Reduce Anxiety with Flow

Have you ever felt anxious? Reducing anxiety begins with finding your own unique way to calm. Getting into a flow state can reduce anxiety, offering a natural way path to inner peace.

First, though, let’s talk about how anxiety feels.

Your heart flutters. Your mind races from one thought to another, often not good ones!

You might find it difficult to sit still. You might find yourself doom-scrolling, or imagining worst-case scenarios.

When you feel anxious, you might find it difficult to concentrate on one thing for a long time. You can get overwhelmed very quickly.

You can feel out of control. Expectations feel too high. Pressure mounts.

Your safety can feel at stake, whether your real physical well-being, or your peace of mind.

Stop Anxiety Now

Take a Deep Breath

When I feel anxious, the first thing that often helps reduce my anxiety is taking a nice deep breath.

Let’s do that now.

Yes, I really mean it!

Breathe in…

Breathe out…

Feel better?

Reduce Anxiety with Baby Steps

The good news is, reducing anxiety doesn’t have to feel overwhelming! It can start with teeny-tiny baby steps like breathing.

Anxiety is human–everyone has felt anxious at one time or another. Just like we each have a pathway within us that leads to anxiety, we also each have a natural pathway that can reduce anxiety and lead us back to calm.

We can find our way there with one small choice at a time.

It’s call the flow state.

Doing flow activities can significantly help reduce symptoms of anxiety so you can find your own way back to feeling excited, confident, and empowered. Here’s how it works.

Reduce Anxiety with Fun

Choose A Quick Flow Habit

Before we talk about the benefits of flow in reducing anxiety, let’s try something fun.

Look at this list of activities, and choose one to do right now! Or, choose something of your own. It should be something simple that you can do quickly and right away. It can take less than sixty seconds.

You might try…

• Doodling
• Free-flow journaling
• Dancing
• Stretching
• Twirling in a circle
• Skipping
• Running
• Hopping on one foot
• Walking as quick as you can
• Looking for beauty in nature
• Knitting or crocheting
• Coloring with crayons
• Fast flipping through a magazine–find positive images!
• Writing a list of your dreams
• Writing a list of activities you love to do!

Do It Now!

A 60-Second Challenge

I really mean it when I say “do it now.” Make sure it’s not scrolling on your phone. Instead, choose something that involves movement and multiple senses. Here’s how this works.

Doodle:

Get out a piece of paper and pen. Blast music, or listen to it in your headphones. Doodle. Move your pen wherever it wants to go.

Journal:

Or journal. Get all your emotions out on the paper. Write whatever comes to mind. There are no right or wrong words to write. There are no right or wrong emotions to feel.

Create:

Or, if you have creative supplies around, color with crayons. Pretend you’re a little kid. Draw what you want. Or crochet, knit, or rip attractive photos out of a magazine. If you can easily get outside, go look for something beautiful for one minute.

Move:

Skip. Blast music and dance. Hop on one foot. Have fun!

Quick Flow Activities Reduce Anxiety

Feel better? While you might not have experienced flow during this activity, spending a few minutes everyday to do something you love to do is the start of reducing anxiety. Anxiety is caused when the parts of your brain that see you as separate from others are on high alert. You see the world as dangerous when you’re anxious. Your brain is looking for what is wrong to keep you safe.

To reduce anxiety, you need to calm the parts of your brain that see things through a hierarchical lens–them versus me, who’s first and who’s last thinking. Instead, focus on enjoying the moment. That’s the gift of flow–fully engaging in what you are doing in the moment and returning to an inner state of joy. That’s how you take your power back.

Flow begins with intrinsic motivation–doing something you choose to do and enjoy instead of what you think you should do. Intrinsic motivation kickstarts flow in motion. Flow is how you find yourself again, and reconnect with your unique gifts. Flow is how you start living your own life based on what you know works for you. Flow can help you reduce anxiety and find your own natural calm, that’s always waiting for you within.

What Is Creative Flow?

First, let’s talk about what flow is. Creative flow occurs when you are fully absorbed by a task, even if just for a short period of time. This can happen naturally when you are doing creative tasks like drawing, painting, or even cooking. Flow is natural and innate–you don’t have to learn how to flow. You’re already a Flow Expert!

A key marker of flow is losing track of time and your surroundings. Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi first identified the flow state when he interviewed people around the world who were experts in their field. When he asked them how it felt when they were doing their favorite activities, “flow” was the word they used again and again. Csikszentmihalyi found that people experience a deep sense of enjoyment, focus, and intrinsic motivation when engaged in activities they love (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990; 2000).

The flow state can occur while doing anything as long as you are fully absorbed by it. Absorption often happens when an activity is challenging–not so challenging that it makes us feel stressed out, but challenging enough that we lock in. Examples of activities that often lead to a flow state include painting, writing, music, crafting, or playing games like chess. We often have a sense of knowing what to do next, without having to think too hard to make a decision. Creative flow is most likely when we already know how to do the activity well, and we enjoy doing it.

Creativity and Flow Reduces Stress

Early research into the flow state highlights how even small creative acts can calm the nervous system. Csikszentmihalyi observed as a child that when he played chess, he could ignore the chaos around him during WWII bombings. The connection between flow and reducing anxiety including how flow makes us more resilient later became the foundation for his flow research (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990; 2000).

This early realization sparked research into how flow helps the mind recover, focus, and thrive. Today, flow is recognized as a tool to help the mind recover from stress and trauma, offering a sense of peace, purpose, and emotional balance (Kapoor & Kaufman, 2020).

Flow Protects Against Anxiety

Research from the early COVID-19 lockdowns in China supports the mental health benefits of flow. During the pandemic, individuals who engaged in high-flow activities—creative hobbies, music, writing, or art—reported fewer negative emotions, less worry, and lower symptoms of anxiety and depression compared to those who experienced less flow (Sweeny et al., 2020; Smith, 2025). Similarly, boredom proneness, a known risk factor for depression and anxiety, was mitigated by engaging in creative activities (Brosowsky et al., 2022).

Daily creative habits—like journaling, sketching, or crafting—can spark microflow moments. Over time, these small bursts of engagement strengthen our emotional resilience, making it easier to handle stressors and maintain positive mood (Conner, DeYoung, & Silvia, 2018). Even brief sessions of art-making have been shown to lower cortisol levels, a biological marker of stress, while increasing feelings of relaxation and self-discovery (Kaimal, Ray, & Muniz, 2016).

Creativity Helps Us Make Positive Meaning

Flow is not just about feeling good—it’s also about making meaning which can help the out-of-control feeling that so often accompanies anxiety. Engaging in creative pursuits allows us to reflect, explore, and express our inner world, which can be especially important after trauma or during periods of uncertainty (Kapoor & Kaufman, 2020).

Sharing creative experiences with others can be an important part of flow and further reducing the impact of anxiety and depression (Kapoor & Kaufman, 2020). This is why, both in my book The Flow Habit, and in my 28-Day Flow Challenges, I stress community, and supporting each other as we uncover our own unique formulas for flow. This is also the power behind the Flow Circles that I now offer by zoom.

Creative Flow as a Prescription for Anxiety

Science backs up the important role of community when it comes to getting the benefits of flow. In the UK, social prescribing programs connect those at risk of mental health challenges with communities focused on the arts, exercise, or volunteering. Results show increased self-esteem, mood improvements, and reduced anxiety and depression symptoms among participants.

These findings echo the benefits reported by participants in my 28-Day Flow Challenges, suggesting that together, flow-inducing activities and community are a powerful mental health intervention.

Lower Anxiety Symptoms with Creative Flow

Research shows that everyday creative flow activities—like making crafts, baking, or gardening—can improve emotional well-being and lower symptoms of depression and anxiety (Brosowsky et al., 2022). Longitudinal studies in middle-aged and elderly adults indicate that hobbies and creative engagement promote better mental health, higher life satisfaction, and lower depressive symptoms over time (Takeda et al., 2015; Hirosaki, 2009).

Creative Flow Can Protect Our Mental Health

During the pandemic, flow proved to protect people against anxiety. (Sweeny et al., 2020). High flow activities lead to less stress, improved mood, and greater optimism even during uncertain times. The science is clear: flow is a powerful tool for mental wellness. By engaging in creative activities that captivate and immerse us, we can reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety, lower stress, and build resilience.

Flow only requires a willingness to experiment with activities that you enjoy. Whether through art, writing, music, or simple daily creative habits, flow allows us to reclaim calm, meaning, and emotional balance in our lives.

How to Use Creative Flow to Reduce Anxiety

Here are practical ways to integrate flow into your life:

1. Sign up for my free 28-Day Flow Challenge: This self-guided program helps you build daily flow habits, reduce anxiety, and experience the mental health benefits of creative flow.
2. Start small: Dedicate 5–10 minutes a day to a creative activity that excites you, like painting, journaling, or crafting.
3. Focus on the process: Enjoying the activity itself triggers the flow state and helps reduce anxiety.
4. Notice your flow moments: Track when you feel fully absorbed—this reinforces your ability to enter flow again.
5. Remember to breathe: Combine flow activities with deep breathing or meditative practices for extra calm.
6. Share your flow experiences: Show your art, perform music, or engage with others to enhance connection and joy. Email me at [email protected] about what helps you experience flow–I’d love to hear!

If you’re interested in getting support as you manage your anxiety with flow, check out my 28-Day Flow Challenges or my Flow Circles.

Sources:

• Brosowsky, N.P., Barr, N., Mugon, J., Scholer, A.A., & Danckert, J. (2022). Creativity, Boredom Proneness and Well-Being in the Pandemic. Behavioral Sciences, 12(3), 368. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs12030068
• Conner, T. S., DeYoung, C. G., & Silvia, P. J. (2018). Everyday creative activity as a path to flourishing. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 13(2), 181–189. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2016.1257049
• Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. New York: Harper & Row.
• Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2000). Beyond Boredom and Anxiety: Experiencing Flow in Work and Play, 25th Anniversary Edition. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
• Kapoor, H., & Kaufman, J. C. (2020). Meaning-making through creativity during COVID-19. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 595990. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7775492/
• Kaimal, G., Ray, K., & Muniz, J. (2016). Reduction of cortisol levels and participants’ responses following art making. Art Therapy, 33(2), 74–80. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/07421656.2016.1166832
• Sweeny, K., et al. (2020). Flow in the Time of COVID-19: Findings from China. PLoS ONE, 15(11), e0242043. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0242043
• Smith, L. (2025). The Flow Habit: Creating Peace, Passion, Purpose, and Everyday Miracles. Carlsbad, CA: Hay House/Penguin Random House.
• Takeda, F., Noguchi, H., Monma, T., & Tamiya, N. (2015). How Possibly Do Leisure and Social Activities Impact Mental Health of Middle-Aged Adults in Japan?: An Evidence from a National Longitudinal Survey. PLoS ONE, 10(10), e0139777.