began to be recognized in psychology in the 1970's. And then it found application in the most diverse fields such as sports, spirituality, education, and our beloved creativity.

We can say that it is a particular mental condition, in which time seems to stop. Moreover, the concentration is so great that we almost lose our perception of what is happening around us.

What is flow?

First, we are 100% immersed in what we are doing, and then we experience a high and intense level of concentration. Time passes quickly without us noticing, so much so that it almost seems to have stopped. While we are in the present moment, it is almost as if we were somewhere else.

Each movement or thought flows into the next without difficulty. And with that, mental or physical fatigue disappears, even if we are engaged in something very challenging.

As a result, we feel a state that we could define as ecstasy. And in those moments we know exactly what we want to do. Moreover, doubts disappear and make room for clarity from within.

Functions

However difficult they may be, our projects suddenly seem feasible to us and we are more focused on pursuing them. We could compare it to a state of drunkenness in a sense, when we forget ourselves and let go more easily.

We also feel a sense of belonging and intrinsic motivation, because we feel that we are part of something bigger and at the same time we know that what we do is worth doing, because we will get personal gratification.

Our brain needs to decide from time to time what it wants to focus its attention and energy on. When you are in a flow state, this just happens. We are so immersed in the action that, almost without realizing it, we miss what we classify as a distraction at that moment.

Attention of the brain in the process of flowing

All attention is focused on a single process and there is nothing else to do. With this state we decide to turn off our judgment, and therefore the critical voice in our head disappears.

This finally makes us free to create and experiment. And all this is addictive, of course, because it makes us feel so good.

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Therefore, those who experience these sensations tend to want to experience them more and more. And try to stay in this "area" as long as possible, that is:

• drawing;
• reciting;
• composing;
• exercising.

Hence this psychophysical state of total well-being that makes us happy and satisfied.

How do you reach the flow state?

It is not so easy and immediate to find yourself in this mental condition. And so there is no magic formula that works for everyone. It takes patience, training, and a suitable environment.

First of all, we should be focused on doing an activity that engages us emotionally and physically. Also, one that satisfies us and is not too easy for us. If the first assumptions are fairly obvious, the last point will be important enough.

Yes, because if the process in which we are involved doesn't require much effort and presents no particular difficulties, we will feel bored and apathy. On the other hand, if our goal is beyond our means, we will not feel well. Consequently, we will feel anxiety, worry and frustration.

There are two ways:

• We lower the level of the challenge by putting micro-challenges within our reach, increasing the difficulty from time to time. We decide to run 5 minutes longer than the last workout or read 10 pages beyond the goal. If we are new to the activity in question, it is more reasonable to set a minimum achievable goal than to immediately expect too much of ourselves.
• We increase our skills so that our preparation is adequate for the activity, so we simply study everything related to the theme of the challenge ahead to be as prepared as possible and to eliminate fears and uncertainties. By doing this we will feel the thrill of having new experiences.

Flow: reflection

If we reflect on it, flow is a condition that we pursue almost all the time in our lives. Even without knowing what it is, we are in search of a job that satisfies us or a sport that allows us to be fit while having fun.

It is part of us this continuous attempt to fill the time with pleasant appointments. With the hope that the hands will slow down a bit in the meantime, but then the exact opposite happens, they speed up!

We can't just do what we like, of course, duties and responsibilities are between our ideal day and everyday reality. The intention, however, is to be in the flow for as long as possible.

Final considerations

Finally, you have probably experienced some situation of flowing and entering into a completely different state of mind than usual. Surely, you have done something with great ease and had full satisfaction.

So, knowing the meaning of flow in psychoanalysis, you can start a new stage and understand the meaning of other relationships. Learn more about our Psychoanalysis course. And seek to know the psychic meanings of possible situations you have experienced!