Balance

Finding balance has been a common theme in my life because I tend to NOT practice balance. Is it flow or addiction? I’ll get immersed in something and spend all my time doing that thing. It could be crafting, gaming, coding, reading, etc. One article I saw mentioned an author who describes all humans as being chemically predisposed to addiction and the flow stat. Our challenge is to figure out how to manage our addictions.

I’d like to read more books about this. I’ve read some articles and taken a quiz. Apparently I’m a “deep thinker” type and I need to make the effort to give myself the solitary calm time needed to enter my flow state because modern life is so noisy and overwhelming. While I’ve never been overly physical, developing my physicality can give me another means to enter a flow state. I find all of this to be true given my past experiences. Flow is apparently something that I’ve already understood and actively used.

Reading about flow, it’s no wonder that gaming triggers flow state for me. It challenges me but is not overwhelming, there is constant feedback and a clear goal. Also, when it involves groups (World of Warcraft) we’ve worked to achieve a group state of flow through constant communication, listening, being familiar with each other, etc.

I’ve utilized flow state in a productive way as well. When I started to take coding seriously, I spent many days coding for hours on end. I needed a baseline level of knowledge so that the problems I encountered did not seem overwhelming. I also needed time to adjust my view on failure. Failure is not a bad thing. It gives you the opportunity to learn so that you can get on the right track sooner.

I’ve applied some of this to life beyond coding and gaming. It’s hard because in life and relationships, your actions and failures are not inconsequential. What I love about the digital realm, is that you can always reset. Delete what you wrote, delete your files, re-format your computer… anything you DO, you can UNDO. There’s no permanent consequences to failure. With people, your career, your body, actions have real consequences. I’ve started to take more risks there, so that’s progress. With my career, the risks have been tiny baby steps. Fear of the consequences of risking my career and livelihood have been so ingrained from a young age, it will take a concerted effort conquer. Self-guided cognitive behavioral therapy? :)