The Flow Approach Rather Than The Frozen Approach

There are many ways to live life. Some people aim to follow the flow approach rather than the frozen approach. They then aim to focus, finish and, as a by-product, sometimes find fulfilment.

The flow approach is different from people dealing with fears by going into fight or flight mode. At the same time, they may find that being able to flow can be a good way of channelling their fighting spirit.

Some people flow as a way of managing their own feelings. Some also recognise that many authoritarians, for example, aim to rule by fear and scare people into becoming frozen. Bearing this in mind, they instead choose to flow.

Many people aim to do their best in certain situations. They may be playing a sport, doing creative work, tackling a challenge or doing another activity. One approach is for them to focus on the following themes.

Flow

Different people do different things to go into a state of flow. Some make a conscious decision to take this approach. They then follow their chosen route for making this happen.

Some people have a positive attitude and prepare properly. They relax, breathe deeply and rehearse what they are going to do. Bearing in mind what they can control, they rehearse following the strategies most likely to achieve success.

Some people revisit their positive history and recall when they tackled a similar challenge successfully. They clarify the principles they followed and how they can follow similar principles – plus maybe add other skills – to take the present challenge.

Some maintain a sense of perspective. They see themselves as small in the great sweep of history. They do not see themselves as important but they recognise that their actions have consequences. They therefore try to do their best during their time on the planet.

Some people do things that give them positive energy. They may maintain a sense of gratitude and count their blessings. They may listen to music, repeat their chosen mantra or do other things that give them inspiration.

Kate Sweeny, a psychologist, believes that going into a flow state can help people during challenging times. Her work was described by Amanda Ripley in an article for the Washington Post.

Kate has researched how people manage their emotions during challenging events. They may be awaiting the results of a biopsy or be concerned about other difficulties.

The first step is for a person to focus on what they can control and do their best in the situation. This can vital but there may also times when they need to relax. Here is how Amanda describes Kate’s suggestion.

Distract yourself and go into a state of flow.

Get out of your head and into a state of flow, whether that means exercising, gardening, meditating, praying or painting.

“A lot of the battle is about making the time pass without being super miserable,” Sweeny says.

During the pandemic, people who were able to get into a state of flow seemed to be protected from many of the harms associated with isolation and quarantine.

Sometimes the best way to manage a risk you can’t control is to do something you can

This can provide a sense of purpose and also enable you to focus on things where you can achieve a sense of success.

Imagine that a person has followed their own approach to go into a state of flow. They may then move on to the next stage.

Focus

There are many ways that a person can focus their energies toward achieving a specific goal. One approach can be to clarify the What, Why, How, Who and When.

Bearing in mind what they can control in the situation, this involves exploring the following themes. They can then clarify and rehearse their strategy for working towards achieving the goal.

Imagine that a person has a clear focus regarding their action plan. Some people then take the following steps.

They rehearse following the strategies on the way towards achieving the goal;

They rehearse managing any potential challenges on the way towards achieving the goal;

They again rehearse following the strategies on the way towards achieving the goal.

Such a person may then take time to relax, rehearse what they are going to do next and follow their chosen ritual for moving into action. They then aim to take the next step.

Finish

Imagine that a person has moved into action. They may then aim to do fine work, find solutions to challenges and finish successfully. Sometimes, as a by-product, they may experiences a sense of fulfilment.

Such a person will aim to do fine work. Different people will do this in different ways. Some may build on their strengths, follow strategies that work and do their best to achieve success.

They may keep focusing on continuous improvement. They may aim: a) to build on what is working; b) to tackle the areas for improvement. They then aim to implement the ideas and get positive results.

They may also aim to find solutions to challenges. Buying time to think, they may aim: a) to clarify the real results to achieve; b) to clarify their potential options going forwards; c) to pursue their chosen and do their best to achieve success.

Great workers do their best to finish successfully. They do this whether they are running a counselling session, playing a sport, performing in a play, leading a team, vaccinating people against a virus or doing another activity.

Sometimes individuals, teams and organisations are tempted to declare victory too early. They become complacent, lose their sense of urgency or fall into bad habits. This can have negative consequences for themselves and other people.

Great workers bear this in mind and keep following good habits. They keep doing the basics and, when appropriate, add the brilliance. They never declare victory too early.  

There are many ways to behave in challenging situations. One approach is to flow rather than freeze. It is then to focus, do fine work and finish successfully. Sometimes, as a by-product, this can lead to a sense of fulfilment.

Looking ahead, can you think of specific situation where you may want to follow elements of this approach? How can you follow it in your own way? What may happen as a result of taking these steps?

If you wish, try tackling the exercise on this theme. This invites you to complete the following sentences.