Heroes Not Zombies

I first came across the use of the word “flow” in relation to well-being when I read the book of that name by the psychologist, Czikszentmihalyi. Since then, I’ve found it a useful concept, not only in relation to happiness, mood and thinking, but also in relation to the entire good functioning of the human being.

When all your billions of cells work in harmony (another good word when thinking about health) then there is an integrated, coherent flow of energy and co-ordinated activity throughout your entire being.

In my BE THE FLOW, I explore this concept with words and images. Here’s the section on flow itself….

FLOW

What do you think of when you think of “flow”?

Flow involves constant movement and change.

We say we are in the flow, when what we are doing goes well, feels effortless and even exciting. When a sportsperson is in the flow, they are performing at their best, running fastest, scoring goals, hitting balls far and accurately. When a musician is in the flow, they are making beautiful, or stimulating, or moving, music. When a dancer is in the flow, his or her movements are elegant, beautiful and awe inspiring.

We all have days when Life flows well. Those days, we feel good, we achieve what set out to achieve, we get what we wish for.

It takes effort, practice and skill to make performances seem easy, to make them flow.

Flow might be effortless but it is full of energy.

A fast flowing river is vigorous, energetic, powerful.

You can hear the sound of the water flowing over a waterfall echoing through the forest long before you catch sight of the falls themselves.

When we see clouds racing across the sky, blown by the high winds, we don’t say they are flowing, but we could. They are water, and they are moving, fast and far, apparently effortlessly. The clouds flow over the sky from one horizon to the other.

The low clouds flow down over the tops of the mountains, like liquid nitrogen spilling out of its container. They flow down the side of the mountain, enveloping it, swathing it, wrapping it up in soft, wet, white cloud.

Healthy living organisms exhibit the characteristics of flow. They have vitality and vigour. All their parts are working well together, communicating well with each other, working in harmony, or showing what is termed “coherence”. Everything is flowing in the same direction, without turbulence, and without stasis. The coherence of flow creates a distinguishable being. We can see and know its existence. We can distinguish it from its surroundings, just as we can name a river.

Flow also suggests direction. Usually something which is flowing is flowing somewhere…..towards some point. Flow pushes towards what is called the “far from equilibrium point”. It pushes at the boundaries, at the limits. And, in so doing, new phenomena appear. This novelty, this appearance of new behaviours or patterns is known as emergence. Flow is, therefore, the driving force behind creativity.

BE THE FLOW