In order to create the state of “flow”, the feeling of complete engagement in an activity in which the ego falls away and time flies–which has been described by the world’s greatest thinkers as the most productive state of mind in which to work–you need to quiet down your mind chatter and release negative emotions, thoughts, and beliefs. This state of mind is also the most receptive and the most conducive to AHA! moments and creative breakthroughs.
A lack of focus caused by intrusive thoughts, negative feelings, complaints from your inner critic, and so on, often get in the way and can greatly reduce your productivity. Below you will find four methods to help you achieve the relaxed, peaceful state of mind most conducive to achieving the flow state.
The Work
The Work by Byron Katie basically asks: “Who would you be without your story?” It’s a process of inquiry that helps you to identify thoughts that are causing you emotional pain or discomfort, and then helps you to turn around those thoughts so that you can start telling yourself a different story. It can help alleviate depression, decrease stress, anxiety and fear, and reduce anger and feelings of resentment.
Step One: Describe Who or What You’re Judging
We’ve often been told to suspend judgment. Judgment is the constant evaluation of things and others as right or wrong, good or bad. When you’re constantly evaluating, classifying, labeling, and analyzing you create a lot of turbulence in your internal dialogue. Most of us have a set of rules we try to impose on others, and on life, regulating how others should act, how they should feel, what they should say, and how things should work. Allow the voice inside your head that is constantly judging to have its say on paper, so that you can use it as a mirror to reflect back to you things you haven’t realized about yourself. You can use this form: “Judge Your Neighbor”.
Step Two: The Four Questions
Take each of the statements you wrote down in the “Judge Your Neighbor” sheet and ask these four questions:
1. Is it true?
2. Can you absolutely know that it’s true?
3. How do you react, what happens, when you believe that thought?
- Does that thought bring peace or stress into your life?
- Describe the feelings that happen physically when you believe that thought.
- How do you treat that person and others when you think that thought?
- How do you treat yourself when you think that thought?
- What addictions/obsessions begin to manifest when you think that thought? (food, shopping, alcohol, television, and so on)?
- What images do you see (past and/or future) when you believe that thought? Close your eyes, relax, contemplate, witness.
- Where and when did that thought first occur to you (at what age)?
4. Who would you be without that thought?
- Close your eyes and drop your story for a moment. How would your life be without that thought? How would you feel if you stopped telling yourself that story?
Step Three: Turn it Around
Turn around each of the statements that you made in the “Judge Your Neighbor” sheet: what is its opposite? For example, if you wrote down “My husband doesn’t understand me”, the opposite could be: “My husband does understand me”; “I don’t understand myself”; or “I don’t understand my husband”. For each of your turnarounds come up with three examples where this has been true (three examples where your husband did understand you, three examples where you did not understand your husband, and so on).
Here’s a quote from Byron Katie:
“As I began living my turnarounds, I noticed that I was everything I called you. You were merely my projection. Now, instead of trying to change the world around me I can put the thoughts on paper, investigate them, turn them around, and find that I am the very thing I thought you were. In the moment I see you as selfish, I am selfish (deciding how you should be). In the moment I see you as unkind, I am unkind. If I believe you should stop waging war, I am waging war on you in my mind.”
Step Four: Embracing Reality
After you’ve turned around all of the statements you made on numbers 1 to 5 on the “Judge Your Neighbor” sheet, turn around number 6 by using “I am willing . . .” and “I look forward to . . .” For example: “I am willing to take responsibility for my contribution to the problem” and “I look forward to communicating my needs and wants to my husband more effectively.”
If you want more information on this, visit The Work web site or Byron Katie’s blog. In addition, here is a free excerpt of Byron Katie’s book, Loving What Is: Four Questions That Can Change Your Life
The Sedona Method
The Sedona Method is a simple, yet powerful, easy-to-learn technique that helps you let go of any negative, uncomfortable or painful emotions you may be experiencing at any particular moment. The Sedona Method consists of a series of questions you ask yourself that lead your awareness to focus on what you’re feeling in the moment and gently guide you toward letting it go.
This is the way in which Sedona Method Instructors explain the concept: Pick up a pen or pencil. Then hold it in front of you and really grip it tightly and pretend that this is one of your limiting feelings. If you hold the object long enough, this would start to feel uncomfortable yet familiar. Now, open your hand and roll the object around in it. Notice that you are the one holding on to it; it is not attached to your hand. At any moment you can drop the object and it would fall to the floor. The same is true with your feelings: they’re not attached to you and at any moment you can simply choose to let them go.
Although the course goes into much more detail, to summarize and simplify, whenever you feel a negative emotion you simply ask yourself the following three questions:
- Could I let this feeling go?
- Would I let this feeling go?
- If so, when?
The Silva Life System
When you’re wide awake your brain waves vibrate at what scientists call the Beta frequency. As you fall asleep, your brain frequency slows down until it gets all the way to the Delta level. However, before you reach Delta-while you’re still at a light sleep–you enter the Alpha range. It has been scientifically shown that Alpha is the frequency you enter when you’re meditating.
The Silva Life System is a revolutionary home study program based on the remarkable principles of the Silva Method, the world’s most popular meditation program which has been used with great success by millions of people around the globe for the past 40 years. This system will teach you how to enter the Alpha level, at will, within 60 seconds flat, and remain alert at this level so that you use it to your benefit.
Some of the benefits experienced by those who practice the Silva Life System are the following:
- This program will easily and effortlessly take you to deep states of meditation.
- It will bridge the gap between the logical left-brain and creative right-brain to create increased productivity.
- This system will boost your learning ability, memory, intuition, creativity, and your ability to focus, concentrate, think more clearly, and solve problems.
- The Silva Life System melts stress away and reduces its harmful effects on your health and general feeling of well being.
- It will improve your mental and emotional health.
You can visit The Silva Life System web site for more information on this remarkable product. In addition, you can download their free 9 lesson e-course.
Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT)
Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) is basically emotional acupuncture, without the use of needles. Instead, you stimulate energy meridian points on your body by tapping on them with your fingertips. The following statement underlies all EFT work: “The cause of all negative emotions is a disruption in the body’s energy system.” This method is very easy to learn and very effective in helping you to release any negative emotions you may be feeling and altering your mood.
You can get a “Free EFT Starter Package” here, which includes an easy-to-follow manual. For a good diagram showing you where the acupuncture points that you’ll be tapping are located, go here. In addition, there are many free EFT videos on YouTube you can follow along with to release feelings, emotions, and negative beliefs on many different areas, such as:
Conclusion
The four methods described above are fabulous for helping you to release negative feelings, beliefs, and emotions so that you can focus and create the “flow” state which is the most conductive state of mind for producing high quality work with the least amount of effort. Other methods that I use to achieve a relaxed and productive state of mind are exercise, Reiki– a Japanese healing method (I’m second degree Reiki)–Bach Rescue Remedy
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