in the zone

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in the zone

1. (idiomatic) In a mental state of focused concentration on the performance of an activity, in which one dissociates oneself from distracting or irrelevant aspects of one's environment.
   • 1999, Ann McCutchan, The Muse that Sings: Composers Speak about the Creative Process, page 214:

     It's when I'm in the zone that I feel by myself, the most vibrantly alone.

   • 2000, Donald R. Liggett, Sport Hypnosis, page 15:

     Just let yourself play, enjoying all of the feelings and sensations that come when you are in the zone.

   • 2002, Robert C. Scaer, The Body Bears the Burden: Trauma, Dissociation, and Disease, page 94:

     Athletes in these circumstances comment on the pain, but often refer to the experience as being "in the zone," a condition of distraction ...

   • 2005, Curtis P. Haugtvedt, Karen A. Machleit, Richard Yalch, Online Consumer Psychology: Understanding And Influencing Consumer Behavior, page 184:

     Indeed, game researchers Bryce and Rutter (2001) reported that the feeling many gamers have of being in the zone (ie, totally engrossed, losing sense of time) is comparable to what athletes experience on the field.

   • 2006, Robert Stephen Weinberg, Daniel Gould, Foundations of Sport And Exercise Psychology, page 148:

     These elements represent the essential features of optimal performances, which athletes have described as "hot," "in a groove," "on a roll," or "in the zone".

• in the groove, in the pocket (music)