Emotional Freedom Therapy (EFT) for Stress Relief

“It’s all about finding calm in the chaos.” – Donna Karan

Early last year, I found myself weighed down by anxiety. My mind was constantly racing with an ongoing to-do list. I felt physically and mentally drained every night as my head hit the pillow. Just like the phrase, “You can’t pour from an empty cup,” my cup was bone dry.

This is when I stumbled upon EFT.

What is EFT?

EFT stands for “Emotional Freedom Therapy.” It’s also known as “Tapping” or “EFT Tapping,” because you tap on certain parts of the body to release negative stress. I’ll admit, at first it sounded a little crazy.

Fast forward to a year later and I still practice EFT—because it works! I’ve come to learn that EFT has helped others reduce stress and boost energy levels. EFT also helps for physical issues. Some use it to relieve tension headaches, others for joint pain. Personally, I use it whenever I am feeling stressed out.

If you haven’t tried EFT, you may be skeptical. It’s completely normal to feel that way. It does sound a little funny to “tap” away depression and pain. However, EFT Tapping is based on acupuncture, which has been around for over 5,000 years. Instead of needles, fingertips are used.

The good news is EFT is growing in popularity and so are the articles and videos explaining the practice.

How to Practice EFT to Fill Your Cup

Like meditation, EFT can be practiced most anywhere and at any time. You’ll want to find a place that you can take a few minutes to focus on your body and mind.

1. Before beginning, tune into your body. Ask yourself, “On a scale of 1 to 10, how stressed am I right now?”
2. Take a deep breath and begin lightly tapping the side of your hand.
3. Repeat the following phrase: “Even though I am very stressed out, I deeply and completely accept myself.”
4. Tap for about 10 seconds and move on to tapping right above your eyebrow.
5. You will repeat tapping and speaking on the following areas: Side of eye, under eyes, under nose, chin, collarbone, under arm, and top of the head.
6. For the next round of tapping, you’ll change the sentence to a positive phrase. You can use the same phrase for this section, or different phrases for each body area. Like most other practices, feel free to make EFT your own, but make sure to keep it simple. Some phrases that you can use are “I am okay as I am” or “I choose to slow down and step back.”
7. Once finished, take a deep breath in and evaluate your stress level. It should be reduced from when you began the session.

The above exercise is a very simple and short EFT session. As you grow more familiar with the practice, you can lengthen the section by adding different rounds. For example, some people perform eight rounds of tapping in which they: 1-express, 2-understand, 3-explore, 4-address, 5-relax, 6-gain hope, 7-slow down, and 8-choose calm.

The most important thing is to find a tapping session that works for you. Believe in the practice, believe in yourself, and fill your cup.

Kati Jewell is a self-proclaimed spirit junkie who lives in Michigan. When she’s not on her boat with her husband and daughter, she can be found at yoga class or lost in a good book.