Flow (psychology)

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Flow in positive psychology, also known colloquially as being "in the zone" or focused, is the mental state in which a person performing some activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity. In essence, flow is characterized by the complete absorption in what one does, and a resulting transformation in one's sense of time. Flow is the bonding together of action and consciousness; the state of finding a balance between a skill and how challenging that task is. It requires a high level of concentration. Flow is used as a coping skill for stress and anxiety when productively pursuing a form of leisure that matches one's skill set. First presented in the 1975 book Beyond Boredom and Anxiety by the Hungarian-American psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi, the concept has been widely referred to across a variety of fields (and is particularly well recognized in occupational therapy). The flow state shares many characteristics...

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