Hyperfocus vs Flow:

When I was in middle school, I was a huge bookworm. Reading a Warriors book under the desk was pretty common for me during math class, and any other moment of free time I had. I've always been the kind of person who got overly invested in my interests, sometimes to the detriment of my other concerns. Thankfully, these interests tended to come in waves, ebbing and flowing, giving me time to focus on the things that I actually needed to get done while also giving me something to enjoy during painfully boring algebra classes. Similarly, my interest in blogging has been in more of an ebbing state this week, as I've got a few things in progress but no new posts this week. 

This pattern of ebbing and flowing reminds me of the topics we discussed this week in class, especially when thinking about the idea of flow. In our reading last week, we learned that flow was a beneficial mental state where someone is so engaged in an activity that they lose track of time. 

For me, it's been important to distinguish between the concepts of "flow" state and hyperfocus. Similar to the concept of flow, hyperfocus involves being invested in a particular activity to the extent that you lose track of time. Unlike flow, though, hyperfocus involves difficulty regulating attention towards some topics in favor of more mentally stimulating topics. Hyperfocus is specific to neurodiverse individuals, and when I hyperfocus on a topic, it can sometimes be difficult to keep track of other responsibilities, or even physical needs like eating and sleeping. While flow is a unanimously pleasurable activity, hyperfocus can be negative if it lasts too long or interferes with a person's responsibilities. 

Thankfully, just like flow states, states of hyperfocus tend to ebb and flow in waves, giving me the time and energy to do the things I need as well as a little time to do the things I enjoy. Hyperfocus, like flow, can be positive, and it can help me accomplish a lot. Similar to a Venn diagram, there's a place where both hyperfocus and flow meet, and places that they differ. therefore, there are some times when I am hyperfocusing where I also experience a state of flow. In fact, I would say that most of my "flow states" involve some degree of hyperfocus. This can happen with late-night progress on a knitting project, although the hyperfocus part is most evident when it causes me to stay up until 2 am. For my new occupation of blogging, I would say that I experienced flow a few weeks ago when I made three posts in a night. This idea of discerning between flow and hyperfocus has been extremely helpful to me when learning about these topics, and it also comes into play when looking at myself.

Along with the idea of flow came the idea of an autotelic person. According to last week's lectures, an autotelic person is someone who regularly experiences flow, along with a sense of high self-esteem, low anxiety, and someone who is intrinsically motivated. Personally, I disagree with the idea of an "autotelic person" because of the implications that someone has to have all three characteristics in order to be "highly capable of experiencing flow." As stated before, with the extreme similarities between hyperfocus and flow, I would say that I experience flow fairly often in my life. However, when asked about my anxiety levels or self-esteem, those measures would vary widely depending on the circumstance, but I've never noticed that anxiety or self-esteem interfered with my experience of flow, although some flow states would positively affect those feelings. I would note, though, that the longer a flow state lasted, it could have a tendency to turn into the more negative side of hyperfocus that could result in me losing track of other responsibilities, which could cause increased anxiety and decreased self-esteem depending on the circumstance. I mention all this to say that it would be a mistake to restrict the label of "autotelic" to people without anxiety, especially since the ultimate definition of an autotelic person is one who is "highly capable of experiencing flow." This definition is one that I would definitely apply to myself, especially when considering my motivations for engaging in activities.

One of my most valuable realizations was when I realized that by relating my responsibilities to my interests, I could essentially weaponize my tendency to hyperfocus and attain a flow state. I've used this strategy for at least a few essay assignments, and by choosing topics related to my interests, I was able to maintain interest and motivation far longer than I would have otherwise, and the end product was usually well thought out and I would receive my grade accordingly. My experience of flow influences not only which occupations I engage in, but how I go about engaging in them for maximum effectiveness. Likewise, other people's experience of flow can vary significantly from my own, which is why I will end with the same sentiment as the reading, that attempting to define flow would decrease its essence as an essential part in our experiences of occupation.