[One Thousand Characters a Day] Jeong Hui-won's 'The Secret to Aging Slowly' <4>

Editor's NoteOur body and mind do not break the vicious cycle if one element collapses. For example, when a worker's mind is filled with important work issues, stress hormones are secreted in the body. Stress hormones help focus on important tasks in the short term, but when accumulated beyond intrinsic capacity, the quality of sleep deteriorates, indulgence in stimulating foods and alcohol increases, and rest activities such as exercise, meditation, and reading decrease. In the long term, cognitive functions such as concentration and judgment decline, so even though more time is spent sitting and working, work performance decreases. Then, working later again, reducing time to clear the mind, and eventually the body begins to suffer from various chronic diseases. At this time, intrinsic capacity is the strength to overcome stress and the power to recover when some physical functions are lost. Word count 1023 characters.

To maintain a state of flow well, the following efforts can be helpful. Professor Hwang Nong-moon, author of Flow, says that a quiet and focused environment, regular exercise, and a diet mainly of vegetables and meat are necessary for flow. Personally, I think it is essential to also have sufficient and high-quality sleep, abstinence from alcohol, an environment free of stimuli such as smartphones, and a mind sufficiently cultivated with mindfulness.

Since each person has a different time of day when their concentration is highest, finding that time and aiming for optimal flow is also a method. Setting achievable goals is important as well. For example, suppose you are writing a book. You plan to write the latter half of Part 3 in one day, and during this flow cycle, you decide to write the first three paragraphs of one chapter. Setting such tangible goals helps with flow. However, open the document with a relaxed mindset that even writing a single word is fine. Even if you usually engage in strategic thinking, at the execution stage, you should not look at the big mountain to climb but focus on the single step in front of you. Once flow begins, it seems difficult to maintain the highest state of flow continuously for more than two hours. Personally, when flow is depleted, I have found it very helpful to engage in other activities such as exercise or musical instrument practice, take a nap, or try mindfulness meditation.

Mindfulness and flow strength may vary in effectiveness from person to person. Therefore, recording daily experiences in a few short sentences can greatly help identify which lifestyle habits are most effective in the medium to long term. Subjectively quantifying (0?10 points) and recording the degree of mind wandering or quality of flow is also a good method.

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When mindfulness and flow strength are both developed, a virtuous cycle of mental health begins. The reward system, damaged by addiction to harmful and immediate stimuli, is corrected, calming the mind peacefully. Above all, if the brain is well maintained to enjoy flow, it gains pleasure from a wide range of areas, so harmful stimuli that require initial costs become unnecessary. Naturally, this leads to a life cycle full of good stimuli.

- Jeong Heewon, You Too Can Age Slowly, The Quest, 17,800 KRW

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