Ugh – Time to Meditate

Monk meditatingMeditation is good for me.   I think most people would admit to that.  I am personally guilty of letting anything and everything interfere with my plan to meditate.  That is true whether I am planning to meditate for 5 minutes or for an hour.  Fighting against the resistance has been futile.  Tapping about the resistance has been beneficial.

 

 

illustration for karate chop pointSay these words while tapping on the karate chop point: Even though I am resistant to meditation, I deeply and completely love and accept myself anyway.  Even though I am resistant to meditation, I love and accept myself, including my resistance.  Even though I am resistant to meditating, I deeply and completely love all of me.

 

 

diagram of the tapping pointsEyebrow…I resist meditating

Side of Eye…I’ve done it before

Under the Eye…And in my head I can acknowledge the benefit

Under the Nose…So it is somewhat confusing to me that I am so resistant

Chin…Even when I put it on my to-do list, I don’t

Collarbone…Some forms of meditation have been pretty difficult for me

Under the Arm… But other practices have been successful

Top of Head…I guess I’m not completely convinced

Eyebrow…That the benefit justifies the time

Side of Eye…That can’t be true

Under the Eye…I waste lots of time

Nose…On the computer

Chin…Watching TV

Collarbone…On Social Media

Under the Arm…And that time could be spent in meditation

Top of Head…Time spent meditating

Eyebrow…Has to be more beneficial

Side of Eye…Than playing games on my phone

Nose…So that leaves me wondering what the real issue is

Chin…So even though I am resisting meditating

Collarbone…I choose to remain open to the possibility

Under the Arm…That I could change my attitude about this

Top of Head…Meditating is another tool I can use

Eyebrow…To enhance my mental, physical, and spiritual health

Side of Eye…I choose to begin meditating more often

Under the Eye…Just to see where it leads

Nose…If I’m not feeling the benefit

Chin…I give myself permission to use my time in another way

Collarbone…I also choose to experiment

Under the Arm…With a variety of meditation methods

Top of Head…I could consider it an experiment

Eyebrow…I could consider it play

Side of Eye…I could consider it therapy

Under the Eye…I could consider it spiritual practice

Nose…I choose to explore the role of meditation in my life

Chin…My resistance is just another piece of information

Collarbone…About myself

Under the Arm…It would be awesome to learn from this

Top of Head…And more fully understand this part of who I am.

 

Cookies

stack of cookiesHave you ever done it?  I mean, have you ever eaten a whole box of cookies…..all at once?  Before you say no, think about Girl Scout Cookie time and the box of Thin Mints.  I’m not proud to say it, but I’ve done it…..more than once.  Even if you haven’t done it, and you’ve eaten more than you actually intended to, this tapping may help.

illustration for karate chop pointSetup (tapping on karate chop point): Even though I just ate a whole box of cookies, I choose to look forward to the day I can control my eating better. Even though I just ate a whole box of cookies, I am open to learning more about why I did it. Even though I just ate a whole box of cookies, I choose to feel hopeful that I can do better in the future.

 

Eyebrow…I just ate the whole box of cookies

Side of Eye…That was more than a whole day’s caloriesdiagram of the tapping points

Under the Eye…I ate way more calories than my body needs

Nose…It was a lot of sugar

Chin…And a lot of unhealthy fats

Collarbone…The first one tasted good

Under the Arm…Actually, the second one tasted good too

Top of Head…After that I was really just chasing the rush that the first two gave me

Eyebrow…I know why I started eating them

Side of Eye…I was upset

Under the Eye…And I just wanted to feel better

Nose…The sugar worked for a while

Chin…And that taste brings back happy memories

Collarbone…And food always works

Under the Arm…For a while

Top of Head…But then I felt bad

Eyebrow…I felt bad because I did something that wasn’t healthy for me

Side of Eye…And it didn’t solve the problem

Under the Eye…For a minute or two I felt better

Nose…But then I went back to feeling upset

Chin…And guilty about the cookies

Collarbone…I choose to forgive myself for eating the cookies

Under the Arm…I choose to forgive myself for not wanting to feel upset

Top of Head…I choose to learn from this and move forward confidently

I Believe What I’m Told

sign of encouragementYour decision to believe what others tell you is fact or what they tell you is possible may be preventing you from going after the things you desire and can stop you from being your authentic self.  Although some people might disagree, I have had a strong tendency to believe what I’m told.  Fortunately, this has been less of an issue as I’ve matured.  Tap along with this video to gain more clarity about your tendency to believe what you are told.

 

 

Tapping Video: Tap-plaining

What do you get when you combine tapping and complaining? Tap-plaining.  Complaining doesn’t usually help much.  It doesn’t fix anything and doesn’t usually make you feel better. When you tap while complaining you start to feel better, your perspective shifts, and solutions become more obvious.  Tap along with the video to experience how this can work.

I Don’t Want To

Kettle bells to represent exerciseDo you ever have a plan for when you are going to exercise, but when the time comes, you don’t really feel like it?  It happens to me all the time. This is the meridian tapping I have used before getting on the bike or treadmill. I hope it inspires you.

 

illustration for karate chop pointSetup (while tapping on the karate chop point): Even though it is time to exercise right now, and I don’t want to, I honor and respect my thoughts about this. Even though It’s time to exercise right now, and I don’t want to, I honor and respect my feelings about this. Even though its time to exercise right how, and I don’t want to, I honor and respect myself anyway.

diagram of the tapping pointsEyebrow…It is time to exercise

Side of Eye…And I don’t want to

Under the Eye…Thats ok

Under the Nose…I don’t always have to want to do something

Chin…There might be a good reason

Collarbone…And I am open to clarity

Under the Arm…This might also be an excuse

Top of Head…And I am open to clarity

Eyebrow…This might also be self-sabotage

Under the Eye…Not wanting to do something isn’t such a big deal

Under the Nose…I can choose to exercise right now anyway

Chin…I can choose to exercise later

Collarbone…I can listen to my inner guidance and decide if I will exercise or not

Under the Arm…I choose to make this decision with love and respect for my feelings

Top of Head…I choose to make this decision with love and respect for myself.

 

The hard part of this tapping is actually doing it.  Even those it is short it is usually enough to get me back on track.  Unfortunately part of the issue could be self-sabotage. In that case I can be very resistant to doing the tapping because I know it will actually work.

Give it a try and let me know how it worked for you.

Setting Boundaries

brown wooden fence to illustrate setting boundariesWhy is it so hard to set boundaries with other people?

This is something that I have struggled with most of my life.  For me, setting boundaries gets all mixed up with religious teachings about loving other people, societal values, and the general admonition to be nice.  Intellectually I know that one can set boundaries without being mean.  Emotionally, it usually still feels mean.  Try this tapping.

 

illustration for karate chop pointSetup (tapping karate chop point):  Even though I find it hard to set boundaries with other people, I deeply and completely accept myself and all of my feelings.  Even though I have found it hard to set boundaries with other people in the past, I accept myself and all of my feelings about this.  Even though I find it hard to set boundaries with other people, I deeply and completely love and accept myself and am looking forward to feeling better about this in the future.

 

Eyebrow…I find it hard to set boundaries with other peoplediagram of the tapping points

Side of Eye…I get all nervous

Under the Eye…And I feel it in the pit of my stomach

Under the Nose…And my jaw tightens up

Chin…Even worse, sometimes I stutter

Collarbone…When I do set boundaries, I’m usually very mad

Under the Arm…Then I’m more aggressive than assertive

Top of Head…Or a total basket case

Eyebrow…That’s not really setting boundaries with others

Side of Eye…That is just reacting

Under the Eye…I want to learn more about why it has been hard for me

Under the Nose…I think I’m afraid they won’t like me

Chin…There have been times when I’ve said no

Collarbone…And sometimes it works well

Under the Arm…And sometimes people react badly

Top of Head…I can’t really control other people’s reactions

Eyebrow…And by not setting boundaries, I’m attempting to feel like I’m in control

Side of Eye…But it is really false control

Under the Eye…Because my needs aren’t being met

Under the Nose…I’m looking forward to catching myself in this unhealthy pattern more often

Chin…So that I can observe it and change it

Collarbone…I am open to understanding my motivations in each situation

Under the Arm…I am open to learning new ways to set boundaries with other people

Top of Head…I am looking forward to respecting my own needs while still respecting other people.

 

This tapping sequence is just a jumping off point.  One way to take this further is to tap while telling the story about a specific time that you had trouble setting boundaries.  Include what happened, the thoughts in your head at the time if you remember, the feelings that were present during the event, the feelings that you have now when you think about the event, and even how you wished you might have handled it differently.  The more specific you get, the better the result.

Same Old, Same Old: Dealing with Monotony

Someportion of calendar demonstrating the monotony of every daytimes, in fact lots of times, it has seemed like today is just a repeat of yesterday. That usually doesn’t feel very satisfying and I hate the monotony. Tapping can help us to enjoy the freedom to purposefully create and experience each new moment of every new day.

 

 

 

Nothing Calms Me Down Better Than Food

picture of burger and fries to illustrate unhealthy eatingHow true is this statement for you?

NOTHING CALMS ME DOWN BETTER THAN FOOD!

Most days it is a 10 for me.  Try this tapping exercise and see if it helps.

 

illustration for karate chop pointSetup: Nothing calms me down better than food. Whenever I get upset I turn to food. It always works for me. Even though nothing calms me down better than food, I don’t like what it does to my body. I am open to learning new ways of feeling calm. I’m also open to learning more about the things that upset me so that I don’t even need to use food to calm myself.

 

Eyebrow…when I get upset, nothing calms me down better than fooddiagram of the tapping points

Side of Eye…when I get upset, nothing calms me down faster than food

Under the Eye…when I get upset, nothing calms me down better than food

Nose…when I get upset, nothing calms me down faster than food

Chin…when I get upset, nothing calms me down better than food

Collarbone…when I get upset, nothing calms me down faster than food

Under the Arm…when I get upset, nothing calms me down better than food

Top of Head…when I get upset, nothing calms me down faster than food

Eyebrow…Food calms me down

Side of Eye…but it also makes me fat

Under the Eye…when I get upset, nothing calms me down better than food

Nose…And I often need to calm down

Chin…I get upset pretty often

Collarbone…And I use food to calm down

Under the Arm…It is quick, easy, and painless

Top of Head…Well, maybe not painless

Eyebrow…Being overweight is definitely painful

Side of Eye…It is painful both physically and emotionally

Under the Eye…I probably need to learn new ways to deal with my emotions

Nose…Food is quick, but the side effects are long

Chin…I choose to learn to manage my stress in other ways

Collarbone…I can learn to calm myself another way

Under the Arm…Even though I have used food to calm myself in the past

Top of Head…I am excited that there is a possibility of learning a new way.

Just Be Me- Lessons from the Tao Te Ching

illustration for karate chop pointSetup: (tapping on the karate chop point) It is hard to just be me. We’re not human doings we are human beings.  I say that all the time to other people but I’m not sure how to apply it to myself.  I am very much a human doing.  Do. Do. Do. I know I need to spend time reflecting on who I am, rather than what I do. I seem to have lost the lesson that Katie (my daughter) taught me.  Being is enough. I choose to love and accept myself – my being.

diagram of the tapping pointsEyebrow…Just be

Side of Eye…Just be here and fully present in this moment

Under the Eye…I don’t have to dwell in the past all of the time

Under the Nose…I don’t have to anticipate the future all of the time

Chin…I want to practice being in the now

Collarbone…I don’t want to fill my NOW with business and activity

Under the Arm…I know I get confused sometimes and think that my value is based on what I do, not who I am

Top of Head…I’m able to remember that more often when thinking about other people than I do when thinking about myself

Eyebrow…Honestly, there is room for improvement all the way around

Side of Eye…Just be

Under the Eye…It’s tempting to ask, “just be what?”

Under the Nose…But that is missing the whole point

Chin…Just be me

Collarbone…In every minute of every day – be me

Under the Arm…It seems a little scary.   No it seems a lot scary.

Top of Head…But that’s ok.  I can be scared if that’s the way I really feel.  I’ll just be me.