As we get ready to usher in the new year I want to share with one one last technique for reducing stress and anxiety. It might just be my favorite technique.
This technique is proven to lower cortisol. (see study here) And it is easy to do at home.
In addition to reducing stress this technique can help reduce symptoms associated with depression. It can help dispel phobias and can reduce PTSD. It can reduce sugar cravings and increase weight loss. It can also help improve physical issues such as chronic pain and fibromyalgia.
And finally – it can help you shift ingrained belief patterns that may be holding you back from developing into the person you want to be.
What is this almost magical and possibly too-good-to-be-true technique?
EFT – tapping!!! (to read more about tapping click here)
How can something so simple (and so weird) be so powerful???
Research shows that the stimulation of the tapping points lowers cortisol, calms the amygdala (emotional center of the brain) and the hippocampus (memory center of the brain). So as we engage in tapping while focusing on emotions, thoughts, or memories that are potentially uncomfortable for us – we are keeping our biochemistry calm and teaching our brains that this particular thought isn’t dangerous or cause for alarm. Doing this repeatedly allows us to rewire our brains and being able to handle thoughts, memories or situations that had previously been triggering for us with newfound calm.
However, understanding why it works is not nearly as important as internalizing that it can and does work.
Just knowing that there is an effective way to lower stress and anxiety in the moment – and then doing it – is life altering.
For example if falling asleep or getting back to sleep is difficult – you can tap on the points, lower cortisol and induce calm , and ease into sleep.
If you are feeling agitated by your kids, spouse, boss etc – you can find a private space and tap a few rounds and restore calm – and prevent yourself from losing your cool.
And if you’re super motivated you can use tapping in a more sophisticated way. You can decide to tackle the gnawing issues that hold you back in life and cause you distress. It can be a physical issue or an emotional one.
It can be a pain in your neck that just won’t subside, or grief over something lost, or fear of something in the future. EFT can even help with the oh-so -human experience of never feeling good enough.
EFT isn’t magic. And it requires hard work and a bit of temerity to open up and face your issues.
But EFT works. And it works fast. It’s functioning at quantum speed.
So as we approach the new year and engage in self introspection – consider using EFT to help you reduce your stress levels.
If you are interested in truly transforming your life – in changing just one thing that you have been struggling with and can’t seem to shift – consider using EFT to help you achieve your goal.
Feel free to contact me so I can explain how EFT can help you.
Best wishes for a Shana Tova – may it be a year filled with health, joy, prosperity…and calm 🙂
