You may have heard the term, "get into the flow," which is when things just seem to click, but what is it really?
What is FLOW?
Flow is often described as our state of mind when we are so involved in an enjoyable activity that nothing else seems to matter. A good example is getting involved in a good novel. You block out everything around you and are fully engulfed in the story.
Flow is an enjoyable experience that we tend to "fall into" by accident, but what if we could create flow around every activity in our lives to create a series of enjoyable experiences every single day? What would your life look like? Work wouldn't be boring, tedious tasks would be fulfilling, and dreaded experiences could be, well, enjoyable.
How Can We Create Flow Everyday?
While it seems simple when it "just happens," creating flow takes conscious effort to develop a habit. It is a process of achieving happiness through control over your inner life.
Your day begins the night before. It's like shutting down a computer properly. If done wrong, it tends to have bugs and crash unexpectedly. Developing a good sleep routine is important for feeling more productive and motivated the next day without unexpected crashes.
Here are a few quick tips to help you sleep better tonight for a happier tomorrow:
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Exercise is a power-booster for your mood. When you grab an exercise buddy, you’re getting the full DOSE.
As you exercise, you are creating happy chemicals and the increased circulation moves them around your body, like when you put oil in your car and drive it around a bit to get it moving through the system. Your blood starts pumping and the machine works out all the kinks.
What is DOSE?
DOSE stands for Dopamine, Oxytocin, Serotonin, Endorphins. These are the mood-boosting Happy Chemicals that are created in your body to reward you with good feelings for doing something good for your survival. Here is a basic breakdown of each one:
Huggers are happier people. As a non-hugger, introvert who would rather be by myself reading a book, I can see the truth in this. I am content by myself, but content is not the same as happy. When I began to be intentional about giving hugs, it magically changed me!
We need human contact to survive
A little girl named Brittany proved this to me. When I met Brittany, she was 13 years old. She was placed in the foster care program after they found her neglected in a crib in a drug house. For FOUR YEARS she was left in that crib, never picked up and rocked, never allowed to run around. They basically propped up a bottle and left her there.
Brittany’s adopted mother was the most amazing person I’ve met. You see, Brittany was in a wheel chair and wasn’t expected to have a very long life. Her mother adopted her and committed to showing her absolute love for what little time she had left.
Our happy hormones run on solar power. Just like the solar panels on your house, our skin soaks up the rays and creates the chemicals in our body that are responsible for boosting our mood.
The simple act of standing in the sunlight for 15 minutes each day can do SO MUCH including:
- Increasing vitamin D production
- Helping you sleep better
- Improving your mood
- Strengthening bones
- Lower blood pressure
What do you do when the sun isn't shining?
In the winter months when we have decreased sunlight, many people suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD. Since we are not exposed to sunlight, our vitamin D and serotonin tend to decrease. There are a few options to turn your frown upside down.
