AFACCT 2021 Conference

1. Let Go of Stress by
Finding Your Flow
Sara Leu, Ph.D.
1.7.2021
AFACCT 31st Annual Conference

2. Flow
Experience
▶ What is Flow
Experience?
▶ Examples
▶ Benefits

3. How to obtain
Flow Experience?
1. Challenge-skills balance
2. Action-awareness merging
3. Clear Goals
4. Unambiguous Feedback
5. Concentration on the task
at hand
6. Sense of control
7. Loss of self-consciousness
8. Transformation of time
(Csikszentmihalyi,1990)

4. De-stress strategies with Flow
dimensions

5. I. Planning
3-minute contemplative writing exercise about
ONE stressful task and how you can break it down
to many bite-size pieces with clear goals and
feedback.

6. II. Organizing
▶ Prioritize tasks; breakdown tasks to
small pieces with clear goals and
feedback; FOCUS!
▶ Rest, regular workouts and
balanced nutrition
▶ Learning new knowledge and skills
▶ Find helping hands!

7. III. Motivating
▶ Gratitude:
1-minute “Three-prompts” practice:
Let go/Grateful/Focus
▶ Relaxation practices:
❖1-minute Breathing practice
❖Elevator Breathing
❖Moving practices

8. III. Motivating (Cont’d)
▶ Just do it! (“Do It Badly”)
Ted talk video: Olivia Remes: What Are Simple Strategies To Cope with Anxiety
Disorder?(Olivia Remes: What Are Simple Strategies To Cope with Anxiety Disorder?)
▶ Fear Set During 5:40—9:37, the speaker explains what is a fear
set(5:40—9:37 Tim Ferriss TED2017 Why you should define your fears
instead of your goals)
*3-minute Fear-Set practice

9. IV. Controlling
▶ “How do I feel now?”
▶ Keep the strategies that help you
▶ Let Go
❖Self-compassion: Forgive yourself

10. Discussion:
What are your ONE take-away
about the learnings on de-stress
strategies and Flow experience?

11. Reference
▶ The Association for Contemplative Mind in Higher Education The
Association for Contemplative Mind in Higher Education
▶ Csikszentmihalyi,1990. Flow: The Psychology of optimal experience. New
York.
▶ Elaine Houston, 29-05-2020 Elaine Houston, 29-05-2020, wrote about
what is flow experience/
▶ Mindfulness as a Foundation for Teaching and Learning (Conference at
UDC, 3/16-3/18, 2018)
▶ Meetings and retreats of Contemplative Community Circle at CCBC