Self-Management of Depression

Have you ever been so engaged in an activity that you lost touch with your surroundings and felt intense joy and satisfaction after the activity was over? Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi describes this experience of highest satisfaction as being in a state of “flow” (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990; Csikszentmihalyi, 1999). According to him, an individual in a state of flow- Exactly knows what they have to do moment by moment, either because the activity requires it, or because clear goals are set at every step of the way. Gets immediate feedback on their performance either from the activity itself or from their internalized standards. Feels that the activity matches with their skill set, it being neither too hard and nor too easy so as not to lead to anxiety or boredom, respectively. Athletes, painters, and other creative people have described this state as an ecstatic feeling or a feeling of contentment. The person in a state of flow pays undivided attention to the task at hand to the ex...