There just aren't enough hours in the day. I know setting time aside to tap is important, but I have trouble focusing on my tapping. When I sit down to tap I have a million thoughts running through my head. What can I do to focus on the task at hand?
This is a common problem. We know we need to take care of ourselves, but we don't think we have the time to do it. Some how we keep adding more and more responsibilities to our days.
But we HAVE to find time to take of ourselves. When we don't take care of ourselves we become less effective (and often sick), which puts us even farther behind.
I encourage all my clients to take some time, every time, to focus before they start tapping. I know when I do this I am less distracted, more focused on the task at hand, and I am more likely to spend more time tapping.
Usually I recommend they address a few areas before tapping:
1) Dealing with any resistance to believing EFT works
EFT seems so weird
How is it possible that tapping on my face and body is going to help me emotionally
If my friends saw me now, the would think I have lost my mind
But tapping has worked in the past
It does make me feel better
And it only takes a few minutes of time
Even if the tapping has nothing to do with it, by taking sometime for myself that is good for me
2) Dealing with a cluttered over busy mind
I have a million thoughts running through my head
There are so many things that need to be done
My thoughts are running a million miles a second
But I choose to know that I can focus my mind
I know that I can slow the thoughts down
I give myself permission to let all those thought go
I know that as my mind slows down I will relax
I don’t need all those thoughts right now
I am focused here
3) Dealing with feelings of guilt for not doing the tasks that are at hand
This is so much to get done
I am so far behind
Every time I catch up some new problem erupts
I don't have time to do this tapping
I don't have time to take care of myself
I should be working on my to do list
I should be making dinner, cleaning the house, getting work done, working out
But I choose to know that I need to take care of myself
I know that if I don’t take care of my self I will get sick and won't be able to get done what I need to get done
I give myself permission to take time for myself
I deserve to take some time for myself
I know that when I take care of myself I am a happier more efficient person
You can do each of these by them selves or you can just run through all three sets without stopping. The goal of this tapping is to get your self into the mindset that will allow you to take the time you need to tap, guilt free.
If after doing all these phrases you are still unsettled and not focused, just tap through the phases again.
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Showing posts with label daily. Show all posts
Showing posts with label daily. Show all posts
August 17, 2007
August 1, 2007
Making It Routine
I love EFT, but find it hard to remember to use EFT. Do you have any suggestions to help me remember to us EFT regularly?
It is very funny. When friends, family and clients are sharing with me something that has happened in the past week, I almost always ask, "Did you tap in it?" Inevitably they respond, "I always forget."
Initially, in my practice, I found that very few clients where doing the homework we had agreed upon. As I started to investigate this, generally the response was as simple as, "I forgot." In response to this, I started to not only give homework, but give the time they should be doing the home work (e.g. sitting in the car before walking in to work, right before bed, while taking a morning walk).
Basically, with out saying this, we were creating an EFT routine. Here is an example of a routine for one of my clients "Jane".
Jane works for an agency that places and supports children in the foster care system. It is a job that can be emotional at times because of the nature of their clients. It is stressful because they are trying to do so much with limited resources. Because of this Jane was taking quite a bit of anxiousness home from work.
The routine we created was very simple. Each day before she left work she would make a stop in the restroom. She would go into one of the stalls and do EFT for five to ten minutes. She would address any emotions she had at that moment, as well as take a quick review of the day to see if there was anything she needed to clean up. Then, symbolically, she would flush the toilet to show her self that she had gotten rid of all the carp she was carrying around.
We very intentionally chose her work place as the place she was going to do the work. Her concern was that she was bringing the emotion from work home with her. We very easily could have had her waited until she got home before she did the work. There are two problems with this. First, by waiting until she got home she was bringing the emotion home (which is what we were trying to fix). Second, it was very easy to get distracted when she got home. There was the dog to take care of, her husband to greet and spend time with and dinner to fix. It would be very easy to get distracted with all that was happening at home and not get to the EFT work she needed to do.
By having her do the EFT at her work place we were able to take care of both of these problems. First, doing the EFT at work, all of the emotion associated with the job was not leaving work. Second, by making it part of her exit routine from the office there was no way she was going to get distracted from the doing EFT. It simply became one more step to getting out the door, like turning off her computer, packing her back, and turning the voice mail on.
Here are a few things to consider when creating an EFT routine.
1) Do it at the same time everyday.
There are going to be moments when we need to do EFT right now, but for the most part we are able to deal with most things with some time set aside for work. Look at how well we brush our teeth. Every night before we go to bed, the last thing we all do is brush our teeth. I know I don't think why I am doing, it is just part of the routine. It is much easier to do any sort of maintenance for hour health when it is done at a regular time. This is true for brushing our teeth, going to the gym, or doing EFT.
2) Do it in the same place every time.
Now this might be possible, but I have found it is very helpful to have a consistent location. I have a special chair in which I do all of my prayer, meditation, and EFT in. The only thing I use the chair for is these activities. Because I have set space aside for these activities, the moment I start moving towards my body, mind, and spirit know what is coming. I immediately start to feel relaxed because I know what is coming next.
You don't have to have a special place in which the only thing you do there is EFT, but by having a consistent location (in bed, the kitchen table, the porch swing) you more likely to do it.
Also, it is important to pick a place where you are not going to be distracted. In the living room, while the kids are watching TV might not be the best choice.
3) Have a game plan when you sit down.
I have found it helpful to have a plan when I sit down to do EFT. For me it looks something like this. First, I scan my body for any aches and pains and do work on them first. Second, I review my day to see what residual emotions are kicking around. Third, I think about what is happening tomorrow. I see if I am worried about what is to come and then do one round of future tapping. Fourth, I do work on whatever pressing issue there is in my life (e.g. a new job, relationship with someone). This is some area of my life that needs work, but isn't going to happen in just one session. Finally, I do a round of thanksgiving tapping.
This is a routine that might be way more involved than what is right for you, but having a game plan is helpful to make sure you make good use of your time.
Also, this is not set in stone. If I find there is something else I need to do with my time, I can do it, but it is a good starting point.
4) Don't get to ambitious when creating a routine.
When you are creating a routine, start small. The quickest way to stop doing a routine is to fail at doing the routine. If you try and duplicate the routine articulated in point to as a starting point, it is going to be too much. When you are first creating a your routine, make it as simple at just working on your aches and pains while you are laying in bed right before you fall asleep. After you have done this for a week or two, add another component to your routine.
Learn EFT | Submit a question
It is very funny. When friends, family and clients are sharing with me something that has happened in the past week, I almost always ask, "Did you tap in it?" Inevitably they respond, "I always forget."
Initially, in my practice, I found that very few clients where doing the homework we had agreed upon. As I started to investigate this, generally the response was as simple as, "I forgot." In response to this, I started to not only give homework, but give the time they should be doing the home work (e.g. sitting in the car before walking in to work, right before bed, while taking a morning walk).
Basically, with out saying this, we were creating an EFT routine. Here is an example of a routine for one of my clients "Jane".
Jane works for an agency that places and supports children in the foster care system. It is a job that can be emotional at times because of the nature of their clients. It is stressful because they are trying to do so much with limited resources. Because of this Jane was taking quite a bit of anxiousness home from work.
The routine we created was very simple. Each day before she left work she would make a stop in the restroom. She would go into one of the stalls and do EFT for five to ten minutes. She would address any emotions she had at that moment, as well as take a quick review of the day to see if there was anything she needed to clean up. Then, symbolically, she would flush the toilet to show her self that she had gotten rid of all the carp she was carrying around.
We very intentionally chose her work place as the place she was going to do the work. Her concern was that she was bringing the emotion from work home with her. We very easily could have had her waited until she got home before she did the work. There are two problems with this. First, by waiting until she got home she was bringing the emotion home (which is what we were trying to fix). Second, it was very easy to get distracted when she got home. There was the dog to take care of, her husband to greet and spend time with and dinner to fix. It would be very easy to get distracted with all that was happening at home and not get to the EFT work she needed to do.
By having her do the EFT at her work place we were able to take care of both of these problems. First, doing the EFT at work, all of the emotion associated with the job was not leaving work. Second, by making it part of her exit routine from the office there was no way she was going to get distracted from the doing EFT. It simply became one more step to getting out the door, like turning off her computer, packing her back, and turning the voice mail on.
Here are a few things to consider when creating an EFT routine.
1) Do it at the same time everyday.
There are going to be moments when we need to do EFT right now, but for the most part we are able to deal with most things with some time set aside for work. Look at how well we brush our teeth. Every night before we go to bed, the last thing we all do is brush our teeth. I know I don't think why I am doing, it is just part of the routine. It is much easier to do any sort of maintenance for hour health when it is done at a regular time. This is true for brushing our teeth, going to the gym, or doing EFT.
2) Do it in the same place every time.
Now this might be possible, but I have found it is very helpful to have a consistent location. I have a special chair in which I do all of my prayer, meditation, and EFT in. The only thing I use the chair for is these activities. Because I have set space aside for these activities, the moment I start moving towards my body, mind, and spirit know what is coming. I immediately start to feel relaxed because I know what is coming next.
You don't have to have a special place in which the only thing you do there is EFT, but by having a consistent location (in bed, the kitchen table, the porch swing) you more likely to do it.
Also, it is important to pick a place where you are not going to be distracted. In the living room, while the kids are watching TV might not be the best choice.
3) Have a game plan when you sit down.
I have found it helpful to have a plan when I sit down to do EFT. For me it looks something like this. First, I scan my body for any aches and pains and do work on them first. Second, I review my day to see what residual emotions are kicking around. Third, I think about what is happening tomorrow. I see if I am worried about what is to come and then do one round of future tapping. Fourth, I do work on whatever pressing issue there is in my life (e.g. a new job, relationship with someone). This is some area of my life that needs work, but isn't going to happen in just one session. Finally, I do a round of thanksgiving tapping.
This is a routine that might be way more involved than what is right for you, but having a game plan is helpful to make sure you make good use of your time.
Also, this is not set in stone. If I find there is something else I need to do with my time, I can do it, but it is a good starting point.
4) Don't get to ambitious when creating a routine.
When you are creating a routine, start small. The quickest way to stop doing a routine is to fail at doing the routine. If you try and duplicate the routine articulated in point to as a starting point, it is going to be too much. When you are first creating a your routine, make it as simple at just working on your aches and pains while you are laying in bed right before you fall asleep. After you have done this for a week or two, add another component to your routine.
Learn EFT | Submit a question
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