Tap It Away Archives - Finding the Meaning in Everyday Life

Life is Hard

There seems to be a prevalent belief that life is hard and that we should just accept it. I’m not sure where that belief actually comes from, but that prior programming is likely to get in the way of having the life I desire. As with all prior programming, tapping can eliminate or decrease its impact on my life.

Say this problem statement, “Life is hard.” Rate the intensity you feel on the 0-10 scale.

Setup (karate-chop point) – Even though life is hard, I deeply and completely love and accept myself. Even though life is hard, and anything that seems easy is therefore suspicious to me, I deeply and completely love and accept myself, including my old ways of doing things – those old, really hard ways. Even though life is hard, I am open to the small possibility that not all things have to be hard.

Eyebrow…Life is hard

Side of Eye…It is supposed to be hard

Under the Eye…If it isn’t hard, I’m probably not working at it enough

Under the Nose…If it doesn’t feel hard, I’m probably slacking

Chin…Everyone knows that hard is better than easy

Collarbone…That good old Puritan work ethic. Its got to be hard

Under the Arm…Life is hard

Side of Eye…The harder the better

Under the Eye…Maybe I can make it even harder so that I can feel good about how hard it is

Under the Nose… Maybe I could make it so hard that no one could succeed

Chin…Now I’m just being silly

Collarbone…At least part of me knows that it doesn’t really have to be hard to be good

Under the Arm…I’m trying to remain open to clarity about this

Top of Head…I’m trying to remain open to the possibility that easy can be good too.

Take a deep breath and let it out. Check the intensity of your original problem statement, “Life is hard.” Write down your new rating then continue tapping with these, or similar reminder phrases until your intensity around the problem statement is significantly reduced.

Need to learn more about tapping? Click here.

Cover Image of Tap It Away: 10 Minutes to Freedom With EFT by Dr. Leanna Manuel — More tapping can be found in this book.

Overcommitted and Overwhelmed

Feeling overcommitted, and therefore overwhelmed, is a common problem and one I struggle with off and on. Sometimes people are totally incapable of saying no to the requests of others or limiting the number of activities that they schedule into a day. Sometimes it might seem rude to say no because the person asking you to do something has done so much for you in the past. You might see it as a golden opportunity and you are fearful that you might not get the opportunity ever again, so you need to jump on it now. Guilt is often a strong factor as well. Tapping can help you gain clarity about the problem and can bring relief.

Say this problem statement aloud, “I am overcommitted. There are way too many demands on my time.” Rate the intensity on the 0-10 point scale and record your rating.

Setup (karate chop point) – Even though I am overcommitted and there are way too many demands on my time, I know in my heart that I am a good person, with or without all of these commitments. Even though I am overcommitted, and the stress of too many things to do is getting to me, I choose to remember that I can stop any of them at any time. Even though I am overcommitted, and I don’t know how to limit the demands on my time, I deeply and completely love and accept myself and all of my reasons for getting into this situation.

Eyebrow…I am overcommitted

Side of Eye…Every minute of my day seems scheduled and full

Under the Eye…There isn’t any time for me

Under the Nose…There isn’t any time for anything unplanned or unexpected

Chin…I have said yes to so many things

Collarbone…But they seemed like a good idea at the time

Under the Arm…Now I don’t know what to do about it all

Top of Head…And I really feel like I need a break

Eyebrow…I don’t want to disappoint others by saying no

Side of Eye…I don’t want to miss out on opportunities

Under the Eye…There really are a lot of things I need to do

Under the Nose…There really are a lot of things I want to do

Chin…I am open to clarity about my need to schedule so many things

Collarbone…I am open to understanding what it would take to make me feel better right now

Under the Arm…So I can move forward to health and happiness

Top of Head…I am looking forward to making choices that are good for me.

Take a deep breath and let it out. Check the intensity of your original problem statement, “I am overcommitted. There are too many demands on my time.” Record your new rating. This is a tapping that often brings up additional thoughts, feelings, or memories. Be sure to write them down and continue tapping with them until your intensity rating is very low.

Want more tapping ideas? Check out Tap It Away: 10 Minutes to Freedom With EFT.

Pain In My Body

Many people have health concerns that range from the aches and pains of minor injuries to the deep and debilitating pain of a major illness. I often have pain in my body. There are many stories of EFT actually reducing or eliminating physical problems. I have worked with people who have successfully lowered their blood sugar and others who have used EFT to lower blood pressure. More frequently I have worked wth people to change lifestyle issues to improve overall health and wellness.

While many people experience real physical pain, there can be an emotional component to it as well. I experienced this firsthand with my knee surgeries. It hurt. In fact, it hurt alot. I was certain that the pain was going to overwhelm me. This was particularly true when I received physical therapy. Bending and straightening seemed ruthless and barbaric. The medications helped, but only to a point. So I tapped.

Scan your body for any source of stiffness, discomfort, or pain. Focus on this area as you say the problem statement aloud, “This pain/discomfort in my body is upsetting me. I need it to go away.” Rate the intensity of this statement on the 0-10 point scale.

Setup (Karate Chop Point) – Even though I have this pain in my body, I deeply and completely love and accept myself. Even though I have this pain in my body, and I need it to go away, I deeply and completely love and accept all of me. Even though I have this pain in my body and it is really getting to me, I choose to relax and listen to what my body is telling me right now.

Eyebrow…I have pain in my body

Side of Eye…I am not dealing with that very well

Under the Eye…I need it to go away

Under the Nose…I am afraid of what that pain means

Chin…My fear only makes the pain worse

Collarbone…And knowing that makes me feel bad

Under the Arm…It is real

Top of Head…My fear about the pain is real too

Eyebrow…Together, that is a bad combination

Side of Eye…Even though I have this pain

Under the Eye…I choose to remain strong and confident

Under the Nose…Even though I have pain in my body

Chin…I choose to do the things that are necessary to heal myself

Collarbone…Even though I have pain in my body

Under the Arm…I choose to let go of the fear so my body can heal

Top of Head…I choose to listen to what my body is telling me that it needs right now.

Take a dep breath and let it out. Check the intensity of your original problem statement, “This pain/discomfort in my body is upsetting to me. I need it to go away.” Is that statement as true as it was in the beginning? Do you notice any change in your pain? If you need more tapping, try using your own words to describe your pain and where it is in your body. Being specific helps.

Want more tapping? Check out Tap It Away: 10 Minute to Freedom with EFT.

Lack of Respect

Raising kids is definitely stressful. Most parents I talk to consider their children to be a blessing, but consider their behaviors to be something quite different. While there are so many different thoughts and feelings that come up, Mark’s experience is a great example. Mark had two children that were somewhat headstrong. They were always questioning what he told them and testing the boundaries he set for them. It drove him crazy and he often interpreted their behaviors as a challenge against his authority or lack of respect. After tapping, he was able to reduce his automatic reactions and deal more effectively with their actual behaviors. As we use Mark’s tapping sequence be sure to use gender appropriate pronouns as needed.

Say this problem statement aloud, “My child does not repsect my authority.” Rate the intensity that you feel on the 0-10 scale and record your rating.

Setup (Karate Chop Point) – Even though my child does not respect my authority and that makes me feel very angry, I deeply and completely love and accept myself. Even though my child questions me, doesn’t follow my rules, and sometimes even ignores me, I deeply and completely love and accept myself. How dare my child challenge my authority? Even though she does, I deeply and completely love and accept myself anyway, including all of my feelings, conscious and unconscious.”

Eyebrow…My child does not respect my authority

Side of Eye…Who am I kidding? My child doesn’t respect ME!

Under the Eye…She doesn’t believe me when I teach her things

Under the Nose…She questions me when I explain things

Chin…She doesn’t follow my rules

Collarbone…I have to tell her more than once to do things

Under the Arm…These are all challenges to my authority

Top of Head…When she behaves this way it really upsets me

Eyebrow…Children are supposed to respect their parents

Side of Eye…And that means doing what they are told

Under the Eye…I am confused about why this bothers me so much

Under the Nose…My reaction seems out of proportion to the behavior

Chin…I wonder if there is more to this than what I really know?

Collarbone…I am open to understanding my own reactions to this

Under the Arm…I am open to understanding my own beliefs about parenting and respect

Top of Head…I am open to clarity about this subject

Eyebrow…Even though my child does not respect my authority

Side of Eye…I choose to remain a calm and loving parent

Under the Eye…Even though my child seems to bring out the worst in me

Under the Nose…I choose to do the best parenting that I know how to do

Chin…Even though it seems she does not respect me

Collarbone…I seek to understand her behavior

Under the Arm…Even though my child does not respect me in the way I would like

Top of Head…I am open to the possibility that this could change.

Take a deep breath and let it out gently. Check the intensity of your original problem statement, “My child does not respect my authority.” Did you notice any change?

Want more tapping? This tapping example and others like it can be found in Tap It Away: 10 Minutes to Freedom With EFT.

The Problem of Should

Whenever the word should shows up in your thoughts or conversations it is a pretty good sign that prior programming is at work. Should is a very dangerous word. It leads to feelings of guilt and shame. Although your mother might disagree with me, there are very few real shoulds in this world. Most of the time you could substitute “I would prefer it if you would” or “I want you to”, or “it might be easier/better/safer if” instead of the word should.

Say this problem statement aloud, “I shouldn’t be feeling this way.” Rate the intensity on the 0-10 point scale and record your rating.

Setup (karate chop point): Even though I know I shouldn’t be feeling this way, I choose to love, accept, and forgive myself anyway. Even though I know I shouldn’t be feeling this way, I choose to love, accept, and forgive myself anyway. Even though I know I shouldn’t be feeling this way, I choose to love, accept, and forgive myself anyway.

Eyebrow…I shouldn’t be feeling this way
Side of Eye…I don’t even know why it is bothering me
Under the Eye…I don’t think I should be feeling this way
Under the Nose…Just admitting that I feel this way really bothers me
Chin…I feel bad that I feel this way
Collarbone…I’d like to pretend that I feel something different
Under the Arm…Then no one would know that I feel this way
Top of Head…No one would judge me for feeling this way
Eyebrow…I shouldn’t be feeling this way
Side of Eye…But my feelings are real
Under the Eye…And my feelings are ok
Under the Nose…I don’t need to be afraid of my feelings
Chin…And I don’t need to judge my feelings
Collarbone…My feelings happen naturally
Under the Arm…No matter what my feelings are – I’m in control of how I
express them
Top of Head…I choose to acknowledge my feelings, whatever they are
Eyebrow…Who told me I shouldn’t feel this way?
Side of Eye…What do they know about this?
Under the Eye…They are MY feelings
Under the Nose…My feelings are an acceptable part of who I am
Chin…I do feel this way
Collarbone…I accept my feelings just as they are
Under the Arm…I accept my feelings and I accept that they are MY feelings
Top of Head…My feelings are good and I am good

Take a deep breath and check the intensity of your original problem statement. “I shouldn’t be feeling this way.” Record your new intensity rating. This is an exercise that often sparks additional thoughts and feelings. It is quite likely that other early programming remarks made their way into your consciousness. Be sure to add them to your tapping journal for later work.

There are more tapping exercises like this one in Tap It Away: 10 Minutes to Freedom With EFT.