EFT is the most useful tool in my toolbox for so many issues and challenges. I heard about EFT (tapping) in 2005 from my husband, when I told him about my fear of the dentist. I knew immediately it was something I needed to know more about. I’ve now been an accredited EFT International practitioner for 14 years and love it more every day!

There are 2 distinct ways in which EFT can be incredibly useful.

• In-the-moment stress relief
• Working on and resolving deeper core issues that stop us in many areas of our lives

The second one (resolving deeper issues) is what I mostly do with clients in our private sessions together. That’s generally a journey because our main issues in life seems to be made up of many layers, facets and angles.

There are many ways, though, that the EFT tapping points can be incredibly useful for daily stress-relief. I find that for tools to be useful, we actually have to use them, instead of just knowing about them.

I’ve heard these words so often from myself, clients, and people who have been on full 3 day EFT workshops:

• “I have forgotten that I could tap for this issue”
• “I don’t have the time”
• “I know I can tap but I just don’t feel like it”
• “I SHOULD tap for this, I know….”

Why do we not tap when we know it can be useful?

There are many reasons! Among them are:

We seem to think that we have to set aside an hour for a ‘tapping session’ and in our busy, complex lives that is often hard to do. No wonder we have resistance.

Another challenge we face is our problems sometimes look insurmountable and we don’t know where to start with tapping.

What if we could find ways to do 10 minutes of tapping, and not make it a big deal? That can begin to cause small shifts. We might not think those are ‘big enough’… However, I want to encourage you that a 1 degree change in direction over 10 days makes a much bigger difference than you can imagine.

Easy Ways for Daily EFT

Maybe these few easy ways to incorporate daily tapping for decreasing stress and tackling issues in small pieces can inspire you to try it out.

• Finger points
• 9 Gamut point
• TV tapping
• Tap and talk
• Tap and walk
• Daily review

In the Moment

Finger Points

Make sure you know where the finger points are. They are very useful for in-the-moment-stress-relief. If you’re in a stressful meeting or conversation, hold your hands under the table or desk, and squeeze, hold or tap the finger points. It may not relieve ALL of the distress, yet it will go a long way.

The 9-gamut Point

This point on the back of the hand, is between the bones of the 4th and 5th fingers. It’s a point on the Triple Warmer Meridian, that governs the fight-or-flight-response and can help us calm down. As above, while you’re in a stressful situation, hold or tap the point lightly. It’s called 9-gamut because in an EFT session, we use this point while doing 9 different things to balance the brain.

TV Tapping

This is my term, it’s not an EFT term! I try to find as many opportunities as I can to tap my stress down. While you’re watching TV or a movie anyway, keep doing rounds and rounds of tapping – either on all the body points, or only the fingers. There are always upsetting things on TV: situations that trigger us or remind us of things that have happened in our lives. We go into a type of trance while watching TV or a movie and we might as well use this time to work through things that feel triggering. You don’t have to say anything while you do this tapping, since you’re tuned in to issues subconsciously.

Working on bigger issues

Tap and Talk

If you’re in a more private space, and something has upset you – start tapping immediately while you’re talking yourself through it. You don’t have to use EFT in the formal “setup statement” plus rounds of tapping every time. All you really need is to be tuned into your issue while you tap. So… tap away while you tell yourself the truth of how you feel. “And then he said this….. and my word that made my angry… I’m so angry… I wanted to strangle him….” .. tapping the next point at every next little sentence.

Tap and Walk

This is one of my favourite ways of using EFT daily! I go for a 40-60 min walk every day. I choose a topic as I start my walk… it may be a bigger issue I’m currently working on, or perhaps something I don’t have clarity on, or something that upset me earlier in the day or week. I start tapping either all the body points, or just the finger points, and continue round after round while I talk to myself. I don’t feel self-conscious about this at all. Everyone around me are too busy looking at their phones, or are engrossed in their own problems. Truly, they don’t care. (If you think you can’t possibly do this in public – may I suggest that’s your next issue to tap for – caring what people think?) I have solved MANY a challenge this way… by the end of my walk I have my answer, I feel calmer and clearer and I have let go of a lot of stress.

Daily Review – Bedtime Routine

I have a bedtime routine that includes a little tapping pause. I think through my day, and give myself a chance to remember anything that might have been upsetting. Even a slight little bit, even something that was a 3-out-of-10 in intensity. Then I tap for a few minutes while I tell myself about it. It makes going to sleep so much easier because my brain can switch off from all the crazy thoughts that could have kept me awake. For sensitive people, I do believe this is a very important thing… if we don’t sleep well, everything affects us more. And when we had a stressful day with too many stimulating things, it can prevent us from sound sleep.

What to look out for

As you tap, notice any sighs or yawns. Those are great indications that you have shifted your energy around something. You may not have any idea of what had just shifted and that’s okay. It could make the difference between being reactive and responsive in your next interaction with a challenging person or situation!

More Help to use EFT for your own Issues

If you’re curious to learn how to use EFT for yourself, you can take a peek here. It’s a self-study course I put together with a lot of love and care, from my experience as an EFT Trainer and Practitioner.