You would think that I would immediately think of tapping whenever I have a challenge. I really wish that were true. I would suffer so much less that way. But, like many people, I go about trying to solve my problems in the “usual” way first. I have had some trouble sleeping at night. The way I was thinking about the problem suggested at least three things were interfering with my sleep. First there was a temperature problem. My bedroom was way too hot. In fact, my house was too hot. Temperatres during the day had started getting into the 90s and my house was turning into a little oven. I don’t sleep well if I’m not in a cool room.
A second issue was a frequent cough and plugged up sinuses. I have been sick recenty and my respiratory system doesn’t particularly like the climate here in New Mexico. Open windows and doors, heat, and blowing fans weren’t helping my dryness problem. I would start to fall asleep and then awaken when I started coughing.
The third issue that I identified was emotional. I was angry and frustrated about the swamp cooler, the dryness, and the illness. Thoughts like “if people were just competent I wouldn’t have to suffer” (waiting on repairs for the swamp cooler), “I wouldn’t have to deal with this if I were back in Ohio”, and “if I don’t get some sleep soon it is really going to get ugly” were prominent. To add insult to injury, at the time I was spending a majority of my day helping other people overcome their insomnia. I was angry that I might have to resort to using those techniques for myself and I didn’t want to. (My inner 2-year-old was definitely in control.)
So there I was…awake, miserable, and angry. It was almost like one of those cartoon lightbulbs lit up over my head. So I started tapping. At first I wasn’t sure what I was tapping about. I just knew that I was miserable and that I wanted it to stop. Then I focused on feeling hot. After I had tapped a few rounds about that I started tapping about my lungs settling down. I tapped while I focused on my rising panic about not sleeping. I also tapped about how angry and frustrated I was with the whole situation. I even threw in some tapping about feeling stupid because I didn’t think of tapping sooner.
All of that tapping sounds like a lot, but in reality it probably only took about 10 minutes until I was calm, relaxed, and comfortable enough to fall asleep. There are a few lessons here that I feel are important to highlight,
1. I just started tapping. I didn’t need clarity about what I was tapping for in order to get started.
2. I didn’t do any real setup statements or formal reminder phrases. I didn’t need them. My body, mind, and spirit knew exactly what I needed in the moment.
3. I had to stick with it for a little while in order to get results.
4. It worked.
Happy Tapping.