II. How does Flow and Spirituality work?

Having a meaningful life involves using your signature strengths to do pleasurable and engaging activities that are in the service of others for something far greater than you or material interests. Finding meaning in your activities can increase the pleasure you take in them as well as giving yourself more opportunities to express spirituality. Being fully engaged in activities you take pleasure in is defined by psychologists as Flow [2, 16]. Flow experiences can increase your overall satisfaction with life than non-flow experiences. You can tell you are experiencing flow in your activities when you:

• lose your preoccupation with time;
• stop thinking about yourself, your own comfort and how you look;
• are focused and not distracted by happenings elsewhere, everyday thoughts or worries;
• are actively involved and have control over what you are doing;
• feel that your activities are effortless, even though they may be challenging; and
• are happy to do the activity again.

Flow experiences happen three times more often at work than they do during leisure time. Although leisure is important to Gratitude and Savouring, you are more likely to experience flow in a work situation. You normally spend more time at work than in leisure activities, so it is therefore important to find work that uses your signature strengths and that you can be fully engaged in. Greater earnings from your job or activities do not necessarily give you greater happiness, but your strengths, your involvement in working for a higher goal, and the pleasure derived from it, will ultimately provide you the opportunities for happiness to occur. You can also experience flow in leisurely activities by choosing ones that play to your signature strengths and skills. This will also provide you with an opportunity to use your skills in a new way, which is also a way to increase happiness.

Positive psychologists note that there is a delicate balance between pleasure, engagement and meaning. Overdoing engagement can lead to addiction to work, and seeking meaning only in your work can lead to a lack of assertiveness and a loss of time for yourself and the opportunities for leisurely pleasure.

When you engage your signature strengths in activities of greater purpose, you have reached a state of spirituality that is not only about religious beliefs (religious beliefs are a form of spirituality), but it is also the meaning you find in your life and the ability to involve in greater goals other than yourself. You can tap into this form of spirituality by:

• being compassionate to others;
• treating others with the same sense of humanity they hold for themselves;
• doing volunteer work;
• being kind and charitable.

Personal forms of spiritual expression can include prayer, service attendance, and meditation, which can have positive effects on health and anxiety reduction. For more information on meditation, see Relaxation Exercises for more information.