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'Flow' Activities

B

beyondaurora

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This is in reference to Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's concept of 'flow'.

I am wondering during which activities you experience 'flow'.

Please read the following before posting to be sure you have a basic understanding of the requirements of a 'flow activity'.

How can I tell I'm in psychological flow?

If you experience most of these seven characteristics, you are probably in flow

* You have a feeling of oneness, even of ecstasy
* You feel completely involved and concentrated on whatever you are doing
* The task involves a strong challenge but you feel able to meet it
* You experience a wonderful sense of serenity
* Time does not pass in the usual way
* You sense that what you are doing is worth it for its own sake, not just for some end product
* You have a feeling of being in control

A few of my own 'flow' activities: 1) Practicing a foreign language, 2) Swimming (in a structured class), 3) Singing along to my favorite music, 4) Practicing a musical piece on flute/keyboard/voice, 5) Transcribing dictation (oddly, yes).
 

Amargith

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Dancing, singing, surfing online for knowledge, crafting jewelry, self-reflecting, working with animals, having a deep conversation with someone...
 

Fluffywolf

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Love(physical, not per se sex or I would have just said sex. But even a hug would do.)
stargazing/day-dreaming
driving
showering

Of the top of my head and in that order.
 

Salomé

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Riding. Hiking. Drawing. Listening to music. Writing (sometimes). Solving technical problems.
 

Tiltyred

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Music makes anything flow for me. I hate some aspects of my job with a purple passion, but if I put my headphones on, all of a sudden I get into a rhythm with the work and I start enjoying getting it done. The difference between music and no music is significant. So it doesn't matter the activity, what makes flow for me is music.
 

Mayflow

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Just being me.

The Universe itself is flow, you know?

It's built of the gemstones of ectsacy.

It's built upon the rights of the individuals

to be free and yet

all be a part of the holography

of everything ...
 
B

beyondaurora

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Music makes anything flow for me. I hate some aspects of my job with a purple passion, but if I put my headphones on, all of a sudden I get into a rhythm with the work and I start enjoying getting it done. The difference between music and no music is significant. So it doesn't matter the activity, what makes flow for me is music.

I definitely understand that. :yes: I'm lucky that I work at a ballet school, so there's classical piano in the background all day.
 

scantilyclad

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reading, trying to figure out anything, playing video games, listening to music, writing really long papers at the last minute.
 

Costrin

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Playing music, video games, and writing are the main ones.
 

Azseroffs

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Video games, music, sometimes while trying to figure out philosophies and even some complex math problems, basically when trying to figure out anything in general.
 

JAVO

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deep, intuitive conversations
landscape photography (related to all of the remaining items on this list)
hiking
experiencing nature, especially unspoiled wilderness
creative synthesis of possibilities
 

LucrativeSid

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Playing music, performing music, dancing, sweeping, mopping, researching, and writing.

Music makes anything flow for me. I hate some aspects of my job with a purple passion, but if I put my headphones on, all of a sudden I get into a rhythm with the work and I start enjoying getting it done. The difference between music and no music is significant. So it doesn't matter the activity, what makes flow for me is music.

I once went three days without listening to music as an experiment. After that, I realized that I'd rather sacrifice pretty much anything before sacrificing music. I hate working, but I'd rather work and listen to music than relax without it.
 

rhinosaur

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Whitewater kayaking
Surfing / bodysurfing

Stereotypical ISTP response I guess :p
 

Mole

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Sometimes I meet someone and we flow like water.

Othertimes I go to the bank and it is all dry and gritty.

But it is as though there is an underground river flowing within me.

The nicest thing is when I dip down into it and share it with you.

I try to share it with the bank clerk and the bus driver and the waiter, and it works just for a brief moment before they recover themselves, and we return to the nitty-gritty.

And then I make the mistake of trying to share a second moment with them, but forewarned is forearmed, and they easily fend me off.

The odd thing, quite odd, is that I lose all track of time and what may be an hour seems like five minutes - they say time flies when you are enjoying yourself.

So there is society around me that is alert to flow and fends me off.

But then there is also myself - I am well defended against flow - I consider all the dangers and limits around me for so long I don't have anytime to flow.

I think it is very nice when two people can flow together. They provide care and protection for one another - they reflect and validate one another - and together they are greater than the sum of the parts.

Game playing is a seductive impediment to flow.
Helping is also a seducive impediment to flow.
Ego defences are also an impediment to flow.

And after a while the flow can be blocked by the sediments of game playing, helping and defence of ego.

But flow is so delightful, all by itself, that it springs eternal - all we need to do is to listen - all we need to do is give it permission.

Lucy has openned a stall in front of my house. Lucy sits behind the stall which is embazoned with the words, "Permission Giver".

So I shyly approached Lucy and asked her for permission.

"What woud you like permission to do", she asked.

I said, "I would like permission to flow".

And Lucy said, "I give you permission".

- I could have kissed her.
 

MacGuffin

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Almost at nothing. I wonder at people who say they achieve it, I find it a very hard state to approach. They are extremely rare moments. Really, you all feel ecstasy? Really?

I have a thread on the subject at INTPc, though it's a bit old and didn't get going like I hoped.
 

Mole

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Almost at nothing. I wonder at people who say they achieve it, I find it a very hard state to approach. They are extremely rare moments. Really, you all feel ecstasy? Really?

Well, ecstasy means stepping outside the taken for granted.

And it is profoundly refreshing to leave oneself behind for a while and then return all anew.

Of course, you yourself MacGuffin, do this once every day when you fall asleep and wake refreshed.

It is just like falling asleep - but it's just that part of your mind remains awake, while the other part goes to sleep.

This is very easy to do and it can be elaborated.

So that you can learn to put specific parts of your mind to sleep, while waking up other parts of your mind.

And putting part of your mind to sleep while waking up another part is called a trance.

And trances come in all shapes and sizes and are created by a trance designer.
 

MacGuffin

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Well, ecstasy means stepping outside the taken for granted.

And it is profoundly refreshing to leave oneself behind for a while and then return all anew.

Of course, you yourself MacGuffin, do this once every day when you fall asleep and wake refreshed.

It is just like falling asleep - but it's just that part of your mind remains awake, while the other part goes to sleep.

This is very easy to do and it can be elaborated.

So that you can learn to put specific parts of your mind to sleep, while waking up other parts of your mind.

And putting part of your mind to sleep while waking up another part is called a trance.

And trances come in all shapes and sizes and are created by a trance designer.

Nope, I've experienced ecstasy. It's not that mundane.
 

Mole

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Nope, I've experienced ecstasy. It's not that mundane.

When one is unfamiliar with ecstasy, as you are MacGuffin, ecstasy will appear out of the ordinary - it will appear extraordinary.

But consider, you enter the hyonogogic trance twice a day as you fall asleep and as you awake. But you take it entirely for granted. You take it so much for granted, it has become invisible.

And I am sure you enter many other trances during the day, but they are invisible to you.

So when a trance finally becomes visible to you, you call it ecstasy. And of course it is not the slightest bit mundane to you, because it is so unfamiliar.
 
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