The way that I have described the emotional toll of the last year is as if we are paying a 20% emotional tax every morning when we get up. This means that our energy is at a lower ebb, we think more slowly, and many everyday activities seem to take more effort. As time passes this daily grind can accumulate into something bigger and more serious. It's not just a matter of moving more slowly, it's more like hitting an emotional wall. That's exactly what happened to me in the middle of last ...
"It happened on a night like this twelve years ago..." is the perfect way to start a ghost story. The story I want to tell isn't a ghost story and it sounds way less exciting to say "It started on a random Tuesday afternoon while sitting at my kitchen table..." BUT that really is how it started. On a random Tuesday morning (March 3rd, 2009 to be exact) I launched the very first episode of the Tapping Q & A Podcast. To be honest I had no idea where it was going to go. I had 10 ...
Twelve years ago today the very first episode of the Tapping Q and A Podcast was published, which means a little celebration is in order. Sometimes we hold ourselves back from celebrating. Perhaps because we are worried the achievement isn't big enough to shout about, or others may think we are being immodest, or if we celebrate something small, then we will lower our standards. I have found the exact opposite to be true. The more we celebrate our victories, no matter how small, the more ...
For me, jealousy is one the most corrosive emotions. Jealousy floods the mind with all sorts of negative thoughts, leading us to think poorly about ourselves, about the object of our jealousy, and amplifies our feelings about the unfairness of the world. That cascade of negative thoughts also leads us to feeling unmotivated because part of us feels like it is a total waste of time. In this week's podcast I share my experience with professional jealousy, how I get past it, and then I share ...
In my mind there are three main reasons why we tap. The first is for emotional first aid. This is the tapping we do in the moment to help us when our emotions feel overwhelming. The second is for clearing hurtful memories and limiting beliefs. I group these together because they are often intertwined, with painful memories being a common root cause of limiting beliefs. By tapping to clearing these we can create space to make better choices day to day. The third is for building ...
All of us have experienced failures in our past. It is an unavoidable part of being human. We fail because we didn't finish what we started, we didn't put in the effort we should have, or we didn't get the results we wanted. Failure can be instructive, but if we continue to relive our failures emotionally, then they are longer lessons but instead become unhelpful emotional anchors. This week we tap to release and let go of any past failures holding us back emotionally. You can find ...
Recently I conducted a survey of my readers and listeners asking them what their biggest struggle with tapping is. There were five really common responses: Not knowing where to startHaving way too many issues to tap forNot knowing what to say when tapping for a particular issueTapping consistentlyFinding that tapping for one issue turns into an avalanche of emotions that feel too daunting to manage These responses were no surprise because I hear the same concerns from my clients all the ...
In the middle of the day it is easy to find ourselves distracted. One minute we are working on a task...the next we are sucked into one of our social media accounts, glued to a YouTube video, or conducting some frivolous internet research. AND if we are not careful, we surface 30 minutes later and realise we haven't gotten anything done. When this happens it is much more than just being distracted. Often it's because there is a part of us avoiding doing our work because on a subconscious ...
I spend a lot of time helping my clients to get clear about the actions they want to take. They often think their problem is not knowing exactly how to do what they want to do. In reality, the problem isn't not knowing what to do next, it's about actually knowing what they want. If we don't know the direction in which we're heading, it's impossible to make a concrete plan. In this week's podcast Carol Look shares with us a simple three-step process she calls The Yes Code. This process uses ...
We have all been trained to push on, to push through, and to maintain a stiff upper lip. Sometimes that isn't possible. Sometimes there are hard things in our lives and we feel overwhelmed with sadness. Right now there is so much going on in the world. Many of us feel disconnected, isolated, alone, anxious and overwhelmed. Some days are OK, other days not so much. Late last week I was having one of those down days. So I gave myself permission just to be sad. To feel my emotions fully ...
As one of the craziest years in living memory winds down, there is a great desire to find peace, calm, and stillness. This week's podcast contains a simple tap-along process to help calm your system and gain some mental clarity. In addition, learn how to choose which tapping point to tap on next (you will be surprised by the analogy that I use). This will only take a few minutes to do, but it is powerful. While recording this podcast I yawned no less than 10 times. You can find the ...
There is no question that tapping is a valuable tool to have in your self-care tool box, but if we are not thoughtful in our approach, it is easy for us to miss out on some of the benefits of a tapping session. If we aren't careful we can tap for thirty minutes, moving from topic to topic to topic, doing bits and bods of work here and there without ever making a big dent in any one issue. This isn't to say that we need to know every exact detail we are going to work on when we tap in order ...
One of my favorite things to do is to introduce someone to tapping when they are experiencing emotional distress. The first (and most obvious) reason I love it is because they feel so much better right away. The second reason I love it is the feeling of wonderment they feel after they realize what has happened. They are in the bliss of the moment, but at the same time are trying to process how something as silly as tapping on their body creates that type of relief. Most of the time when we ...
Most of us are familiar with thinking of fear in terms of flight or flight. In reality, fear shows up in many different flavors. There is fight, flight, freeze, fog, and flop, to name just a few of the possible ‘f words’ we might experience. The feeling of fear engages both our autonomic nervous and polyvagal systems. There are active and passive responses to fear, as well as engaging and disengaging actions. An understanding of the different ways in which fear shows up in our experience ...
Managing major transitions and life changes can be difficult. Not only can these changes impact the work we do, where we live, and who we spend time with, they also impact the way we see ourselves and how others define us. When we are going through major changes, a primitive part of the brain starts to kick into overdrive to keep us safe. This part of our subconscious mind wants to protect us in the belief that the more predictable our life is, the safer it is. This is so true that our ...
One of my favorite parts of the Mastering the Art of Delivery training that I ran back in August and September was the session that I ran after dinner on the first day. It was entitled “Ask Me Anything” (also known as an AMA). The participants were given a chance to ask me anything. They could ask me about the content we covered. They could ask me about how I use tapping on issues they were struggling with. They could ask me about how I run my business. They could even ask me about how I ...
It is all too easy to feel like we are out of place and that we don't belong. When feeling this way it is hard to speak up and to share what we have to offer. Today we are going to tap for feeling comfortable with speaking up and being heard. Thanks for taking part in the November 30-Day Tapping Challenge! Don’t forget to sign up to receive daily reminders so that you don’t miss a day of tapping. If you liked today's video, please share it with a friend. ...
Taking on the responsibility of caring for another person is a big commitment. This is particularly true when they are struggling in a way that isn't going to improve quickly. Today we are going to tap for the emotional struggles of caring for someone else. Thanks for taking part in the November 30-Day Tapping Challenge! Don’t forget to sign up to receive daily reminders so that you don’t miss a day of tapping. If you liked today's video, please share it with a friend. ...
It is hard to get work done when you are feeling distracted and your mind wanders from idea to idea without getting much done. Today we are going to tap to create a sense of focus in the face of distractions. Thanks for taking part in the November 30-Day Tapping Challenge! Don’t forget to sign up to receive daily reminders so that you don’t miss a day of tapping. If you liked today's video, please share it with a friend. ...
When you put your heart and soul into creating something, it can be scary to share it with others. Because what you are sharing is a part of you, any critique of your work feels like a criticism of you as a person. Today we are going to tap for feeling comfortable sharing our work with others. Thanks for taking part in the November 30-Day Tapping Challenge! Don’t forget to sign up to receive daily reminders so that you don’t miss a day of tapping. If you liked today's video, please ...