How to Go With the Flow (8 hacks from a traveling musician)
As a musician and traveler living abroad, knowing how to go with the flow is a soft skill I can’t go without. So these are my top moves for staying calm and riding the waves.
Of course, everyone has a different situation or context.
I’m the first to admit that my life, on paper, is not stressful. I work for myself as a remote freelancer and make music and art while traveling.
But that doesn’t mean I don’t deal with daily stress or other life pressures.
So I’m confident the tips in this article work – because they work for me.
But before we jump in, let’s get a quick definition for going with the flow.
What does going with the flow mean?
For me, going with the flow means taking things as they are, even if they’re obstacles or inconveniences.
Alright, enough small talk – let’s get it.
1. Eggs, Baskets + Staying Flexible
This first one is fairly practical.
It’s basically that sage old advice we’ve all heard before: don’t put all your eggs in one basket.
It’s good advice for the most part – especially for learning how to go with the flow of things.
For me (in this context), this means looking ahead and having backup plans or alternative options if things go awry.
This way, I’m not relying on any one result, solution, option or path forward. It’s the art of being flexible and having a plan B (and so on).
Of course, I’m not saying that we shouldn’t double down and go after our core goals.
It’s just the simple fact that keeping contingencies in the back pocket helps me stay mindful and relaxed.
Most of the time, things do work out pretty close to how I’d hoped they would.
But life does have a tendency to throw wrenches too, so we may as well plan ahead.
2. Time Horizons + Expectations
Learning to go with the flow can sometimes feel like a life overhaul.
(i.e., it’s not exactly an overnight thing)
So in addition to being patient with yourself (as you learn to go with the flow more), adjusting other timelines and expectations in your life is equally helpful.
Sometimes, we give ourselves unrealistic deadlines and create grandiose expectations for how things should be.
So the idea here is to give ourselves more time and to lighten the load a bit. Going after goals is amazing, but we can’t jump straight to the top of the mountain anyways.
So we can start adjusting our expectations by first reverse engineering our macro goals into smaller micro ones (and even nano ones from those).
Slowly chipping away at our goals, little by little, is way easier and less stressful.
On top of this, we should adjust our time horizons to better suit our go-with-the-flow objectives.
So if that means turning your 1 year plan into a 2 or 3-year one, then do that.
The goal here is to lessen the stresses in our life.
Because after all, less stress = more flow.
3. Laugh Daily
Just have fun, they said. It’ll be easy, they said.
Yet, inevitably, life gets stressful and things pop up that knock us off balance.
But a great remedy for a lot of this flow-disruption is simply taking the time to laugh more.
I know I know – it’s a bit over-simplistic, potentially reductionist and slightly cliche.
But hear me out.
According to the Mayo Clinic, laughter can stimulate your heart and muscles, boosts oxygen levels, increases endorphins, cools your stress response, improves relaxation and stimulates circulation to soothe tension.
That’s kind of a lot, and these are just some of the short-term effects. There’s a lot more going on long-term, such as stronger immunity and a boosted mood in general.
But in short, getting into the habit of simply laughing can make us more relaxed. And if more relaxed more often, we’re more likely to be able to just go with the flow.
Objective – met.
Here are some tips for learning to let go and laugh a little more:
Swap the news for something funny and lighthearted
Actually, just stop watching the news altogether (you’ll catch the big stuff)
Hang around more people who make you laugh
Learn to laugh at yourself and not take things so seriously
Know your humor personality – explore and consider what things you find funny and why
Try intentional laughing activities, such as laughing yoga
Start a daily humor journal, writing down 3 (or more) funny things from the day (or things that you could practice laughing at, rather than stressing)
4. Take Care of Those To-Dos
Nothing takes me away from the present moment more than having random unfinished tasks hanging over my mind.
So this one is simple: get into a habit of tackling your daily (or weekly) to-dos.
Keeping life organized and caught up is essential for a relaxed state of mind.
I’m still surprised at how keeping a simple to-do list helps me stress less and take care of mundane tasks quicker.
Like, “yea, duh, didn’t you know?”
I suppose it’s sort of a standard human adult skill, but I’ve always struggled with creating and following a simple to-do list.
But yea, they help.
I mean, even knowing that my trivial tasks are neatly organized in my Notes app – ready to be checked off at any moment – already helps me relax.
Of course, actually checking those things off puts me in that total flow state vibe.
5. Prioritize You
Doing more of what you actually like to do is pretty straightforward advice. And of course,everyone has different situations.
But putting yourself first every once in a while is a great way to get better at going with the flow.
Because what are we without a little self care, love and fun.
I’m all for altruism, but prioritizing yourself is important too.
So here are a few tips to ensure we’re happy and doing ourselves good:
Actually schedule time for your hobbies, passions and interests
Prioritize your health by eating good food, exercising and getting good sleep
Hang around great people who make you laugh and inspire you
Don’t feel bad about taking a pause and relaxing (not everyday needs to be a homerun…)
6. Pattern Interrupt
I see going with the flow as a subconscious habit. Similarly, I believe being out of flow is one too.
So let’s interrupt that pattern.
As with any habit-changing practice, the first thing we need to do is simply become aware of and recognize the old pattern.
Then we need to see and accept the stuff we’re trying to change, without judgment – but just for like, 5 seconds.
After this, we need to practice consciously (and emotionally) moving on.
It’s all about breaking old habits and creating new ones. And it’s not always easy. Letting go of old habits and emotions is hard.
So go easy on yourself and don’t feel bad if it takes some time and some work.
Here’s my basic process:
Become aware of things that knock us out of flow
Recognize them (for 5 seconds)
Let go of those things and create a new pattern
One thing that helps me tremendously with pattern interrupts and creating new habits is meditation.
So let’s talk about that more.
7. Start A Daily Meditation Routine
Becoming mindful and aware of your reactions and emotions to situations is a fantastic tip for life in general.
But when it comes to going with the flow, this can be a huge help.
Actually, this tip can enhance every other hack on this list. So, in my humble opinion, it’s definitely worth the time.
I can’t imagine going without my mediation routine. It’s changed so many aspects of my life.
I mean, as most of us might know, meditation has a lot of benefits. Here are some of my favorites:
Building skills to better handle stress
Boosting present moment awareness
More creativity
More patience
The ability to overcome my body and distractions
Having a sharper mind and a healthier body
So when it comes to learning how to go with the flow, meditation may just be the perfect tool for the job.
Here are some quick tips for getting started:
Start small (even just a few minutes of stillness is good)
Practice focusing on your breath
Use a designated space for your meditations
Create a good environment with relaxing sounds, smells and sights
Study the benefits and techniques more to boost your understanding and inspiration
Try different methods to find one that works for you
Stay patient and remember – there are no bad meditations
8. Practice Reframing Negatives
Some of this tip ties into gratitude and meditation, but it’s a bit different.
Actually, it makes life a lot easier being able to reframe things. For example, solo traveling isn’t always exactly Insta-worthy.
So being able to take the blows and surprises of life with a smile has been instrumental.
But here’s what I mean by reframing those meh moments.
Reframing the negatives is the ability to shift the emotions of some setback, failure or negative experience into a positive experience or opportunity.
It’s related to having a growth mindset, and is really helpful for staying grounded and going with the flow.
I should note though that eliminating every negative or bad day isn’t the goal. I’ve just learned to embrace them with a better outlook.
It’s sort of like the whole yin and yang concept.
Reframing my negatives means I can view most of them as something like the roots of a tree. They’re not as pretty and they tend to live in the dirt and the dark.
But they definitely make for a stronger, more beautiful tree.
Too cheesy?
Perhaps – but it works for me.
So practice reframing things and learn to go with the flow more (practicing gratitude and zooming out to see the larger picture helps me a lot).
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