In the reading flow: How books calm my overthinker brain

Reading as a flow state
How Books Quiet My Overthinker Brain

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Merle Blankenfeld

Sports? Pottery? Chess? Why my overthinker brain can only switch off when reading – and get into a flow.

When people say that when they paint, When you’re cooking or even running, you can really get into the flow, switch off your head and devote yourself entirely to what you’re doing, I can only look at you with fascination and a bit of disbelief. For my overthinker brain, a flow state is extremely rare. When I’m painting or doing anything else crafty or creative, my mind very quickly goes into “Wow, are you doing that badly” mode. When I’m cooking, I constantly think about how annoying I find it, while when I’m running, my head just has way too much space to think about EVERYTHING that’s bothering me at the time. The fact that people “clear their heads” while jogging is a mystery to me. My head is never less clear than when running.

Now you might be thinking: She should meditate a little or do yoga. In fact, I’ve been doing both almost every day for almost ten years. But even with these mindful activities in which you just concentrate on the moment and/or the breath, my thoughts are unfortunately very loud. Nevertheless, both are good for me – otherwise I wouldn’t have stuck with it for so long. Because practicing alone, letting these thoughts and feelings arise and be there, helps. If only a little.

Open the book, start relaxing – according to the study, it really works

The only activity I’ve found so far that gives me at least some semblance of a flow state is reading. Only when reading can I immerse myself in the moment and let my thoughts just be thoughts for a while. Sometimes I forget about time (okay, at least for a few minutes!), I can let myself fully immerse myself in the world that the book transports me into and relax a little. Exactly what I unfortunately rarely manage to do. When I’m reading, it’s not difficult for me to concentrate at all – completely different than when I’m staring at screens and passively consuming something. Then unfortunately my hand constantly wanders to my smartphone or my thoughts about the important appointment the next day.

I’m not alone in my love of reading and experiencing flow. For a study, the Frankfurt Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics asked almost 400 people between the ages of 19 and 73 about their impressions when reading a chapter from Homer’s “Odyssey” – anything but an easy beach read. The result: The researchers were able to see from the participants’ answers that they got into a regular reading flow, despite the difficult reading. People reported that they found reading relaxing – an ECG measurement confirmed this.

Completely in the flow of reading: Why stories can captivate us so much

What is it about reading that captivates us and makes us forget everything around us? How is it that a novel in particular has the same effect on me that others feel when running or painting watercolors?

For me, reading is escapism and therapeutic at the same time. I can escape reality for a while and completely immerse myself in the story, identify with the characters in fantasy novels, love stories or thrillers and lose myself in their plot. But it goes beyond that: reading also helps me to calm down – and thus give space to emotions and thoughts.

I often hear people say things like “I have no time or peace to read.” For me it’s exactly the opposite – the more there is going on outside and within myself, the more I have the urge to withdraw. Once in the literal sense, locking my apartment door from the inside and saying bye-bye to the world for a while, but also retreating into the stories that help me process things. Of course, this doesn’t always happen right away; after all, I also have to work or fulfill other duties and appointments. But when I have time, my intuitive response to difficult moments is to open a book (or turn on the e-reader).

My gratitude for books

I don’t always succeed with the flow state. Depending on what’s on my mind at the moment or how much or little the novel I’m currently reading excites me, I’m sometimes distracted by my own thoughts while reading. But I often manage to get into that relaxed state where, at least for a while, nothing else matters but the words on the page.

I sometimes envy people who find it easy to get into such a state of flow, who can do this with a wide variety of activities. But at the same time, I’m incredibly grateful that there are books and stories that allow me, at least every now and then, to tame my overthinker brain a little. They give me so much joy, make me feel so many emotions, stimulate so many new thoughts and allow me to relax for a moment. And I’m sure my EKG would reflect that too.

Sources used: psychology-heute.de, forschung-und-lehre.de

Bridget

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