Post: #1

Any tips/suggestions about getting "in the zone" when you need it?

I had an interesting experience today. I was catching a flight and when a plane goes through significant turbulence, I usually get quite anxious and cling on to the side of my seat. It happened again on today's flight and it is a similar uncontrollable feeling to what I experience when I come up against other stress-provoking challenges such as public speaking.

However, the next time the flight went through turbulence, I happened to be listening to upbeat house music. When listening to this music, I noticed that I wasn't at all worried about the turbulence - and was quite relaxed - essentially similar to the "in the zone" feeling that I experience from time to time when I am super productive.

Obviously having this kind of music follow me around when I am doing stress provoking tasks but I'm wondering if there would be a way to train the mind to experience this feeling without music?

Post: #2

Thanks for sharing.

Why without music - if music works for you, you know now what gets you going?

Post: #3

(12-25-2018 09:10 AM)Rushmore Wrote:  Thanks for sharing.

Why without music - if music works for you, you know now what gets you going?

I guess because it is not always possible/practical to have the music around with me when I need it. If it is possible to enter a similar frame of mind without music through some training method - then that would be amazing and I would be far more productive. At present, my "in the zone" moments are far and few between.

Post: #4

(12-25-2018 09:22 AM)bonkers Wrote:  

(12-25-2018 09:10 AM)Rushmore Wrote:  Thanks for sharing.

Why without music - if music works for you, you know now what gets you going?

I guess because it is not always possible/practical to have the music around with me when I need it. If it is possible to enter a similar frame of mind without music through some training method - then that would be amazing and I would be far more productive. At present, my "in the zone" moments are far and few between.

Instead of grasping for 'the zone', you should take a small amount of satisfaction in the fact that you are able to take action in the face of your fear.

When presented with a challenging situation, sometimes you will feel bold, sometimes you will not feel so bold, but you should always, and at the very least, feel simple pride if you met the situation.

I assure you that 'getting in the zone' and staying there will become a more regular occurrence if you continue to make those small efforts to make yourself a superior man to the one you are today -- something you appear to be doing. It's easier if you have a fit body or are on the way to getting a fit body. It's easier when you have a variety of experiences or are pursuing a variety of experiences. If you have developed your capacity to take action or are currently in a state of taking action. If you have improved the quality of your social relations (friends, family, lovers) or are improving them.

The true benefits come over time: if you've lived right, thought right, and have expanded yourself through modest and sincere application, then you will have reason to take pride and naturally allow yourself to 'enter the zone' more freely. Your inclination and ability to take action in the immediate moment is more important than any sensation of being 'in the zone', and trust that in the long run, you will continue to ripen and enter that state more freely.

Post: #5

The Zone for me = Full control of your abilities within the environment plus a slight degree of difficulty that you can overcome with focus and concentration.

I'm not sure what you're describing is the zone, Bonkers... more like zoned out as you were passive and distracted by the music.

Or maybe turbulence was the difficulty and you being in control of your own fear was also the zone in a way... but it seems the music shifted your focus and pacified you.

Cool thread.

Post: #6

(12-25-2018 09:03 AM)bonkers Wrote:  Any tips/suggestions about getting "in the zone" when you need it?

I had an interesting experience today. I was catching a flight and when a plane goes through significant turbulence, I usually get quite anxious and cling on to the side of my seat. It happened again on today's flight and it is a similar uncontrollable feeling to what I experience when I come up against other stress-provoking challenges such as public speaking.

However, the next time the flight went through turbulence, I happened to be listening to upbeat house music. When listening to this music, I noticed that I wasn't at all worried about the turbulence - and was quite relaxed - essentially similar to the "in the zone" feeling that I experience from time to time when I am super productive.

Obviously having this kind of music follow me around when I am doing stress provoking tasks but I'm wondering if there would be a way to train the mind to experience this feeling without music?

When I hear that phrase, I think of a state of mind where the conscious mind simply relaxes and allows itself to be absorbed by the task at hand. The catch is, if you ever stop and say to yourself, "wow, I'm really in the zone!", you're no longer in the zone. I tend to associate it with a task: getting in the zone when rebuilding a transmission, or writing code, or organizing a closet, or sparring. It's when the mind and body are both focused on achieving a goal, without that pesky inner dialogue getting in the way.

With regards to accessing the state you achieved without music? Consider this: when you hear a sound, certain parts of your brain light up. When you remember that same sound, the same parts of your brain light up. The only difference is the source, and I think it's an unimportant difference. So if you discover that particular songs get you where you need to be, you can condition yourself to respond a certain way to those songs.

For instance, I have two workout albums I listen to. I alternate between them for some variety, but I only listen to them when working out:









I only listen to them when I work out. After a rather short amount of time, the association between the music and the activity (and the state of mind) became concrete. Now, no matter how I feel when going to the gym, when I turn on the music, my state mind shifts immediately to where I need it to be.

Because sensory memories are just as real as external sensory input (that is, they have the exact same affect on the brain), I suspect a similar effect could be achieved with memories of the songs, too. NLP might have some of the answers you're looking for. There's a very accessible book by Joseph O'Connor and John Seymour on the subject (Introducing NLP)

Post: #7

Music is the best way to get some relied after lots of hard work. I think you should prefer that.