Mason Lambert Lambert 1
Mr. Snell In the Flow of Things
Humanities
5/2/2014
Many people live their lives in a constant cycle of goals and achievements, sometimes working too hard, or not enough. Living that kind of lifestyle is very unhealthy for the human mind. One way to keep yourself mentally healthy is to engage in Flow activity. Flow is something you experience while doing an activity that gets you in the zone. In fact,the article “Flow: Becoming More Engaged” says that “you typically are engaged in flow when doing an activity that is not too challenging, but not too easy.” The whole basis of using flow is to engage yourself in an activity that makes you happy and keeps you focused. When you are engaged in flow, your mind gets a high in your pleasure centers, causing you to want to repeat the activity (Csikszentmihalyi). Flow is in anything from hiking to playing video games.
You may be wondering how flow activity relates to happiness. Research shows the when you take part in flow activity, your brain releases dopamines that make you happy. (Csikszentmihalyi) If you are depressed or have depressive disorders, it may be a good idea to find an activity that you experience flow in. If you enjoy writing, write. If you enjoy playing video games and guitar like me, then maybe that’s what you should do. Just because someone else doesn’t like your flow activity doesn’t mean that you can’t do it, it just means that they won’t experience flow doing it.
I experience flow in my life through activities like playing guitar and League of Legends (A super “nerdy” MOBA game). Flow is something I’m very familiar with because when I’m doing anything competitive I get really into it and forget about everything else. Any
person can relate to experiencing flow in some way, even if they don’t realize they were experiencing it. Just take what you love doing and go with it! That’s what flow is.
"Flow: Becoming More Engaged." Harvard Health (2012): 21-24. Consumer Health Complete. Web. 5 May 2014.
Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly. Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. New York: Harper & Row, 1990. Print.
Mr. Snell In the Flow of Things
Humanities
5/2/2014
Many people live their lives in a constant cycle of goals and achievements, sometimes working too hard, or not enough. Living that kind of lifestyle is very unhealthy for the human mind. One way to keep yourself mentally healthy is to engage in Flow activity. Flow is something you experience while doing an activity that gets you in the zone. In fact,the article “Flow: Becoming More Engaged” says that “you typically are engaged in flow when doing an activity that is not too challenging, but not too easy.” The whole basis of using flow is to engage yourself in an activity that makes you happy and keeps you focused. When you are engaged in flow, your mind gets a high in your pleasure centers, causing you to want to repeat the activity (Csikszentmihalyi). Flow is in anything from hiking to playing video games.
You may be wondering how flow activity relates to happiness. Research shows the when you take part in flow activity, your brain releases dopamines that make you happy. (Csikszentmihalyi) If you are depressed or have depressive disorders, it may be a good idea to find an activity that you experience flow in. If you enjoy writing, write. If you enjoy playing video games and guitar like me, then maybe that’s what you should do. Just because someone else doesn’t like your flow activity doesn’t mean that you can’t do it, it just means that they won’t experience flow doing it.
I experience flow in my life through activities like playing guitar and League of Legends (A super “nerdy” MOBA game). Flow is something I’m very familiar with because when I’m doing anything competitive I get really into it and forget about everything else. Any
person can relate to experiencing flow in some way, even if they don’t realize they were experiencing it. Just take what you love doing and go with it! That’s what flow is.
"Flow: Becoming More Engaged." Harvard Health (2012): 21-24. Consumer Health Complete. Web. 5 May 2014.
Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly. Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. New York: Harper & Row, 1990. Print.