When was the last time you really immersed yourself in what you were doing?

This post is brought to you by this dinner I made recently. Check out the recipe here (Sweet and Sour Tempeh)

It was only when I sat down to eat this meal that I realised how absorbed I’d been in the process of making it. It felt like I’d been cooking for 2 minutes and 2 hours and I couldn’t really remember what happened between taking the ingredients out of the fridge, and plating up the finished meal. I was feeling refreshed, relaxed, satisfied and accomplished.

By becoming immersed in the preparation I’d fallen into a state of flow which had been meditative and helped me be mindful of what I was doing.

I’m definitely no expert when it comes to mindfulness or mental wellbeing, but I do remember reading a little while ago about flow states, and there was one thing that stuck with me

To get into a state of flow, you need to occupy yourself with a task that is simple and familiar enough that you can do it on autopilot, but is complex and challenging enough that it keeps your brain stimulated

For me, cooking is a really effective way of me finding flow. I know how to cook, but I’m not an expert. I can prepare vegetables but sometimes their odd shapes require a bit more problem-solving. Even cleaning up after the meal can induce flow; I’ve washed dishes hundreds of times but sometimes a stubborn stain or particularly dirty pan needs just enough work to keep my brain on edge

And whilst I don’t think you can force yourself into flow, you can at least try to facilitate it. Discover the sorts of activities you can lose yourself in, that offer that middle ground between challenge and familiarity; maybe it’s making your bed, washing the car, creating wireframes, filling out a spreadsheet - it could be anything! And once you’ve discovered them, work out how you encourage immersion. I personally try to block out some time to focus on that task and try to remove other distractions - noise cancelling headphones and do not disturb are a good place to start!

I think the thing with flow is that you don’t really know you’re in it, whilst you’re in it. You might have fleeting thoughts, or feel a sense of clarity on something that’s been taking your attention, or just completely lose track of time. But I think once that activity is complete, and the state of flow is broken, you’ll feel relaxed and hopefully stress-free

When was the last time you were so immersed in an activity that you found flow? I think in a time where our lives are so hectic and full of things competing for our attention, it’s important to try and prioritise these little time-outs for ourselves, as often as we can.

What are some of your most effective activities for achieving flow? Do you have any tips on how to immerse yourself in these activities? Let me know on twitter @marsh931