How do you get into flow?
Do you have those weeks where it feels like you are swimming against the tide? That's how I felt this week, a little off-kilter like I couldn't quite find my groove. It's particularly noticeable after having a few weeks of being creative, productive, and swimming in the flow of the current. And then inexplicably this week I haven't been able to get into the groove. I still had lots of ideas and inspiration for things I wanted to do and articles I want to write. Yet I have drifted. I lacked focus and intention. I haven't been in that state of flow.
I was talking to my friend about this last night. Astute as always she hit the nail on the head. She asked me what can I do to get back into the flow? This was an interesting question because it made me realize how passive I was being. I think of my moods as being out of my control, as something I need to accept and to just let them pass. But her question prompted me to think about being more proactive around this.
What can I do to get back into the groove?
It's funny how multiple things bubble up at the same time. Like the universe is banging on the door, trying to get your attention and then it finally hits you. You connect the dots! On Wednesday I was listening to a Rich Litvin podcast and he shared his single most favorite tool that he likes to use with his clients, the energy audit. At the end of the day or week, you make a list of all the people, places, projects, habits, and thoughts that drained you and ones that fueled you. You can do the audit over a week or over a month. At the same time, a woman in my coaching community is sharing her insights from doing her own energy audit. Finally, the penny dropped, maybe I could do my own energy audit and see what gets me in flow, and what drains my energy and pulls me off track.
One thing I have observed this week is when I am not in flow, I am very much in my head. I noticed how analytical I get. I judge myself. I doubt my ideas. I get stuck in analysis paralysis. This leads me to think that being in flow is when you are connected to a purer source of energy, you are creating from your soul, or wisdom, or whatever you want to call that place of knowing and trusting. When I am not in flow, it's because my intellectual brain, my personal thinking is getting in the way of that.
So how do I bypass the intellect and get more inflow? We shall see what the energy audit brings up. One thing I know for sure, being able to share the journey with friends, and with my coaching community makes a huge difference to my energy. Just talking to someone about the experience helped me see how passive I was being with my flow state and nudged me to take action which in turn fueled my energy. I felt back in the groove.
If you are curious to play with the energy audit, let me know, and maybe we can share insights and keep each other on track. I plan to do the audit over the next month. Email me at melanie@therestorativecoach.com if you want to join me in this experiment.
