Flow is an experience of total absorption in the task at hand, where you completely lose track of time and space. Researchers, like Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, have discovered that flow is the best predictor of well-being. The more often you are in a flow state, the more enjoyable your life experience will be.
But all flow is not created equally. Sometimes our experience of flow doesn't lead to more meaning and satisfaction. Sometimes when we come out of a flow state we still feel stuck and empty. This type of flow is known as junk flow. Junk flow happens when the superficial experience of initial flow becomes an addiction instead of a source of growth.
Adam Grant has developed a theory of peak flow. In this theory, he explains the three things required to experience healthy, peak flow instead of junk flow. The three things we need for peak flow are mastery, mindfulness, and mattering. This episode talks about these three things and provides examples to help us discover how to identify junk flow versus peak flow. We'll learn how to adjust our activities to bring in more mastery, mindfulness, and mattering so that we can experience peak flow more often.
Links and Resources from this Episode
Episode 28 - Learning how to move from languishing to flourishing
Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Adam Grant's TED Talk: How to Stop Languishing and Start Finding Flow
More ideas to help you move from languishing to flourishing at www.WorkingMomsBalance.com
Find me on Instagram at @TracyKulwicki
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