When you stop trying, it happens | The psychology of the flow state

What’s happening in our brain when we’re in the flow state? What does academic research say about it? Why is it so elusive? And, perhaps most interestingly, what can we do to achieve it? This video explores the psychology of flow.

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00:00 - Intro
03:28 - When I stopped trying
08:41 - The psychology behind flow
13:49 - The mystery of flow
17:31 - Achieving flow

#flow #taoism #wuwei

[melodiousdoc]

"it is not something to attain but rather something to allow "
You summed it up so well. Thank you !🎉

[Alexa-mfeq]

I just want to thank this channel for being there when I was in the lowest phase of my life. This year had been very tough for me.... I was preparing for an important exam... I had no job.. I used to see my friends progressing in their lives while my life had come to a stand still. It was too frustrating, spending my whole day studying at home and waiting for the results. This channel gave me the strength I needed to withstand this difficult situation... definitely saved me from falling into depression. My results are out now and I have topped the exam. I just wanted to share my story with you all and pray that whoever is struggling right now will definitely succeed. Just surrender everything to the universe and the universe will bring everything to you.

[adhiantos]

This concept may sound really absurd but I've experienced it many times! I realised that the more I try to control something to go my way (or a certain way), the more likely it won't go that way haha. But when we let the flow happen, I think it also helps us to improve our creativity and skill and challenge us to become more agile and tactile. In a spiritual PoV I think this has something to do with our attachment? Like the more we're attached to something, the more disappointed we can become (if we don't get it). But on the contrary, by not being attached we leave more space (and energy) to embrace things coming our way (and thus, enter flow together with them). Just my two cents :D

[sanki___pulkit]

The fact that nobody talks about the book whispers of manifestation on borlest speaks volumes about how people are stuck in a trance

[noxplay]

I felt like this after praying to God and meditating and not gonna lie, not caring about the outcome of anything and not desiring anything, that profound feeling literally made me break down into tears. The power of spirituality

[RockReynolds]

Interesting topic. What this video calls “stop trying”, I call “become calm”.
--- I can WILL myself, into “becoming calm”. It took decades for me to REALIZE that “becoming calm” and “remaining calm”, are the KEY to an enjoyable existence.
--- I’m 70-years-old. I have developed a profound understanding, that “challenging situations” are THE MOST IMPORTANT TIMES to remain “Calm”.

As a youth, I was a believer in “Trying Hard”.
--- If I only knew then, what I know now…….
--- As a youth, I equated “Trying Hard” to “being as tense as I could be”.
--- When I started Driving, I always clutched the steering wheel as tightly as I could, thinking that I was in “Highest Control” when I grabbed the tightest. Spoiler Alert: Man, was I WRONG!!!

My Life changed profoundly at age 35, when I started my 17 years of “Old Time Fiddle Lessons”.
--- I had “played” (if you wanna call it that) the fiddle for about 6 years PRIOR to the lessons. Just as in my youth, I grabbed the bow as tightly as I could, and moved my bowing arm as tightly as possible, worrying about every finger placement. Additionally I concentrated so intently on the “Mechanics”, I spent ZERO TIME listening to the SOUNDS I was making.
--- On my very first lesson, I “played” a tune, after which my newfound Instructor said harshly, “You’re doing everything WRONG.”
--- I never became a great Fiddle Player, but I vastly improved over the 17 years. I learned that “intensity” is NOT the “Solution”, but instead, the “Solution” is “CONTROL”. Further, “Control” is achieved with the “MINIMUM AMOUNT OF PHYSICAL STRENGTH”, NOT "the Maximum”.
--- The Fiddle Lessons taught me to Drive, grabbing the steering wheel as LIGHTLY as possible. The “muscle pains” in the middle of my back while I drove, DISAPPEARED after I switched to a “Light Grip” on the steering wheel.

CONCLUSION: What this Video calls “Stop Trying”, would more accurately be stated as “Stop Trying PHYSICALLY”, or, “CALM DOWN!!!”
--- Keep your mind ALERT and FOCUSED.
--- I found it somewhat challenging at first, to SEPARATE “Physical Calm” from “Mental Calm”.
--- A Tip for “Being Physically Calm” but “Mentally Focused”: TURN OFF YOUR CELL PHONE! At least, DESIGNATE TIME to yourself, when your Cell Phone does not Dominate your life. Let your friends know that you will be UNAVAILABLE at certain times, and DISCOVER how GLORIOUS existence can be, WITHOUT a Cell Phone.

Good Video.

[Erikkurilla]

The BIGGEST LIE You've Been Told About Money is that it doesn't grow on TREES!! 😆

[SUCCESSCHASERS]

Releasing the need to be perfect is what paradoxically often leads to perfection.
Thank you for another great video :)

[davedubuk]

As a computer programmer, I regularly drop effortlessly into a flow state. The part in the video about too hard > anxiety and too easy > boredom resonates very strongly - I experience this weaving in and out of the flow state many times during a typical day. The really interesting thing with this relatively extreme example of a flow state is the loss of perception of the passing of time - without exaggeration, many hours can pass in what feels like a few minutes...

[johnroman]

Don’t force anything - especially if u don’t want it. Flow with some thing u want, that will add value to your life ! .. great video dude once again 👏🏼👊

[LotoDhamma]

I like Ajahn Brahms saying ''Doing it is easy, thinking about it is the hard part.''

[ThisIsTori_]

There’s moments where I’m in flow then I all of a sudden think, “WOW IM REALLY FOCUSED AND DOING GREAT!” annnnd it, of course, pulls me out of it. Lol

[barnaclefelching]

This is just the truth, a hidden truth, an unknown known, a difficult yet easily achievable wonder, so paradoxical and so valuable. Thank you for communicating something seemingly uncommunicable so comprehensively. You are wonderful ❤️

[davidtollefson]

As a musician I understand the flow state. Constructed an entire song from scratch in two hours the other day without really thinking about it.

[mattisvov]

This channel's videos on Wu Wei, Daoism, and related topics honestly changed my life.

I am dealing with a host of mental issues, Autism being the least of them. For a long time, this meant I had a hard time dealing with everyday tasks such as cleaning, cooking etc. My home looked like, pardon the invective, shit. And living in a ugly, inefficient environment didn't do my mental state no favors.

Then I saw that video and contemplated Wu Wei. Ended up even buying a translation of Dao De Jing and Zuan ZI. And started cleaning, sorting, throwing away. Bought myself a drill so I could hang up some little hooks to hang stuff on. Biked to the recycling center daily for a while.
And now I live in a quite charming apartment. And have switched to a partly vegetarian diet that is both healthier, cheaper and tastier than the diet I had before. Also lost weight. Went from obese to what barely qualifies as a dad bod. That was never even a goal. it just happened.

TLDR:
Thanks.

[lukedavey]

I experience the flow state when I'm playing drums, guitar, bass guitar, dancing, playing any sport, playing my favourite video game, when I'm meditating, when I'm talking about spirituality to people, when I'm out in the garden doing heavy labor or when I'm doing a workout.
In a way, I kind of constantly strive for the flow state. This started from a very young age after experiencing that feeling playing football. As I got older I wanted to feel that in everything I do.

[zackh]

I think it's this: you can't activate the flow state. The flow state is about feeling the reality around you. The key word is feeling. Feel the action flowing. Know what they are knowing. Observe what they are showing. Forever feel it flowing.

[Afterfire]

Your driving example was something I can relate to. I enjoyed the ability to turn my overthinking off so much that Ive started driving competitively several years ago. I am constantly chasing the upper state of flow while on track, but most of the time it evades me due to external stimulations such as discussions before getting in the car, change of weather or vehicle condition. Other times, its things that have no relation to the event such as family or financial situations. Its difficult to turn a lot of those things off because I have an internal struggle with my inner-character fundamentally caring about those things. I have a hard time letting go and worry creeps in to my over-analytical mind. Still trying new things such as stimulation triggers for activating the flow state, slow-retreats into solitude before the events, training in every emotional state, etc. A couple years ago, your channel has helped me adopt a daoist philosophy which helped me, my family and everyone I come into contact with tremendously in all aspects of life. For that I want to say thank you. ♥

[Creative___Mind]

I've had this experience several times.

As a child, I used to love cycling. Angry, sad, happy, sick, I'd cycle all the same. I've got so much experience that now I can think of something else while cycling. I have muscle memory of sorts and navigating traffic doesn't even require effort as my mind very quickly and easily makes the decisions on what to do. No joke, I've cycled many kilometers while pondering on some conversation I had and reached my destination safely without being in danger of an accident once.

In a similar way, I had an exam this Feb and I hadn't studied at all till like 3 days before. So now I have sat down and just go, well, time to study. I don't think about anything else, there's nothing else occupying my time and attention, no other thoughts, just me and the topic in front of me that I need to study. I complete 2 chapters and decide to take a break. To my surprise, 3 hours have passed. I didn't even check my phone once, because I didn't need it while studying. I scored 97.5% in that exam.

So I would agree that the best way is to stop overthinking. Focus on the task and nothing else. If the flow comes, good, if not, oh well. Either way, you are going to do the task and you are going to do it as best as you can.

Like in case of writing, all I think about in that state is what is the next scene or what is the next piece of dialogue to be written. Before I know it, an hour has passed and I'm staring at 1000 words on the doc.

[melikbachmann]

The state of flow is taught to us primary school teachers in our education. It's challenging to provide instruction that gives all the children an optimal condition for growth, but it's definitely worth working towards it.