Flow meaning: What is flow and how do you achieve it?

Flow is a state in which you become joyful about what you are working on, have good concentration and little self-awareness of what can happen when you are engaged in a task[1].

What is flow?

Flow and hypnosis are often confused. For example, the hypnotic state can be achieved while driving, and flow is also something you can achieve while driving. In addition, the state of hypnosis is something that can be measured with EEG devices and that is not quite clear in the case of the state of flow.

When you get into hypnosis while driving you sometimes notice that you are suddenly somewhere and may feel like you just haven't been paying attention for a while. That's not what was going on, but you were briefly in a hypnotic state from driving. Doesn't matter, because you are still paying attention and if something had happened you really would have hit the brakes or made adjustments.

When you get into the flow of driving, it makes you very happy and you enjoy taking corners, for example. This is a state you can achieve if, for example, you enjoy driving in the mountains or taking a stretch of autobahn with no speed limit.

Flow also boosts your self-confidence and optimism and gives you the feeling that you’re engaged in something that just keeps going.

Not every activity is one that puts you in a state of flow. You need a clear goal, immediate feedback (such as those positive feelings), and there must be a good balance between the challenge and your strengths. When it comes to flow, short-term stress is sometimes even necessary to get into the flow. The trigger can be that initial bit of stress about the challenge you’re taking on, and once you get the feedback that you’re going to succeed—once you get the feeling that you can do this—you can quickly get into the flow.

The challenge can be both physical and mental. This is also why you might sometimes find yourself entering a state of flow while exercising or during activities such as gaming[2].

Characteristics of people who get into the flow quickly

It's useful if you get into the flow quickly for work, for example, especially if you enjoy it, or for your sports performance. But what are characteristics of people who get into flow relatively quickly?

In any case, what doesn't help is if you are neurotic, then it is actually harder for you to get into the flow. Are you someone who is meticulous and likes to keep appointments? Then there is a higher chance that you are someone who gets into the flow. There is a correlation between flow and conscientiousness. The best translation for this English word is that you are conscientious.

You don't have to have a high IQ to get into the flow faster, either. Whether you have a very low or very high IQ, your chances of getting into flow are just as high. It depends more on your personality than on how smart you are (source 1).

Other research also shows that getting into the flow is something that can run in your family. So it may even depend a bit on your genes[3].

In a study of gamers, people who can get into mental flow, it was found that people who get into mental flow through gaming often have a need to learn something, a need for competition and little need for activity[4].

Among musicians, flow is also something that can occur. In a study of pianists, it was found that the amount the pianists practiced daily and the level of their EQ (Emotional Smartness) was predictive of the ability to get into flow while playing the piano. Flow did not determine whether one pianist was better than another pianist[5].

Getting help to get into the flow

There are certain circumstances when it is helpful to get help to get into the flow. Such as when you find that your work or business is stalling a bit, when you are a musician but can't seem to enjoy performing, or when you want to achieve better athletic performance.

Help for work flow

For getting work flow, it can sometimes be helpful to spar with someone about your qualities and the work you do. After all, if there is no challenge in your work, it can cause you to not achieve that flow state. So then you may need to think of something that will make your work more challenging.

For example, you see with monotonous work, such as work at the cash register, it can be a challenge for some cashiers to scan faster than you can pack. Such a challenge can ensure that even if you are behind the cash register, you can still get into the flow by setting yourself a challenge.

But you probably have a little trickier work than that and need other tips and tricks to get into the flow. In that case, a coach with knowledge of hypnotherapy can also help.

Hypnosis can trigger the flow state, which then puts you back on an upward spiral[6]. A good therapist gives you a goal to strive for—one that motivates you to do your best.

In addition, hypnosis also allows you to review what it felt like to be in flow. You can retrieve that memory and make sure you experience this feeling of flow in your body again. Then this feeling can be anchored so that you can trigger the state when you get to work, for example. How cool is that?

One way to set a goal for your work is to perform a progression. Instead of stepping into the past, you then step into your future. At least into what you want that future to be. Then, each time in your mind, you step back one step at a time. The hypnotherapist will help you with this and before you know it you will have a very achievable plan in your mind with a goal to strive for.

Having a clear goal that is achievable but challenging can help you get into the flow.

Help for sports flow

In addition to working with a fine flow, it is also helpful to be able to exercise in a flow. For example, if you are running a marathon, it is very helpful to feel that flow so you can keep going nicely.

But even in shorter sports, such as boxing, tennis, soccer or sprinting, being able to reach the flow state is important to achieve good results.

Athletes can use high-performance hypnosis for this purpose. This helps athletes enter a state of flow during a competition. Research among golfers, for example, shows that this helps them feel more confident, be more relaxed, and gives them a greater sense of control . In addition, their golf performance improved[7]. It has also been shown that sports hypnosis helps badminton players enter a state of flow and improve their performance[8].

Being able to trigger that flow state at the right time is also important for many athletes. Therefore, not only classical hypnotherapy is used, but also waking hypnosis which is a more active form of hypnosis and self-hypnosis. Thereby, post-hypnotic suggestion is also important to trigger the flow state at the right time. Research on Olympic athletes shows that sports hypnosis is important to achieve peak performance[9].

For example, you can get the post hypnotic suggestion that when you make a certain movement or enter the sports field, you get into the flow.

Help for music flow

For musicians, stage fright can be a very annoying fear. You get into the flow just fine when you're enjoying playing at home, but when you have to do it in front of a group of people the fear suddenly hits you.

In such cases, hypnosis can also offer a solution—for example, to overcome stage fright. This can be done in combination with EMDR therapy, but it can also be achieved with hypnosis alone.

And just as with sports hypnosis, musicians can also receive suggestions that help them get into the flow before a performance.

Flow, then, is a very convenient state for having fun and energy about something. Generally, you then work toward a goal and your abilities are just good enough to win the challenge. You can get into mental flow from certain activities and you can get into sports flow. It just depends on what you like. Personality traits and family members who get into the flow easily predict whether you will reach that state with ease.

Hypnosis can help you get into the flow state, whether for work, sports or music.

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