Relief from Stress Might be Literally at Your Fingertips!
By: Sarah Grace Powers – Confluence Daily is your daily news source for women in the know.
How many times have you said you were stressed out in the last couple of weeks?
Even if you didn’t say it, I’ll be that you have FELT stressed out – maybe even multiple times today!
It’s common knowledge that stress is a culprit in causing a myriad of health problems, from minor conditions like upset stomach or tight shoulders, to life-threatening problems like stroke and heart attack. And plenty in between—including weight gain, brain fog, and even more frequent colds and flus.
Although the stress response is a physiological reaction in the body that causes specific hormones to be released, ‘stress’ has become a modern-day malaise. No one likes to feel it, yet we can’t escape it. Physical and emotional stressors surround us on the daily. Unfortunately, many of us try to minimize our stressful and anxious feelings with unhealthy behaviors like smoking, overeating or reaching for the wine bottle.
There are plenty of healthier ways to relieve stress, of course: exercise, meditation, deep breathing, time with loved ones, walks in nature, and more. (I discuss a few of these in 7 Tips to Get Rid of Stress, which you can read HERE.) While these stress relieving strategies are all helpful, there is a lesser-known technique that is gaining respect because of its powerful ability to move your nervous system from the stress-induced ‘fight or flight’ mode, to the healthful and replenishing ‘rest and digest’ mode.
Tap Away The Stress and Anxiety
This technique is called EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) or “tapping.” It works with the body’s energy meridians, similar to the way acupuncture works. Instead of having to go to a trained medical professional who inserts needles into your body though, you can gain relief all by yourself simply by using your fingers to tap on specific points along these meridians.
How can that really work? It just seems crazy that tapping on your face and body could make any sort of difference! And yet, it does. And one of the reasons why has to do with how your brain works.
As you tap you repeat specific words or phrases that literally tell the non-verbal part of your brain that you are safe, all is well, and you can be calm. This part of your brain—called the amygdala—is responsible for keeping you safe from harm. It is extremely valuable in truly life-threatening situations, but unfortunately, it has not evolved beyond the times when we humans had to run from saber-toothed tigers. Therefore, it activates with modern-day emotional stressors such as getting yelled at, getting cut off in traffic, or even worry thoughts.
EFT Tapping reduces the stress hormones in your body that your amygdala has so helpfully told your body to produce. And it does a lot more than that! Studies have shown tapping to be effective in reducing physical pain, ending food cravings, losing weight, healing addictions, ending phobias and much more.
It’s true that it’s best to work with a trained EFT practitioner to gain lasting results for more serious and deep-rooted situations like these, but the good news is that anyone can learn to tap on themselves for basic in-the-moment relief from stress and anxiety.
If you’d like to learn how to tap for yourself, I take you through the points and a tapping sequence in this video. And learn more about EFT right here.
More by Sarah:
Sarah Grace Powers is a certified life coach and EFT Practitioner. She is a ‘dream resuscitator’, helping clients rediscover their passions and reinvent themselves no matter what their age or circumstance. In her previous career she owned and operated an herb shop and has practiced holistic living for over three decades. Find her at sarahgracecoach.com
