Time to get in flow rather than just go with the flow
IT FELT like winter had hit us again this week. So my hour of exercise was back to the indoor bike and back to my study books. One of the post-traumatic growth factors I know I go through when facing setbacks is to remember that it always gives me quality time to study and train my mind.
We can train three things in life: our physical body, our craft and our mind.
Training our mental state is something most of us don’t give as much time to.
I often hear people say to me, “I don’t have time”. Well, the one thing we have plenty of right now is time. I am aware some people are actually working more in the home environment, but how much are you working on yourself? Are you setting aside time to help your inner self?
“Why is this important?” you might ask. “Surely if I just push on getting all these external jobs done then my life will be easier?”
My one concern around all this task-centred focus is that we run the risk of burning ourselves out. Could “Covid-19 burnout” become a new phenomenon?
Our bodies are built to survive. Our inner survival system keeps us safe.
That is the part of your brain that is on high alert, but right now it might be on the kind of hyper alert where it rarely switches off.
If we are all go all the time then we might not be giving our mind and body time to recharge. Our bodies work well when faced with an acute stress, but struggle under chronic stress. This is where it is important to be mindful right now of your daily routine.
Ask yourself: “Does each part of my day have meaning? Am I making time not just for work, family and friends but to give my mind and body the recharge it needs? How have I structured my day?”
During my time in hospital I always set out a list of micro goals. I had a bigger goal of riding for Great Britain again but it was so overwhelming that I couldn’t live with that everyday, so it was important to detach from it and focus on these micro goals.
The reason this is important is that when we are going through stressful times, it gives us these small rewards. So what are YOUR daily micro goals at the moment and have you included time to recharge?
As I sit writing this, I reflect on what I would say was one of my lower weeks during lockdown. I think it was the change in weather, and maybe the come-down from my exploring bike rides around the city. I was lucky to get out this morning for an hour loop of Hyde Park which I must admit felt great. This was my time for my inner self.
I have spoken about the freedom cycling gives me, the freedom of not just movement but also from my thoughts. Cycling gives me a time where I am fully engaged in the present, known in the world of sport as being in flow or in the zone. anxiety around Covid-19.
This is a big question but there are some great resources out there from some leading psychologists.
Viktor Frankl talks about finding purpose. You may feel recently you’re struggling to find purpose, it could be a lack of motivation, or you may feel more fatigued and just lacking that inner drive.
I have had some people tell me they wake up feeling drained and struggle to get out of bed. The one thing I tell them is to try and find something that gets them into the flow state. What if you don’t like sport? Well, artists get into a flow, and so do musicians. Find something that you love and which challenges you.
By finding time for yourself right now and finding your flow state, you’re giving your body the nourishment it needs to recharge on a neuro biological level. I want to leave you today with something I have done ever since the surgery in 2016 that paralysed me to help deal with the trauma that I experienced. This small routine that I learned from Dr Michael Gervais prepares your mind for each day and is achieved before you even leave your bed.
When you wake up, before looking at any screens, take a four-second breath in through your nose followed by a 6 second exhale through your mouth, follow this breathing pattern for 60 seconds.
At the end of the 60 seconds say one thing you’re grateful for, then set one intention for the day. Sit up, put your feet on the floor and smile.
Before you have even left your bed, you have trained mindfulness, optimism and activated your parasympathetic system. This small routine might just go a long way to helping you avoid any post Covid-19 burnout.