FLOW STATE

/flow stayt/

Noun

A mental state wherein an individual reaches complete focus or immersion in a particular activity or in doing multiple activities at once

WHAT IS “FLOW STATE”

ORIGIN

In psychology, flow refers to a mental state where a person is fully absorbed in an activity, usually when doing tasks such as learning, engaging in physical activities or sports, or doing creative activities like painting (Cherry, 2026). When in a flow state, the individual is engrossed in what they are doing, they are not easily distracted, and time seems to pass without them noticing.

In a 2004 TED Talk, psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi referred to flow state as a “…a focus that, once it becomes intense, leads to a sense of ecstasy, a sense of clarity: you know exactly what you want to do from one moment to the other; you get immediate feedback.”

For Gen Zs, flow state is synonymous to being productive, like juggling two or even three activities at once. You know that moment when you have five browser tabs open, you lose track of time, and your sense of self sometimes but you seem to be getting things done? That is the flow state (Suarez, n.d.).

See Also

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Flow state can be used to describe those moments where you are engaged, not overthinking, not distracted, not checking your phone every 30 seconds. You’re just doing and your brain and body are aligned (Hindman, 2025).

EXAMPLES

“I am re-organizing the photos in my camera roll while listening to the new BTS album and I feel like I am reaching flow state.”

“My best friend and I are having 3 different conversations in 3 separate apps at the same time. Is this what flow state feels like?”