The Flow State

What it means to be fully in the moment

To be fully in the moment means to surrender to whatever is in the now. Acceptance and surrender to this moment means not fighting any situation. Leonard (1992) describes surrender as “seizing the day” not in an obsessive way, but in a slow path toward mastery. Fully immersed in the moment, athletes are more readily equipped to enter a flow state (Williams & Krane, 2015). Flow is defined as the state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter. In this flow state, we avoid overthinking, we act in total concentration at the task at hand, we lose self-consciousness, time speeds up or slows down, and activity is more enjoyable.

How to get in to the “zone”

“The zone” is when an individual’s mind is fully connected with achieving a goal, such as getting a hit, or stealing a base, the mind only processes thoughts and images that help the individual execute the task successfully (Clarkson, 2012). Getting in “the zone” requires total commitment to their game, mental toughness, concentration, and total involvement in the present moment without worry, doubt, or fear of results.

Time when individual is more likely to experience flow

Williams and Krane (2015) report athletes are more likely to experience flow when:

· They have appropriate focus

· Optimal mental and physical preparation

· Optimal motivation

· Optimal arousal

· Positive thoughts

· Positive emotions

· Confidence

· Positive feedback

· Good team play and interactions

· Optimal environmental and situational conditions

Why an individual would want to experience flow

There is some research that found significant associations between flow and peak performance in an athlete, but Schuler and Brunner (2009) report that flow experience was related to motivation, at least in marathon runners. Flow experience is indicative of an individual that is totally immersed in an activity, so it makes sense that it would promote intrinsic motivation. Schuler and Brunner (2009) stated that flow experience is phenomenologically, an intrinsically rewarding, positive experience. Flow is the involvement of the individual in the activity so deep that they are no longer aware that they are separate from the action which fosters an altered sense of time.

How we can cultivate a capacity to attend to, appreciate, and enhance positive experiences in an individual’s life

By adapting Biswas-Diener’s (2010) five axis of positive diagnostic system we can cultivate a capacity to attend to, appreciate, and enhance positive experiences. We ourselves can develop our capacity to enhance positive experiences too. We should strive to understand the individual’s strengths, interests, and resources to understand their capacities. We can do that through assessments (I.e., VIA strength test, self-report and interview, Strong Interest Inventory, and Resource Relevance Checklist).

What this has to do with reminiscing about the good ‘ole days

One study by Vanderlind et al. (2016) reported that positive memory recall can create positive emotion and can relate to positive affect except in individuals with a possible fear of positive emotions. Creating an optimistic outlook on past experiences can help foster positive emotions when we are older and less mobile. By remembering actions we take now, our future outlook could look sad and dreary or positive, optimistic, and hopeful. Only through those actions can we develop the “good” in good ‘ole days because we will be creating memories that are worth savoring.

References

Biswas-Diener, R. (2010). Practicing positive psychology coaching: Assessment, activities,

and strategies for success. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Clarkson, R. (2012). Understand the zone in sports. Sport Psychology Today.

www.sportpsychologytoday.com/youth-sports-psychology/understanding-the-zone-in-

sports/

Leonard, G. (1992). Mastery: The keys to success and long-term fulfillment. Penguin Books.

(Original work published in 1991).

Schuler, J., & Brunner, S. (2009). The rewarding effect of flow experience on performance in

a marathon race. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 10(1), 168-174.

https:doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport2008.07.001

Vanderlind, W. M., Stanton, C. H., Weinbrecht, A., Velkoff, E., & Joormann, J. (2016).

Remembering the good ole days: Fear of positive emotion relates to affect repair using

positive memories. Cognitive Therapy & Research, 41, 362-368.

https://.doi.org/10.1007/s10608-016-9775-z

Williams, J. M., & Krane, V. (2015). Applied sport psychology: Personal growth to peak

performance (7th ed.). McGraw-Hill.