Reaching For More

Think about the neck of the giraffe. Now imagine it reaching up to grab a tasty leaf hanging high above. The stretching and reaching associated with the giraffe may be physical, but the giraffe as a totem may also be instructing us about stretching and reaching for a goal or simply stretching ourselves beyond our comfort zone.

Say this statement aloud, “I’m afraid to leave my comfort zone.” How true does that feel on the 0-10 SUD scale?

illustration for karate chop point

Setup (Karate Chop Point): I have this image of the giraffe stretching and reaching with its amazingly long neck. I also have an image of myself closed safely into my comfort zone without taking any risks. In that image I am small like a mouse, not majestic and tall like a giraffe. Most of the time I reject the comfort zone image and will urge myself to stretch beyond whatever it is that I, or others, think I can accomplish. Although I would prefer to be continually reaching for more, I love and accept the part of myself that sometimes wishes for comfort and safety instead. Even though I feel that I don’t always risk enough, I love and accept myself completely. Even though sometimes I have trouble reaching, risking, or leaving my comfort zone I deeply and completely love, accept, and honor all parts of myself and choose to allow my intuition to guide me.

diagram of the tapping points

Eyebrow…Feeling small

Side of Eye…But wanting to be big

Under the Eye…Prefering to stay in my comfort zone

Under the Nose…But also wanting to reach for more

Chin…It is true that sometimes I take risks

Collarbone…But in reality

Under the Arm…It is less often than I wish

Top of Head…I like to imagine myself

Eyebrow…Sticking my neck out more often

Side of Eye…Sometimes I think about doing it

Under the Eye…And sometimes I actually do it

Under the Nose…And sometimes I don’t act at all

Chin…I’d like to know more about

Collarbone…My choices

Under the Arm…I would like to think that I am listening to my intuition

Top of Head…And that my intuition is flawlessly guiding me

Eyebrow…To take risks when appropriate

Side of Eye…And to stay in my comfort zone

Under the Eye…When that is in my best interest too

Under the Nose…But I suspect that it is my willingness

Chin…To listen to my intuition that really is making the difference

Collarbone…I definitely have more growth

Under the Arm…Coming my way in this risk taking thing

Top of Head…Perhaps my willingness to take a risk

Eyebrow…Or to reach for more

Side of Eye…And leave my comfort zone

Under the Eye…Is somehow a product of my values and priorities

Under the Nose…Actually makes some sense to me

Chin…Reaching for more may be much easier

Collarbone…When the goal I’m reaching for is very important

Under the Arm…And when the goal is neutral or perhaps not really desirable

Top of Head…I hold back

Eyebrow…So when I think about reaching for more

Side of Eye…I need to identify some things

Under the Eye…That are worth reaching for

Under the Nose…Things that feel important

Chin…Things that match my values

Collarbone…Reaching for more

Under the Arm…Reaching for more purpose

Top of Head…Reaching for what matters

Take a deep breath and let it out gently. Say the starting statement aloud again, “I’m afraid to leave my comfort zone.” Re-rate the emotional reaction on the 0-10 scale and notice any change.

It Is Too Hard

Do you ever feel like giving up because dieting is too hard? I think we have all felt that way, not just about dieting, but about a lot of things. This short tapping may be just what you need to renew your motivation for self care.

illustration for karate chop point

Setup (Karate Chop Point): Even though it feels like dieting is just to hard, I am open to considering baby steps that could make a difference for me. Even though it feels like dieting is just too hard, I choose to remember that I don’t have to do it all at once. Even though is feels like dieting is just too hard, I love and accept myself anyway.

diagram of the tapping points

Eyebrow…Dieting is just too hard

Side of Eye…I don’t want to do anything that is so hard

Under the Eye…It is just too hard

Under the Nose…It seems overwhelming to me

Chin…It is so hard that I don’t think I can even face it

Collarbone…Dieting is just too hard

Under the Arm…It is too hard

Top of Head…Dieting is way too hard

Eyebrow…Dieting is so very hard

Side of Eye…But I am open to some baby steps towards my goals

Under the Eye…Dieting seems way too hard

Under the Nose…But I don’t have to do it all at once

Chin…Dieting is just too hard

Collarbone…I choose to love and accept myself anyway

Under the Arm…I am open to the possibility that it could be easier than I think

Top of Head…I choose to look for the possibility of success

Need more tapping inspiration about dieting, weight loss, and exercise? Check out Don’t Diet: Reprogram your Weight With Meridian Tapping.

Need to learn more about tapping? Click here.

book cover for Don't Diet Reprogramming Your Weight With Meridian Tapping


If I Exercise Now…

What kinds of excuses do you use to skip out on exercise? I’ve heard (and used) many creative excuses. One of my favorites is “If I exercise now I will be too tired later.” This tapping script is to help eliminate this excuse and get you (and me) back on track.

illustration for karate chop point

Setup (Karate Chop Point): Even though I am avoiding exercise right now, I love and accept myself anyway. Even though I am worried that I will be too tired later if I exercise now, I acknowledge that I am a work in progress. Even though I am worried that I will be too tired to do the rest of the things I have planned for my day if I exercise now, I know that I can change this negative way of thinking.

diagram of the tapping points

Eyebrow…If I exercise now I wil be too tired later

Side of Eye…I am already tired

Under the Eye…How can I do the things I need to do if I exercise now?

Under the Nose…I know I am just making excuses

Chin…But they seem to have worked for me before

Collarbone…At least they have worked to keep me from exercising

Under the Arm…This excuse hasn’t helped me to get any healthier

Top of Head…I know that it isn’t even true

Eyebrow…When I do exercise I am tired for a little while

Side of Eye…And then I have even more energy

Under the Eye…When I exercise regularly

Under the Nose…My energy level stays up

Chin…This is just a negative message my brain has made up

Collarbone…To keep me right where I am

Under the Arm…It isn’t a good message

Top of Head…It isn’t even a true message

Eyebrow…This is a message I could ignore

Side of Eye…Sometimes my brain tells me things that aren’t true

Under the Eye…Things like “I’m hungry” right after I’ve eaten

Under the Nose…Or things like “If you eat sugar you’ll feel better”

Chin…Sometimes these messages are really hard to ignore

Collarbone…It is exciting when I can tell the difference

Under the Arm…I am learning to be better about making decisions based on my goals

Top of Head…I may not be excited about exercising right now, but I don’t have to worry about being too tired later

Do you feel like exercising? Go work out while your motivation is high. Did a new excuse crop up? Keep tapping on each excuse and hopefully gain clarity about your real reasons for avoiding exercise.

This tapping and others like it can be found in Don’t Diet: Reprogram Your Weight With Meridian Tapping. I’d love to hear your feedback.

book cover for Don't Diet Reprogramming Your Weight With Meridian Tapping


Needing Wise Counsel

The ostrich is a totem for wisdom. How do you react to others who have more experience than you do? Do you invite and welcome their wisdom into your life or do you insist on figuring everything out yourself? Do you rely to much on others rather than trusting in your own wisdom? This short tapping exercise may help you become more aware of your issues in this area.

illustration for karate chop point

Setup (Karate Chop Point): Having others aroun dis important to me. Being able to learn from their experience and draw upon their wisdom when I am faced with new challenges or overwhelming situations is really beneficial. Also, there really is safety in numbers. I’m feeling pretty isolated right now, but I love and accept myself anyway. I want the safety of my herd. I love and accept myself. I crave the wise counsel of others. I deeply and completely love and accept myself.

diagram of the tapping points

Eyebrow…I feel like an ostrich

Side of Eye…Seeking safety in numbers

Under the Eye…And attempting to protect myself

Under the Nose…By hanging out with the crowd

Chin…Watching how others handle things

Collarbone…Is how I learn

Under the Arm…I need to be careful about who I watch

Top of Head…I can learn what works

Eyebrow…And I can learn what doesn’t

Side of Eye…I just have to be smart enough

Under the Eye…To know the difference

Under the Nose…I feel like an ostrich

Chin…That can be good or not so good

Collarbone…I like having a group around me

Under the Arm…It keeps me safe

Top of Head…It helps me grow

As I noted before, this was a short tapping just to get your own thoughts and feelings moving. Write down any thoughts or feelings that you noticed while tapping. Are there specific situations in which you sought out the safety of the crowd that didn’t go as well as you wanted? Tap about those. Were there situations in which you chose to follow the example that was a what not to do instead of a what to do? Those would be good to tap about as well.

Not Feeling Respected Because of Politics

Believe it or not, this is a very old tapping exercise, but it seems appropriate for today’s social climate. It was included in a chapter about current stressors in my first book Tap It Away: 10 Minutes to Freedom with EFT. This tapping is about the intense emotions people experience when talking about politics.

Some people may actually be afraid to do this tapping because they equate the decrease in intense emotions with lack of conviction. Tapping on the intense emotions will not take away your conviction but it will allow for better control and more ease around others that may believe differently than you do.

The story begins with Joe, a normally reasonable and mild-mannered man who was having difficulty at family gatherings because his political views were radically different from those of other family members. Joe and his wife actually dreaded holidays such as Thanksgiving where there was extended contact that allowed ample time for such discussions. Joe really wanted to be able to control his emotions better when family members disagreed with him, failed to listen to his views, or even provoked him to just get a reaction. Tapping was a perfrect tool for the situation.

Is this scenario something you can relate to? Let’s tap.

Say this problem statement aloud, “I can’t handle it when other people don’t respect my political views.” Rate the intensity (or truth) of this statement on a 0-10 scale (10 is very true). Write down your number.

illustration for karate chop point

Say these setup statements while tapping on the karate chop point: Even though I can’t handle it when other people don’t respect my political views, I deeply and completely love and accept myself. Even though I get really angry when other people don’t agree with my political views, I deeply and completely love and accept myself. Even though it feels like other people aren’t respecting my political views when they disagree with me, and I don’t handle it very well, I deeply and completely love and accept myself and all of my feels on this subject.

diagram of the tapping points

Eyebrow…I can’t handle it when other people don’t respect my political views

Side of Eye…I get pretty upset when others disagree with my politics

Under the Eye…It is dangerous to discuss politics with anyone that doesn’t agree with my view

Under the Nose…Because I can’t handle it

Chin…I’m so sure that my political views are right

Collarbone…That I can’t handle it when anyone has a different opinion

Under the Arm…I can’t handle it when anyone can’t see the value of my political views

Top of Head…I can’t handle any challenge to my political views without getting very upset

Take a deep breath and let it out. Check the intensity of your original problem statement “I can’t handle it when other people don’t respect my political views.” Record your new rating. Continue tapping with these statements until your intensity rating is low. Once your rating is below a 3 or 4, feel free to move on to the positive affirmation reminder phrases below.

Eyebrow…Even though I can’t handle it when other people don’t respect my political views right now

Side of Eye…I am trying to maintain an open mind

Under the Eye…Even though I haven’t been able to handle it as well as I would like in the past

Under the Nose…I am open to feeling more comfortable with challenges to my views in the future

Chin…Even though I’m pretty convinced that I am right

Collarbone…I am trying to be okay with others’ opinions

Under the Arm…Even when I feel they are wrong

Top of Head…I love and respect my own views and calmly allow allows to have their views.

Take a deep breath and let it out gently. Check the intensity of your original problem statement “I can’t handle it when other people don’t respect my political views.” Write down your new rating.

If politics is one of your stressors, be sure to notice what additional thoughts and feelings come up and write them down for future tapping. It may be important for you to tap on those additional issues.

Would you like more examples of tapping about every day stressors? Check out Tap It Away: 10 Minutes to Freedom With EFT.


I’m Afraid I Will Lose Control

Unfortunately I am no stranger to feeling out of control with food. It is a huge issue that I have not completely eliminated. Fortunately the fear of of losing control is something that rarely sneaks up on me, so when I first notice it I can usually find relief in tapping. What follows is a short tapping that you can use when you start to worry about losing control.

illustration for karate chop point

Setup (Karate Chop Point): Even though I am afraid I will lose control if confronted with any of my favorite foods, I deeply and completely love and accept myself. Even though I am afraid that I will lose control and eat too much or eat foods that are not healthy for me, I choose to focus on loving myself and my healthy body instead. Even though I am afraid that I will lose control and eat like a pig, I choose to feel calm and confident, even twhen those comfort foods are readily available.

diagram of the tapping points

Eyebrow…I am afraid I will lose control

Side of Eye…I am afraid I will eat like a pig

Under the Eye…I am afraid my food plan will go right out the window

Under the Nose…I can’t control myself around those foods

Chin…I am afraid I will lose control

Collarbone…I am afraid I will eat too much

Under the Arm…I am afraid I will eat unhealthy foods

Top of Head…I am afraid I will lose control

Continue with these or similar phrases until you feel relief

Did you benefit from this tapping? I’d love to hear about your success.

Want more tapping scripts? Check out Don’t Diet: Reprogram Your Weight With Meridian Tapping.

book cover for Don't Diet Reprogramming Your Weight With Meridian Tapping

I Will Feel Deprived

Who likes the feeling of deprivation?  I certainly don’t.  Dread related to feeling deprived can stop people from making positive changes in their diet, particularly if they currently partake in something known to be less than healthy or even dangerous.  Today’s tapping is short, but is a starting place for addressing the fear of deprivation.

Say this statement aloud, “I will feel deprived if I cannot eat my favorite foods.”  How true does that feel to you?  Rate it on the 0-10 scale (10=is very strong or very true.)

illustration for karate chop point

Setup (Karate Chop Point): Even though I am afraid of how I will feel if I don’t eat my favorite foods. I choose to love and accept myself anyway. Even though I am sure I will feel deprived without my favorite foods, I am hopeful that I can find other sources of pleasure in my life.  Even though the fear of deprivation is very strong for me, I am beginning to consider small diet changes that will help me to be healthy and happy.

diagram of the tapping points

Eyebrow…I feel deprived

Side of Eye…I want to eat my favorite foods

Under the Eye…I don’t want to feel deprived

Under the Nose…I need to eat or I will feel deprived

Chin…I will do anything to avoid that feeling

Collarbone…This deprivation

Under the Arm…Fear of deprivation

Top of Head…This strong feeling of deprivation

Say the original statement again, “I will feel deprived if I cannot eat my favorite foods?”  How true does that feel to you now?  Did specific foods pop in your mind?  Continue tapping about how it would feel to not eat those foods or to eat them less often.  Did your mind drift to specific thoughts, feelings, or sensations related to deprivation?  Continue tapping about how much you want to avoid those thoughts, feelings, and sensations. 

Remember you can find these and other tapping exercises to assist in your health and wellness in Don’t Diet: Reprogram Your Weight With Meridian Tapping

Questions or suggestions?  I’d love to hear from you.

book cover for Don't Diet Reprogramming Your Weight With Meridian Tapping

Ants

Did you know that there are more than 10,000 ant species? I didn’t.  I knew that there were red ones, brown ones, black ones, ants that bite, and ants that don’t.  Ants are social insects and usually live in communities that have a queen ant.  The worker ants are female.  They have no wings, don’t reproduce, but have many duties within the colony such as foraging for food, caring for the queen’s baby ants, and protecting the community.  Male ants have only one job – making baby ants with the queen.  After they are done with that task they usually die.

Not very long ago I had an interesting infestation of ants in my kitchen.  Actually it really wasn’t an infestation with swarms of ants everywhere; it was more of a semi-constant trickle.  I did some cleaning and they seemed to be gone.  That lasted about 3 hours then I saw another one walking across the kitchen floor.  A few hours later I saw one walking across a kitchen counter.

I don’t harbor an intense dislike of ants and I don’t usually go out of my way to kill them if they are outside, but I don’t want them on my kitchen counters or in my drawers, and I don’t want to squish them under my bare feet when walking in the kitchen.  Since they broke our “agreement” to stay outside I decided to spray the baseboards to try to stop them from coming in.  That lasted for about 8 hours, then more ants.

While this ant battle was going on I was also having some struggles at work.  I felt that I was being treated as insignificant, not being allowed to exercise my own judgment and creativity, and just felt that I was generally not appreciated. ON the inside I was rebelling about all of this as was trying to assert my individualism within a culture that clearly doesn’t value that.

The ants kept coming and I continued to feel dissatisfied. One morning while doing my lap swim I had the thought, “what if the ants are acting as one of my totems?” I started thinking about the ant characteristics that I’ve been writing about and became even more sure of it.  I phoned a friend and shared my insight, thinking that it was hilarious that I had overlooked this possibility and quipped, “wouldn’t it be hysterical if the ants were gone when I get home?” After all, I had finally received the message about being industrious, fitting in, stamina, and perseverance.

When I got home the ants were indeed gone.  I’m sure that I have more work to do pertaining to managing employment while nurturing my own dreams. I am glad the ants were persistent and that I finally caught on.  It does make me wonder how many other times there have been animal totems willing to point me in the right direction, but I somehow missed out on getting the message.

Tapping Meditation

To get started, lets do a tapping meditation to get in touch with some of the characteristics associated with ants and to get ready for whatever messages ants might have for you.

diagram of the tapping points
Eyebrow Ant
Side of Eye Social
Under the Eye Ant
Under the Nose Colony
Chin Ant
Collarbone Solves complex problems
Under the Arm Ant
Top of Head Interactive
Eyebrow Ant
Side of Eye Industrious
Under the Eye Ant
Under the Nose Cooperative effort
Chin Ant
Collarbone Hard work
Under the Arm Ant
Top of Head Group-minded
Eyebrow Ant
Side of Eye Perseverance
Under the Eye Ant
Under the Nose Self discipline
Chin Ant
Collarbone Teamwork
Under the Arm Ant
Top of Head Orderly
Eyebrow Ant
Side of Eye Stamina
Under the Eye Ant
Under the Nose Honor
Chin Ant
Collarbone What message to you have for me?
Under the Arm Ant
Top of Head Open to the message of ants

Keep tapping while considering the knowledge, experiences, and meaning that the ant may have for you. Be sure to write down any thoughts, beliefs, or feelings that arise when you have finished the tapping meditation. Which characteristics of the ant would you want more of? Which characteristics do you have in abundance?

For me, the ant is a fairly neutral symbol.  I was raised on the image of ants being a nuisance when they visit a picnic.  I have also seen the painful bites or stings from fire ants.  I’ve been intrigued by ant hills and loved the movie Ants.  I even had an ant farm when I was growing up.

Ants are actually pretty important in Native American culture and lore. The Hope, Pueblo, and Akimal O’odham tribes have Ant Clans. The Cherokee celebrate with an Ant Dance.  In the Cahuilla creation myth ants spread the earth out for people and animals to live upon. In a Hopi myth the ant people provided shelter to the humans during the destruction of the First World.  The industriousness and cooperative spirit associated with ants is often the focus of these stories.

Ants are also a common feature in literature.  Ants are mentioned in the Bible and in the Quran.  Ants were featured in A Tramp Abroad by Mark Twain, The Once and Future King by T.H. White, Les Fourmis by Bernard Werber, and The Empire of the Ants by H.G. Wells.  Do you remember the cartoon Atom Ant?  Did you have an ant farm when you were growing up?  Did you play the game Ants in the Pants?  Maybe you are more familiar with the movies Antz by Dream Works Animation in which Z-4195 longs for the opportunity to express himself or the movie A Bugs Life from Pixar Animation Studios in which the misfit ant Flik fancies himself to be an individualist and inventor.

The above selection was from my upcoming book Unleash Your Primal Power: Totem Tapping for Health and Happiness.  If you read my first book Tap It Away: 10 Minutes to Freedom With EFT you might remember that there was a chapter devoted to using animal characterstics to guide tapping on personality characteristics and change. The upcoming book is an expansion of the concept.

Cover Image of Tap It Away: 10 Minutes to Freedom With EFT by Dr. Leanna Manuel

Food Is My Only Friend

As we continue our resolutions related to food, exercise, and health in 2019 we will continue to use tapping to increase our odds of success.  The next tapping exercise begins to address some of the emotional reasons we eat.  In this case it is the feeling that food is our friend.  For some people, food may feel like their only friend.

illustration for karate chop point

Say this statement aloud, “Food is my only friend.”  How true does that feel to you?  It may be a stronger feeling on some days than others.  Rate it on the 0-10 scale (10=is very strong or very true.)

Setup (Karate Chop Point): Even though it feels sometimes like food is my only friend, I deeply and completely love and accept myself anyway.  Even though I eat junk food when I am lonely, and I am afraid of losing my only friend if I stop eating, I choose to find other ways to manage this feeling.  Even though it is terrifying to think of changing my relationship with my food/friend.  I am open to a new way of being.

diagram of the tapping points

Eyebrow…Food is my friend

Side of Eye…How can I give that up?

Under the Eye…Sometimes I think food is my only friend

Under the Nose…I have no idea what I would do instead of eating when I feel lonely

Chin…Even the thought makes me want to eat more

Collarbone…Food feels like my best friend

Under the Arm…Everyone wants a best friend

Top of Head…And it’s always there when I need it

Eyebrow…Food never lets me down

Side of Eye…I always feel better when I eat ice cream or chocolate

Under the Eye…At least for a little while

Under the Nose…Later I feel pretty bad

Chin…I am open to others ways of handling these feelings

Collarbone…Food is just food

Under the Arm…It is ok to enjoy it, but I can learn how to handle these other feelings in different ways

Top of Head…Feelings are just feelings, and I can handle them.

Say the original statement again, “Food is my only friend.”  How true does that feel to you now?  Did other thoughts or feelings come up?  Did you find yourself arguing with any of the statements?  Those are great opportunities to continue your tapping on this issue until the truth of the original statement is very low.

Remember you can find these and other tapping exercises to assist in your health and wellness in Don’t Diet: Reprogram Your Weight With Meridian Tapping. 

book cover for Don't Diet Reprogramming Your Weight With Meridian Tapping

Questions or suggestions?  I’d love to hear from you.

I Can’t Be Rational About Food

Are you still on the path for improved health and wellness in 2019?  Is the resolution still firmly in mind?  Hopefully our last tapping was a good starting point for managing the barriers to success.  One of the things that came up for me when thinking about my love-hate relationship with food was the quality of my thinking.  I’m just not very rational when I think about food.  That is what today’s tapping is about. Say this statement: “I have trouble thinking about food in a rational way.”  How true is that for you on the 0-10 scale (10=very rue).

illustration for karate chop point

Setup (karate chop point): Even though I have trouble thinking about food in a rational way, I deeply and completely love and accept myself.  Even though food is a highly emotional subject for me, I am working toward a different way of relating to food, meals, and eating.  Even though I have an emotional reaction to food, I love and accept myself, knowing that I am a work in progress.

diagram of the tapping points

Eyebrow…I get irrational about food

Side of Eye…Thinking about food makes me emotional

Under the Eye…Thinking about not having certain foods makes me emotional

Under the Nose…Thinking about limiting certain foods makes me emotional

Chin…Everything about food and eating makes me emotional

Collarbone…And don’t say the word diet to me

Under the Arm…I am working on changing these emotional responses

Top of Head…I look forward to seeing food in a new way.

Now say that beginning statement again, “I have trouble thinking about food in a rational way.”  Rate it again on the 0-10 scale.  Was there any change?  It may have gone up, gone down, or stayed the same.  The relative change is new information to use in your tapping.  Here are some suggestions to make it more powerful.

  1. Substitute a particular food instead of the word “food” to make it more specific if there is a food or group of foods that brings the strongest emotional reaction.
  2. Tap while thinking about how much you believe you would miss a particular food
  3. Tap while using your original rating number, “This 9-feeling in my gut when I think about not eating _____”
  4. If you are feeling particularly impatient with the slow progress….tap about your lack of patience with an affirmation about being a work in progress.
book cover for Don't Diet Reprogramming Your Weight With Meridian Tapping

Remember you can find these and other tapping exercises to assist in your health and wellness in Don’t Diet: Reprogram Your Weight With Meridian Tapping.  I’d love to hear back from you about your successes or to answer any questions.