Flow Calms Us

During a previous Flow Challenge, Letizia sent me the following note and photos of her artwork:
 
“It has been a lovely journey so far. Thank you so much for your wonderful inspirational emails – perfect bite-sized food for thought.

It has been interesting to observe how my 5 min (or often longer) drawing activity has not only influenced the tone of each day but has also shifted my mood and attitude over the longer term.

Holding myself accountable each day to take those 5 min just for myself without any specific goal attached has been like a breath of fresh air. It brings kindness into my heart – for myself and others. It makes me feel successful no matter what else I do during the rest of the day.

It has helped me re-discover creative treasures that were locked away for years. It has given me the courage to delve back into piano playing and given me the strength to chase away the judging gremlins. I feel like I am trusting the process again – trusting that if I put in the effort and time, there will be growth and a shift happening. 

A feeling of CALM has settled over me. Hope and optimism have become my companions on this journey.

Thank you 🙏”

Thank you so much for sharing, Letizia! Here are some of her beautiful flow creations!

Letizia shares a common experience associated with flow–a deep state of CALM. In reality, there may be an important reason for this. When in a flow state, our bodies release neurotransmitters, hormones, and other feel-good chemicals that actually help us feel relaxed. We also disconnect from feelings of self-consciousness or focusing on how we are being perceived, which as we all know, can be real stressors!

I have found in my own life that just doing a flow activity for a few minutes, such as blasting music and dancing in my kitchen, doodling, or writing in flow can be an incredible way to chase anxiety away. It not only distracts us from ruminating or negative emotional states (like changing a channel in our brains), flow activities actually cause a release of feel-good chemicals, no outside substances required! It’s all in us all the time, ready and waiting to be activated!

If you have an insight, feedback, or a story from participating in one of my free 28-Day Flow Challenges, email me at [email protected]. I value your privacy and will only share your story with your written permission.