Flow state as a measure to prevent stress

"Flow can be defined as a state of self-forgetful immersion in an activity that fully absorbs the individual's attention and creates a sense of effortless and spontaneous control," according to Wikipedia (translation of Danish definition/entry.

It was professor of psychology Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, who, in the mid-1970s, presented the theory of the flow state where learning and task solving occur with positive focus and complete concentration.
Anyone can achieve the flow state, the state in which you become more efficient, can work for longer without tiring and have easier access to creativity and good ideas.

Businesses have an added advantage of focusing on flow, as it is the opposite state of stress. So, according to stress counselor Marianne Lassen, those who eliminate factors preventing employees from entering the flow state hold an efficient key to stress prevention.

"Flow is the state you may enter where you are 'high' on work, and where you feel comfortable handling the challenges you experience. You forget yourself, and time is flying.

It’s not possible to be in the flow state all the time. We also need to relate consciously and generally to what we do, for example when we need to create an overview of our tasks, attend meetings or seek help from a colleague.
But businesses can do well by striving for and encouraging their employees to disappear into a ‘carefree space’ that is conducive to accessing the flow state”, says Marianne Lassen.

Challenged and safe

Flow, like stress, is a state of intensity.
It is important that the individual employee can tell the difference between the desirable productive flow state and the stress stage, which breaks people down and leads to work-related ineffectiveness, finds Marianne Lassen.

"In the flow state, it is possible to be challenged and feel secure at the same time. You believe you can cut it.
In a stress state, challenges are felt as a strain that causes anxiety and insecurity.
When we are in flow, we are attentive and capable of being present with what is so that we may use it positively and constructively in our work. In the stress state, we lose track and focus only on ‘surviving’ in the short term.
The two states are essentially different, making it impossible to transition from the one state to the other. But somewhere in between, you’ll find a normal state of relative carefreeness from which the flow state may emerge if the needed room exists," says Marianne Lassen.

Four factors conducive of the flow state

Four factors need to be in place for a work environment to prevent stress and thus be conducive to the flow state, says Marianne Lassen.

1. Clarity of roles
If we do not know exactly the role we are meant to fill on the job, it prevents us from understanding how our work fits into the bigger picture and becomes meaningful to us. The lack of clarity may create uncertainty to the point that we start speculating and perhaps worry about how things fit together. This is both ineffective and can be very stressful," she says.

2. Feedback
When we receive feedback, we need feedback on what we do and who we are.
"If we don't receive clear feedback that what we do is good enough, and that we, as individuals, are good enough, we may start to feel doubt and begin guess-working instead.
Once we start filling the gaps ourselves, you can say that it is in our primitive instinct to 'smell danger'. We tend to start making guesses at worst-case scenarios, which makes us insecure and anxious," says Marianne Lassen.

3. Sociale relations
Human beings are essentially hypersocial herd mammals, she says.
"If we are to feel safe and happy in a working community, we must also feel valued.
It is a prerequisite for flow that the working atmosphere is not characterised by conflict, power struggles and poor collaboration," adds Marianne Lassen.

4. Alignment of expectations
Employees not having a clear understanding of their daily tasks in terms of time, quality, scope and resources risk becoming unsure about when their work efforts hit the mark.
"It’s a serious hindrance to the flow state if you cannot work with full confidence that you are doing exactly what’s expected of you," says Marianne Lassen.

How to enter the flow state

• Entering the flow state requires that nothing is troubling you or making you insecure.
• Check if there are circumstances affecting you in terms of role clarity, feedback, social relations and alignment of expectations.
• If your worries are relatively minor, try solving them or putting them aside – if you can.
• If there are major problems, do not concern yourself with the flow state before you have returned to a more ‘normal’ state.
• If you are felling relatively carefree, try tapping into the flow state by consciously starting to let go of thoughts circling around problems, tasks or whatever you were busy doing.
• Breathe deep into your stomach and exhale slowly. Do it three times.
• Use your senses without judging or assessing what you are sensing.
• Listen to the sounds around you. Are there any scents in the air? Feel your body, the chair you are sitting on and the ground under your feet.
• Create a state of being with what is – then go back to your task with the same present attentiveness.

Source: Stress Counselor Marianne Lassen