“I really enjoyed being in that zone. Each moment of flow is quite addictive because it’s such an incredible place to be. You are just in the moment, just focusing on what you’re doing right now.” Christian Meier

Over the years I have written a number of articles on Flow. See this article from 2013. But, like a number of psychological concepts, it can often be elusive to pin down. Some of my clients get it right away and will rattle off experiences where they are sure they experience it. Others, however, clearly feel no connection, and wonder, in puzzlement, at how difficult situations, and even mildly painful moments, can result in flow.

Whenever I read of an account where someone tries to explain their experience of flow, I like to capture it as an addition to the body of examples. You never know which ones will land for people. This one struck me as interesting. Christian Meier describes what it means to him.

He speaks about his time as a domestique in a Grand Tour cycling team, where his role was never to win, but to be in the service of others. This demanded that he endure pain and discomfort, with no expectation of personal glory. Most people would describe this as “suffering in order to help others”, although Christian rejects the word “suffering”, preferring to think of himself as being in control of what he is doing, regulating the level of personal sacrifice he is prepared to endure. His journey from Grand Tour cycling to Ultra-running is fascinating, and along the way he offers some great insights into what it means for him to be in flow.

He characterizes the feelings he has experienced as being addictive. We don’t all have to be elite athletes or adrenaline junkies to know what that feeling is like. Indeed, meditation, yoga, and other similarly ‘mindful’ practices, generate a sense of calm, being in the moment, focusing on the present, and attending only to the here and now.

Have a read at what Christian has to say in the attached article. I’d be fascinated to hear your insights and what experiences you have had with the state of Flow?