The flow state "being in the zone"

Olie

Olie

Member
I've been obsessed with this topic for quite a while now and I think I've came to a final formula after tons of research.

The formula
The formula to get in the zone is simple. Create or encounter a problem, focus on it with all your energy and be confident while doing it. Let me break it down for you.

More detail
Stress and confidence play a balancing act, the more stress you have in your system the more confidence you need to switch into flow. Confidence, the feeling of well being, winning are all synonyms in the context I'm using, they all trigger the same mechanism.

Science lesson
From all the research I've read entering the zone starts with 3 brain chemicals which are dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine. Dopamine is responsible for drive, focus and motivation. Serotonin is responsible for your sense of well being and confidence. Norepinephrine is a stress hormone. Challenges create stress, focus on something releases dopamine and confidence releases serotonin.

Mental illness and creativity
Manic depressives are known for creativity, so what happens in their brain during mania? Three main things happen at a biological level which is the release of norephinephrine, dopamine and serotonin in large amounts. They are extremely driven towards whatever grabs their attention and they often have feelings of grandiosity reaching to the point of feeling like a god. All the precursors to creativity and getting in the zone.

Applying it to writing lyrics
You set out to write a song, you feel incredibly stressed at the prospect. You can either set out to write a shit song which will reduce the challange and the stress or you can increase your confidence. Confidence could be increased in a number of ways, I suggest experimentation with different methods. Reducing the stress is only effective if you have tons of it, if you have no stress and no confidence then you won't get into flow, you need both. Notice also stress isn't necessarily frustration - frustration arises from not being able to meet the challange you've set. Confidence and stress equal excitement, really this whole thing is me telling you to be focused and excited when you think about it but knowing how to get there is another thing.

Real world examples
Games - presented with a challange, focus on it and then you've got to have the skills, equipment or whatever to win once you get to this point you go into the zone. I guarantee the most enjoyable experiences you've had in games is where you are winning, your heart is pumping hard from stress and you're completely focused, this goes for the rest too.

TV shows - presented with a conflict to cause stress as you're invested in the character, you're looking for a solution (focus) then the character resolves (wins).

Meditation - you focus on something (your breath, an object, sensations etc.), you're in conflict with your easily distractible brain and then you feel like your winning at some point and you switch into flow.

Any type of sport - you focus on an objective, then theres physical stress and challange to perform strategies. The best athletes go into sports convinced through a bunch of strategies such as self talk to think they're going to win and to be confident.

Me thinking this up - I was challanged thinking a way to get into the zone whenever I want, I was confident I could make a solution with all the ideas and things I had read and I was focusing on the ideas in my head.

Anything that gets you into flow fits with this.
 
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Sorry if I explained this kind of shitty, I haven't slept in 24 hours.

Also there's something you can do to test if this is true: set a challange for yourself, it can be anything stupid, smart, useful, literally anything as long as you find it difficult enough to cause stress and that you're confident enough in your ability to get it done and it takes all your focus. Do it and if you feel time distort (slow down or speed up) even slightly then you went into a gradient of flow.

E.g. tap on the table in a specific complicated (simple if you have terrible timing) rhythm for a long period of time without messing up.

EDIT: also I forgot to add something obvious: you can't focus on something and raise your dopamine levels without a specific goal!
 
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I think there's cool stuff you telling
challenge, excitement, confidence, I like these words
I think it is important how we approach something with what state of mind

but the question is to be confident of what? to be confident that you are just going to make a cool song from nowhere?

the first thing is that you need to make sure about expectations that you have from oneself

I don't really start to compose a song with the idea of making the best song ever, I simply focus to bring up something interesting , so I think of " well I can do that, you know, I can bring up something interesting, so you should try to make things easier for oneself,

I am not some kind of a machine that keep bringing cool ideas all the time, I simply try a bunch of stuff until I feel something looks cool, so I fear no failure, because it is not about never failing it is about trying a bunch of things until something works

i search for inspiration, like a cool sound may inspire you to compose a beat,

someone new who you work with can bring confidence; this guy has cool sounds, this other guy has cool lyrics I have cool mixing ideas, this will be really cool, to work with these guys

a new trick when you learn brings confidence
something as simple as a DELAY trick , a composer may be like wow, that's cool I need to try something with that

so if you want to keep composing, keep working good all you need to do is SEARCH, SEARCH, SEARCH, TRY BUNCH OF STUFF, LISTEN TO SOME OTHER SONGS, you will become inspired, something will come out that may impress you something as simple as a delay trick may inspire you to create the next coming song

if you search for nothing,
you have no ideas what to start with
you may be disappointed from what you done before
that will hardly lead you to something cool

but something as simple as learning a new delay trick changes all about how you feel, a new sound that you feel its cool , can bring confidence, ideas and all that

confidence doesn't come from nowhere
it comes when you feel like " I FINALLY HAVE SOMETHING " so you express that with emotions that you know what you doing you have something cool to do, you know how to compose, you found something you like to start with, so you express that

and it is also cool to have someone else that you work with or maybe you simply show to each other what you guys doing , so you inspire each other its nothing special about it just that you don't feel alone, like when you go to the gym you push harder if someone is there with you, if you are working alone you may feel like wtf am I doing, so someone to work with,

two woods on fireplace, don't let each other turn off
a horse on his own cannot run as fast as he runs with other horses
 
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Laureat Ramadani said:
I think there's cool stuff you telling
challenge, excitement, confidence, I like these words
I think it is important how we approach something with what state of mind

but the question is to be confident of what? to be confident that you are just going to make a cool song from nowhere?

the first thing is that you need to make sure about expectations that you have from oneself

I don't really start to compose a song with the idea of making the best song ever, I simply focus to bring up something interesting , so I think of " well I can do that, you know, I can bring up something interesting, so you should try to make things easier for oneself,

I am not some kind of a machine that keep bringing cool ideas all the time, I simply try a bunch of stuff until I feel something looks cool, so I fear no failure, because it is not about never failing it is about trying a bunch of things until something works

i search for inspiration, like a cool sound may inspire you to compose a beat,

someone new who you work with can bring confidence; this guy has cool sounds, this other guy has cool lyrics I have cool mixing ideas, this will be really cool, to work with these guys

a new trick when you learn brings confidence
something as simple as a DELAY trick , a composer may be like wow, that's cool I need to try something with that

so if you want to keep composing, keep working good all you need to do is SEARCH, SEARCH, SEARCH, TRY BUNCH OF STUFF, LISTEN TO SOME OTHER SONGS, you will become inspired, something will come out that may impress you something as simple as a delay trick may inspire you to create the next coming song

if you search for nothing,
you have no ideas what to start with
you may be disappointed from what you done before
that will hardly lead you to something cool

but something as simple as learning a new delay trick changes all about how you feel, a new sound that you feel its cool , can bring confidence, ideas and all that

confidence doesn't come from nowhere
it comes when you feel like " I FINALLY HAVE SOMETHING " so you express that with emotions that you know what you doing you have something cool to do, you know how to compose, you found something you like to start with, so you express that

and it is also cool to have someone else that you work with or maybe you simply show to each other what you guys doing , so you inspire each other its nothing special about it just that you don't feel alone, like when you go to the gym you push harder if someone is there with you, if you are working alone you may feel like wtf am I doing, so someone to work with,

two woods on fireplace, don't let each other turn off
a horse on his own cannot run as fast as he runs with other horses
Click to expand...

You're just muddying the waters with the definition of confidence. Confidence is a distinct feeling that comes from a chemical in the brain. It's triggered through accomplishment and others recognising your accomplishment.
 
our emotions can be triggered on different ways

like when someone is suckking your d may trigger something you know ?

they say SUCCESS BRINGS CONFIDENCE
it is true because our prediction is that if I was successful on this before, it means there are possibilities that I CAN DO THIS AGAIN, so the more you succeed on that, the more you belief,

but just because you was successful on washing the dishes that doesn't make you confident to go fight with a lion , it is not how that works

but if you create a VISION, an IDEA of how to succeed in a fight with a lion, such as getting oneself some guns, you know? you be like "WELL, I CAN DO THAT " I can kill lots of lions from a distance its no big problem you know?

so you don't really need to kill a bunch of lions to finally believe, to finally be confident that you can do something like that, even if you have never killed a lion before, you know that you can do it, its a gun, you shoot from distance there is no problem at all, too simple and you are safe in your ride, there is nothing to worry even if you miss the shot, you know?

OK so I used that to get to this one, even if you was never successful on music before, if you simply bring up something like a bunch of cool sounds, a bunch of cool lyrics, a bunch of cool things and you make oneself believe " YEAH I FINALLY GOT SOMETHING " YOU BECOME CONFIDENT AND HARD LIKE A D you know?

don't confuse oneself and others with neurotransmitters, because you don't need all that information you just get confused when you bring those things up

dude I just feel like I have something to share on this I like the topic and what you discussing about
 
As an mc who freestyles of the top of the head mostly, I have learned different things about channeling inner and outer energies and using them to my benefit. Many ways through my rhymes I adapt to the situation. Ciphers, accapellas, with a beat. You see there are different zones to be in. Understand. A great fighter once said "It is good to have a little fear , it keeps you on your toes". I love the release and excitement from my lyrical expressions.


I think I understand the chemical and natural aspect of brain activity whilst mc,ing the higher energy the beat, the higher and better the response usually. Freestyling of the top without a beat seems more simple and allows one to span the plethora of subjects and wordplay in one's vernacular easier. Too me.

Also, screw ups and not saying what you really wanted to purvey. Can cause a loss of confidence. However you do not have to quit or fret just force yourself to slow down and think and progress your way to your maximum quality lyrical content.

Be brave, be confident, and understand yourself, others and your surroundings.
 
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Absolutely, fear can be the stressor then just freestyle and build until your confidence is coming and you'll get into that zone. The most important thing in that situation is to enjoy it and not be self critical.
 
Laureat Ramadani said:
our emotions can be triggered on different ways

like when someone is suckking your d may trigger something you know ?

they say SUCCESS BRINGS CONFIDENCE
it is true because our prediction is that if I was successful on this before, it means there are possibilities that I CAN DO THIS AGAIN, so the more you succeed on that, the more you belief,

but just because you was successful on washing the dishes that doesn't make you confident to go fight with a lion , it is not how that works

but if you create a VISION, an IDEA of how to succeed in a fight with a lion, such as getting oneself some guns, you know? you be like "WELL, I CAN DO THAT " I can kill lots of lions from a distance its no big problem you know?

so you don't really need to kill a bunch of lions to finally believe, to finally be confident that you can do something like that, even if you have never killed a lion before, you know that you can do it, its a gun, you shoot from distance there is no problem at all, too simple and you are safe in your ride, there is nothing to worry even if you miss the shot, you know?

OK so I used that to get to this one, even if you was never successful on music before, if you simply bring up something like a bunch of cool sounds, a bunch of cool lyrics, a bunch of cool things and you make oneself believe " YEAH I FINALLY GOT SOMETHING " YOU BECOME CONFIDENT AND HARD LIKE A D you know?

don't confuse oneself and others with neurotransmitters, because you don't need all that information you just get confused when you bring those things up

dude I just feel like I have something to share on this I like the topic and what you discussing about
Click to expand...

Yes belief can create confidence and where does belief come from? In most cases experience where you've achieved something, you can trick the brain into belief though. I bring up neurotransmitters so anyone can research what I'm saying and see the evidence behind it quite easily.

The thing to focus on is the formula I came up with: confidence in what you're doing + stress/pressure + focus on a specific goal = flow. The quantities of each amount, how they're triggered and the order of triggering can be argued in what's best but I think based on what I've seen the formula adds up correctly.
 
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