Rocket Fuel- Prepare for Launch
Fuel for Living Better
This past week I was trying to craft a metaphor to explain the connection between Psychological Flow and mental health. Specifically, anxiety, depression, and PTSD. I’m sure there are other connections, but these are the areas I have expertise in right now. I wanted to help a couple of my clients better understand the importance of Flow. Thus, the Rocket Launch metaphor was formed. We’ve got to fill up our tanks with rocket fuel and prepare for launch! Let’s get down to it.
4 Phases of Flow
Anxiety, Depression and Flow
3 Recommendations
Here we go!
Prepare for Launch: The Four Phases of Flow
Research has shown that flow is not an on/off switch, but rather a 4 stage cycle. The first connection to the metaphor. A rocket launch to the moon goes through many phases of preparation before the actual launch.
Phase 1: Struggle Phase
In the struggle phase we are fueling up our rockets. The cool thing about this rocket though is that it has an unlimited fuel tank. We can fill it with as much fuel as we want to. The hard part is that the fueling process does not always feel so great. It’s called the struggle phase for a reason. It’s a struggle!
In the struggle phase we are making connections. Learning. Adding new skills. Formulating opinions. Reading research. Practicing. Repeating fundamentals until we have them mastered. This is the training montage you see in movies. Film makers speed through this part of the phase because it appears boring and not very exciting.
First of all, you can’t skip through this phase like an actor in a movie who accomplishes a year’s worth of training and practice into 25 seconds. You’ve gotta allow yourself to be in the struggle. It’s important and helpful.
Phase 2: The Release
The release phase is all about putting down what you’re doing. Completely turning that part off and releasing your brain to focus on something else. This allows your brain to subconsciously work on connecting patterns. You’ll need those for the launch in phase 3.
Getting some moderate exercise, good sleep, and being totally mindful help with this phase. You can think of it like the calm before the storm. Or the quiet anticipation on the night before launch day. You’ve done the hard work in the struggle phase. Hit the pause button for a moment to let it all marinate and soak in.
Phase 3: Flow
Finally, we have lift off! Psychological Flow is the neurochemical equivalent to exploding rocket fuel. Propelling you to the moon. Yes, it feels that good. It feels so good that flow is considered to be autotelic - it is the means to the end and the end itself.
Your brain explodes with feel good neurochemicals like: Dopamine, Serotonin, Norepinephrine, Anandimide, and Endorphins. All of which play an important part in amplifying intellectual and cognitive performance (Steven Kotler, The Art of Impossible).
Research on Flow has shown up to a 500% increase in productivity (according to a 10 year study done by McKinsey & Co.). Even a small burst of that can go a long way into improving depression scores.
Phase 4: Recovery
Phase 3 burns up a lot of that rocket fuel. So, recovery time is necessary. To be honest, I think phase 4 is the most important. How can you expect to have another launch day if you don’t first debrief and recover.
This is a great time to start a Flow Journal. A flow journal will help you debrief on what occurred during your flow experience in phase 3. Additionally, it will help you remain patient during your next struggle phase. It is a reminder to you that the struggle is worth it, and to not get down on yourself while you are working to refuel your tank.
This phase is also important because, as humans, we must temper our drive to experience flow. We can not become flow junkies. That can lead to some serious burnout. Creating a robust recovery strategy really works to your benefit to have more flow states, and to move through the flow cycle more efficiently. Then you’re ready to begin filling your tank with rocket fuel again and preparing for your next launch.
More flow = living better.
Depression and Flow
I like this metaphor (and in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy we love our metaphors) of a rocket ship because it helps us see depression in a different light. In this metaphor, depression can be viewed as a malfunction in the fueling stage.
Depression makes us feel fatigued. Empty. Unmotivated. This causes a disruption in the fueling process or maybe even bringing it to a complete stop. Depression influences our ability to persevere through the struggle phase.
Then, when launch conditions are just right, we don’t have enough fuel to get off the ground. And, from what we know about learned helplessness, when we have enough failed launches we may altogether stop trying to launch. The lack of flow also becomes a cycle. One in which we may eventually come to the conclusion that trying to get into flow isn’t even worth the effort.
This makes me wonder about the neurochemistry of depression and how it is linked to the neurochemistry of flow. How is our brain influenced when we miss out on the rush of flow neurochemicals?
Anxiety and Flow
This metaphor also gives us a different view on anxiety. Anxiety is the “Houston, We have a problem” part of the rocket launch. You may have fueled up the ship with great stuff, but then 3...2...1… WAIT! Anxiety/fear kicks in and stops the launch before it has the chance to happen.
Anxiety can lead to over-analyzing, paralysis, and avoidance. Similar to depression, get enough of these experiences and launching your rocket will appear too dangerous. The anxiety only grows stronger and stronger when we get into that pattern of avoidance.
The Take Home
Understanding the 4 stages of flow can go a long way in helping you to live better. It can decrease the amount of time it takes to complete a launch cycle. It can give you space to be more patient with yourself, more compassionate. And, it can help you identify any malfunctions in the pre/ post- launch process.
From here, I really recommend 3 things.
If you haven’t already, get clear about your purpose/ values/ passion. What is the thing that drives you into flow? What are you really, truly passionate about? What are you curious about? If you are unsure about your purpose, reach out for a session. Counseling can help with that.
Start a flow journal. Journaling throughout the flow stages is helpful. Especially after experiencing a flow state.
To help you fuel the tank- Do the rocket fuel exercise. Create a list. Keep it somewhere easily accessible because you’ll add to it more and more. This list is made up of all things that might be connected to your passion. This is where you draw your rocket fuel from. It’s sort of like cross-training. Anything and everything that might somehow connect to your purpose. Write it down and then spend some time exploring inside of those connected areas. Read, listen to podcasts, watch videos, talk to people about it. Whatever methods available to you. Spend 10-20 minutes each day “playing around in” or “exploring” these connected topics.
As always,
