In positive
psychology, a flow
state, also known colloquially as being in the zone, is the mental state of operation in which a person performing an
activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement,
and enjoyment in the process of the activity. In essence, flow is characterized
by complete absorption in what one does, and a resulting loss in one's sense of
space and time.
Csikszentmihalyi (often
referred to as the modern day discoverer of Flow) has this to say about people
who have high levels of achievement and fulfillment: “…what kept them motivated
was the quality of the experience they felt when they were involved with the
activity. The feeling didn’t come when they were relaxing, when they were
taking drugs or alcohol, or when they were consuming the expensive privileges
of wealth. Rather it often involved painful, risky, difficult activities
that stretched the person’s capacity and involved an element of novelty and
discovery”
FLOW was a term
his subjects kept using. When everything was going right, the work was
effortless, fluid and automatic – flowy. He defined the state as “being so involved
in an activity that nothing else seems to matter. The ego falls away. Time
flies. Every action, movement and thought follows inevitably from the previous
one.”
A couple of other
significant items…in flow you do not judge yourself and you stay very present –
engaged in the immediate task in front of you. In swimming, while you are aware
of your goal, you are focused on the doing, not the end result. Flow is totally
process oriented versus the usual result orientation our sport is famous
for…did you get your cut, make the team, add or subtract time? You hear that constantly
on the pool deck. Coaches are famous for saying a swim is a good one if it is
fast…that only adds to the prejudice on results vs process.
Now to Alex
Honnold…many of you have heard about him…his book “Alone on the Wall” is
mesmerizing. His movie “Free Solo” will rivet you to the screen – his sub 4
hour free solo ascent of 3000’ El Capital in Yosemite Valley – yup, 3000’ of
granite slab, no rope, just hands and feet.
His comments are
right in line with Csikszentmihalyi’s findings. “There’s all the little things
you have to think about, like left-right, which sequence you are doing, but
there’s nothing I’m really thinking about – I’m just doing it. I love the
simplicity of soloing. You never climb better when you are soloing. Doubt is
the biggest danger in soloing. As soon as you hesitate you’re screwed.”…”Basically
when I’m soloing, normally I have like a mental armor. You could say I’m in the
zone. Something that’s protecting my head from thinking too much.”
And this about
another part of climbing…”Had I stopped to think about it, I might have been
nervous, or anxious that I was on the least secure part of the route. But
that’s why I didn’t stop – I’d done all my thinking over the last six weeks as
I worked on the route. I was fully prepared and knew exactly what to do. This
wasn’t the time for apprehension. It was the time for execution. I’ve always
felt slabs require a certain amount of momentum, for lack of a better word.
Soloing slabs is similar to skiing or mountain biking. Once you get started,
you just have to see it through to the end. You can’t stop and think about your
position. Any hesitation could lead to disaster.”
In Alex’s world a
mistake leads directly to death. In swimming a mistake leads to a slower time,
a missed cut. In our sport it is critical to stay in the moment and be
non-judgmental. Doubt has the same effect for swimmers as Alex…in his words,
“you’re screwed”.
Have fun; go for
it…train your buns off then “free solo” your event!
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