Tim Ferris defines adult ADD as Adventure Deficit Disorder. On JJJ Radio a while back they were talking about how Gen Ys are experiencing a quarter life crisis at about the age of 25.
Well I can tell you right now that Ive had this quarter/mid life crisis feeling for as long as I can remember.
Ive been feeling like that my whole life. And it seems that tonnes of people feel exactly the same. We are all suffering Adventure Deficit Disorder.
I was watching this video about ‘Flow‘, presented by Mihaly Czikszentmihalyi (Hungarian Psychology Professor) and then it all made sense to me why this happens…
We feel sad & depressed when we are out of what he calls ‘flow’.
What is flow? Its the feeling you get when you’re doing something you like. Something that you can lose yourself in and time passes without you noticing.
The diagram below shows where a flow state happens. But whats surprising is that a flow state happens at high levels of challenge.
How does it feel to be in flow?:
1. Completely involved in what we are doing – focused & concentrating.
2. A sesnse of ecstasy – of being outside everyday reality
3. Great inner clarity – knowing exactly what needs to be done and how well you are doing.
4. Knowing that the activity is doable – that our skills are adequate to the task
5. A sense of serenity – No worries about oneself and a feeling of growing beyond the boundaries of the ego.
6. Timelessness – Thouroughly focussed on the present. Hours seem to pass by in minutes.
7. Intrinsic Motivation – Whatever produces flow is its own reward.
Now, Im not a doctor or psychiatrist but Im pretty sure that heaps of people mistake falling out of flow with mental illness; depression.
They’re bored in their jobs and suffering from serious Adventure Deficiency Disorder. Their brains are numb, everyday is groundhog day and they’re not happy – they’re not in flow.
There’s no challenge anymore, they’re bored. Look at the diagram again. Its so simple and yet millions of people dont know why they’re unhappy.
My Mum is a pharmacist and sometimes I have a flick through her pharmacy journals. One day I came across an article on bipolar. It said something like “may take on large tasks others consider impossible such as writing a book” and I remember wondering what the hell was wrong with that?
There’d be nothing awesome in this world with out people who push the boundaries!
Check out the definition of Mania-
“A bipolar disorder typically involves a longitudinal pattern of manic or hypomanic episodes, usually interspersed with depressive states. Manic episodes are hedonic states, with the individual exhibiting confidence, optimism, grandiosity, increased energy, talkativeness, increased libido, and being drawn to pleasurable activities.”
–No shit. Who isn’t drawn to pleasurable activities???
Hasn’t the Pharmaceutical Association (or whoever writes those journals) ever heard of the saying “follow your bliss”?
Perhaps if more people did stuff that put them in a state of flow we would all be better off.
So are you in a flow state? Are you loving what you do? If not, why?
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