Anxiety is a complex subject. This video addresses the form of anxiety that is under the surface, but there isn’t necessarily a clear reason for it. The focus of the tapping is focused on reducing anxiety by small amounts without compromising the need for safety that anxiety actually seems to provide.
Tag: Anxiety
Did anyone bring the marshmallows?
I tend to be an optimist, but sometimes I have a hard time seeing the silver lining right away. Thursday morning started as any other day. I got up and showered, fed the dogs, made my breakfast, packed my lunch for work, then went into the laundry room to check the dogs’ water bowl. I know many people walk through their mornings in a haze, but I literally walked into the haze during my morning. The room was filling with smoke. In less that a minute the smoke detectors started blaring and smoke started filling the house.
Skipping to the end of the story – everyone is fine and the house is intact. But a lot happened between the smoke and now.
Our boiler malfunctioned (another long story) and was burning a hole through the floor beneath it. If this had happened after we had left for work we wold likely have lost everything. I made it to work, although smelled like smoke) and Scott stayed home, assessed the damage, and went to work on the repairs.
At work I alternated between anxiety and gratitude that this happened while I was at home. Fast forward to Friday – no hot water and the house smells like a campfire. I decided I had a 
choice. I could either focus on how inconvenient it was to not be able to take a hot shower and how smokey my house smelled or I could close my eyes and imagine cooking marshmallows for s’mores over the campfire. I chose the latter.
Saturday – still no hot water. My natural optimism was returning and by Saturday afternoon I could finally wash dishes again. Wash dishes? I have never looked forward to washing dishes in my entire life. Perhaps that is optimism taken too far.
Looking at everything that happened from this vantage point revealed a few lessons.
- I really am an optimist. However, just because I am an optimist doesn’t mean I don’t feel unhappy or frustrated sometimes. Being an optimist just means that it is my default viewpoint. Both tapping and conscious choice restored my balance.
- Looking for the blessings in your life is important. Unless you look for them you might miss out. It would have been easy for me to focus on the inconveniences of the day but I know it would not have been a good thing for me or anyone else.
- I can tolerate more than I sometimes think I can. I don’t usually like surprises or anything that disrupts my daily routine. This event was a disruption but I actually bounced back rather quickly.
I hope I don’t have a fire again. I hope you don’t either. But if we do, think about marshmallows.
Book Review – Breaking Free
I’m not sure what I thought Breaking Free by Chet Vosloo was going to be about. It was on my Kindle and I was bored and needed something to read so I opened it up. At first I thought it was going to be a contemporary romance. It seemed to be a guy hanging out in bars, sleeping around, and generally sailing aimlessly though life. Then, it seemed to be an adventure story. He started traveling to remote places and bicycling across continents and getting altitude sickness while climbing a mountain.
Then came the spiritual and psychological stories. The main character experienced significant anxiety issues and had physical consequences from that anxiety. The book then follows his quite interesting and unique journey to “Break Free” from his limiting beliefs while living in Asia, an ashram, and in an entourage following a guru.
There were several things that really captured my interest. First was the author’s description of monkey mind, that distinctly annoying thing that happens when one first attempts to meditate and control one’s thoughts. The weekend meditation workshops that I participated in were some of the most physically, emotionally, and mentally draining activities I have every chosen to attend. When I first became aware that I couldn’t purposefully harness my thoughts for more than a few seconds at a time it was quite an eye opener. Even more shocking was the “no way, no how” reaction that my brain expressed when I made the attempt.
Second, the author did a fantastic job describing the physical manifestations of emotional dis-ease. The physical problems are real, but the origin isn’t necessarily in the body. This is something I experience personally and have seen in my professional practice for decades. This is proof again that the body, mind, and spirit and completely and inextricably intertwined.
If you enjoy reading about intercontinental adventures, this book is for you. If you benefit from reading self-help books, this book is for you. If you suffer from anxiety, panic attacks, or low self-esteem, this book is for you. If you need an entertaining reminder of the importance of self-control, spiritual development, and the connectedness of the universe, this book is for you.
Book Review – Gifts From Eykis: A Story of Self-Discovery
Gifts From Eykis is another magnificent book from Wayne Dyer. This is a bit different than most of his other books because it is written in the form of a novel, rather than a typical self-help book.
Eykis is a visitor from the planet Uranus. First, the main character from Earth visits the planet Uranus and observes many oddities that seem to resemble Earthly emotions. While on Uranus, Ekyis introduces the Earth traveler to anxiety attacks, worry, guilt, fear, dependency, and other emotions. The difference on Uranus is that these emotions exist only for a purpose, never just as a perception or neurosis. That wouldn’t make sense and everything on Uranus makes sense.
Later in the book Ekysis visits Earth and is quite troubled by the suffering the inhabitants of Earth inflict on themselves and others with these emotional states. In the end, Ekysis shares some “gifts” for all mankind. These words of wisdom include:
- Learn to cultivate your own garden
- If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.
- These are the good old days.
- There is no way to happiness; Happiness is the way!
To receive more of your “gifts” from Eyksis, pick up the fascinating book and take a humble look at the ways in which we create our own suffering. I bet you will be soon wishing for a guilt-prodder or a worry-ware.
Tapping Video: General Uneasiness
Book Review – Energy Tapping: How to Rapidly Eliminate Anxiety, Depression, Cravings, and More Using Energy Psychology
![Energy Tapping: How to Rapidly Eliminate Anxiety, Depression, Cravings, and More Using Energy Psychology by [Fred Gallo, Harry Vincenzi]](https://i0.wp.com/m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51TPD6IclVL._SY346_.jpg?w=242&ssl=1)
Energy Tapping by Fred Gallo and Harry Vincenzi was one of the first books on Energy Psychology (EP) that I read and I’m delighted to have read it again after more than a decade of doing EP with others. In addition to being a great introductory text for EP work and tapping, this book has features that set it apart from many other books in the genre including a chapter about energy toxins, a great description of beliefs and their impact on feelings and behavior, and perhaps the best chapter anywhere on Psychological Reversal and Self Sabotage.
Beyond the basics of how to do tapping, the authors provide easy to follow instruction and numerous case examples so that the reader can feel confident in addressing a variety of emotions and situations. The page formatting and easy to understand graphics add to the experience and the ease of use.
I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in improving their life circumstance. Whether you are a seasoned health care provider or new to energy work, this book has much to offer.