My Cravings Always Win

book cover for Don't Diet Reprogramming Your Weight With Meridian TappingThe tapping exercise below is from Don’t Diet: Reprogram Your Weight With Meridian Tapping.  Cravings are something that I continue to struggle with.  It seems to be a problem for many people I know.

illustration for karate chop pointSetup (while tapping on the karate chop point) – Even though it seems like my cravings always win, I deeply and completely love and accept myself anyway. Even though is seems like my cravings always win, I choose to continue to try. My cravings are a part of me, and I accept myself.

diagram of the tapping pointsEyebrow…My cravings always win

Side of Eye…So it doesn’t seem worth it to even try

Under the Eye…I might as well just go ahead and eat it

Nose…If I fight it and then lose, I just end up feeling worse

Chin…Even though it seems that my cravings always win

Collarbone…I know that it isn’t really true

Under the Arm…Sometimes I am able to resist

Top of Head…I am open to learning about what makes me more successful during those times

Eyebrow…And less successful at others

Side of Eye…My cravings don’t always win

Under the Eye…My cravings sometimes win

Nose…In reality my cravings aren’t against me

Chin…They are a part of me

Collarbone…My cravings are a signal that something needs my attention

Under the Arm…I can choose to deal with it without food

Top of Head…I can choose to continue toward my goals

Eyebrow…It would be helpful to stop seeing this as a battle

Side of Eye…Its not a battle with winners and losers

Under the Eye…I am open to knowing what it is that needs my attention

Nose…I choose to treat myself with more compassion when I’m faced with cravings

Chin…So that I have the energy to address whatever it is that is behind this feeling

Collarbone…That’s it.  Cravings are just another feeling

Under the Arm…A feeling in disguise

Top of Head…And I am open to feeling it.

Potato Chips

Open Bag of Potato ChipsVegetable chips are good for you, right? Well they were probably better for me than potato chips.  I still ate too many of them and I ate them too late at night to be good for me.  I didn’t feel very good about that so I decided to tap.  Here is what I came up with.  If you have suggestions for improvement, let me know.

Setup (while tapping karate chop point). Tonight my problem was potato chips. illustration for karate chop point At least they weren’t regular potato chips.  These were fancy vegetable chips.  While I’d like to feel better about that, the truth is that I ate too much.  Too many calories.  Too late at night. I wish I had more control over my snacking.  And tonight my problem was potato chips.  In spite of this, I choose to love and accept myself anyway.  Even though I ate more than I think is good for me, I choose to honor and accept myself.  Even though my eating feels like it was out of control, I deeply and complete love, respect, and accept myself.

 

Eyebrow…I ate potato chips tonightdiagram of the tapping points

Side of Eye…I didn’t measure them

Under the Eye…I ate too many of them

Nose…That makes me feel bad

Chin…Physically and mentally

Collarbone…I wish I had more control over my eating

Under the Arm…Really, I wish I didn’t need to control my eating at all

Top of Head…I’d like to eat whatever I want, whenever I want it

Eyebrow…But that isn’t the reality of my body and my metabolism

Side of Eye…I am open to understanding more about why I continue to overeat

Under the Eye…I am open to learning to tap before eating any snack foods

Nose…I’d rather deal with whatever I’m trying to “feed”

Chin…Instead of hurting my body

Collarbone…I can change this pattern one bite at a time

Under the Arm…I have the tools

Top of Head…Now I just need to use them

Too Judgmental

LighteningLike most things, making quick judgements about people, places, and situations has both an upside and a downside.  Sometimes these quick judgments can save your life.  Other times the quick judgments  have the negative connotation of  being too judgmental.  I confess that I often fall into this latter category making judments at lightening speed.   Tap along with the video to experience  meridian tapping as it is used to diminish the downside of this personality trait.

 

Exercise Avoidance

 

getting ready to exerciseHave you ever skipped a planned workout because you didn’t want to go? Or if you workout at home, have you skipped a workout because you just didn’t feel like doing it?  I have.  This video demonstrates how you can use tapping to keep you on track with your health and fitness goals.

 

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.