Flow State

The stress response is a powerful force that can be beneficial or harmful, depending on the circumstances. This article will explain the science behind beneficial stress, who benefits from it, and how to achieve it naturally.

Performers call it ‘the zone,’ that state of complete focus where distractions disappear, senses sharpen, and performance is optimised. The zone is a real thing, and to the scientific community, this mind state is called eustress–beneficial stress–or flow.

To obtain the state of deep focus known as “flow,” distractions must be removed. We can easily make tweaks to our environment to minimise distractions while adding elements to induce the immersive flow state.

Steven Kotler, The Rise of Superman

In the last article, I explained what flow is and why it can be such a positive state. In this second part, I will summarise the best practical techniques to promote it, drawn from the works of psychology theory and research. These include a myriad of ways in which to structure the external environment as well as one’s inner world.