Tapping Into Your Self and Out of Stress

Are you feeling stressed? If the answer is yes, you are not alone. Everyone feels stressed sometimes because life is stressful.

So what is stress exactly? Stress is a mind-body response to a real or perceived threat, event, or change in your life, which manifests through physical sensations, thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. This event or threatening situation is known as a stressor and can be internal like negative self-talk, perfectionism, an all or nothing attitude, or external such as job responsibilities, loss, finances, major life events/transitions, or relationships. The stressor can be a one time occurrence, or it can be ongoing such as a chronic illness or the COVID-19 pandemic. 

We experience physiological, cognitive, and emotional symptoms from stress which include lack of sleep, feeling tense, headaches, increased heart rate, sense of worry or uneasiness, feeling of dread, frustration, and irritability, just to name a few. These symptoms will likely impact our subsequent behaviors, which might include emotional outbursts, withdrawal, substance abuse, or compulsive behaviors like nail-biting. Have you ever come home from a stressful day at work and then snapped at your partner or your child for no reason? Our stress builds up over time and sometimes we need to release this negative energy and it can come out in hurtful ways. 

Sometimes, stress can be helpful, such as motivating you to study before a big test. However, sometimes stress can feel overwhelming and debilitating. If you are in a constant state of stress, even when there is no immediate stressor, you may be experiencing an anxiety disorder. Anxiety is generally caused by internal factors like intrusive thoughts and can have stronger physiological and psychological symptoms such as insomnia, panic attacks, racing heart, and persistent feelings of dread. 

How can we manage our stress and/or anxiety? I recommend using a mind-body approach, since stress and anxiety affect our minds and our bodies.

EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) is a great mind-body approach that I recently learned about to combat stress, anxiety, and trauma. The technique, created by Gary Craig in the 1990s, involves tapping acupuncture points while repeating a positive affirmation in order to calm the nervous system to relieve stress and anxiety. The pressure points lie along the body’s energy pathways, which are called meridians. The idea is to activate the meridian points through tapping to help rid the body of negative energy and restore balance to the mind and body. 

I have found this technique to be effective with clients and have also used it to manage my own stress. Follow the steps below to try this technique yourself and stay tuned for a video demonstration. 

1. Identify a specific problem, fear, or stressor in your life. 

2. Rate this problem on a scale from 0-10 with 10 being the most intense or difficult.

3. Create a statement that acknowledges the pain while accepting who you are despite the problem. The phrase below is one of the standard phrases used. 

   1. Even though I have (this problem) I deeply and completely love and accept myself.  

   2. Make sure to be very specific with the problem. For example, “Even though I am frustrated at work, with my boss who micromanages everything I do, I deeply and completely love and accept myself.”

4. Start by tapping on the side of your hand between your wrist and the bottom of your pinky (5-7 times on each hand) while reciting the phrase above three times. 

5. Then, tap each pressure point 5-7 times, with one hand or both, moving down the body in ascending order, while repeating a reminder phase like “frustration at my boss for micromanaging me.”

   1. Top of head

   2. Where your eyebrow meets the bridge of your nose

   3. Side of your eye

   4. Under your eye

   5. Under your nose

   6. Right above your chin

   7. Above your collarbone

   8. Under your arm, below your armpit

6. After one round, take a deep breath and give yourself a new intensity rating from 0-10. Compare this result to your initial rating and repeat the steps above until you have reached 0. 

You might be thinking, does this really work? This technique might seem a bit silly at first, and I was definitely skeptical before I tried it, but it really works. When we perceive a threat or a challenging event, our bodies release cortisol, considered the stress hormone, and we move into a fight, flight, or freeze response. Studies show that EFT counteracts this response by significantly reducing cortisol levels. It is also effective at decreasing symptoms of anxiety, depression, and PTSD.

Tapping along the meridian sends soothing signals to our stress centers, reminding us that we are safe, which restores balance and calm. When we add an affirming phrase, our mind is also telling our bodies that we are OK and can manage the stressor. We are getting the best of both worlds by simultaneously accessing our physical and emotional stress levels. 

I have found that this technique can work well with stressors at level 10 intensity or stressors at a level 3 or 4. This can be used for children, teens, and adults. For younger children, you can modify the language in the phrase to make it more understandable. For example, you could have your child say, “Even though I (have this problem), I am still a great kid or I still love myself.” 

The next time you are feeling stressed and unable to find peace, try EFT and see if you feel more balanced, less stressed and more in control. 

Visit https://www.thetappingsolution.com for more information about EFT and check back next week for a video demonstration of the tapping points.