Friday was the one-year anniversary of my dad’s death. It was a special day for my mom and me – we took some of his ashes up to Harper’s Ferry, WV, where he led a 100K hike for over 10 years. We spent a lot of time as a family up there, so it was fitting to celebrate my dad’s life in nature where he had so many good experiences. My mom and I scattered his ashes into the C&O Canal, we shed some tears, and we enjoyed some delicious vegan chipotle pumpkin soup at the Canal House Café.
Do you know what else I did this weekend? I ate. A LOT. Falafel, cupcakes, chili, sweet potato fries, peanut butter banana chocolate chip oatmeal, chips and salsa…the list could go on. It wasn’t until this morning that I made the connection between my incessant need to stuff myself to the brim with food and my underlying emotions about my dad’s death. Realizing that, I don’t feel so bad about everything that I ate.
Healing is a long journey. As soon as you think you’ve made some good progress, something else comes up and there you are, down in the dumps again. In general, I feel like I’m doing really well for someone who lost her dad to cancer a year ago, and it’s mostly because I’ve learned a lot of techniques for dealing with emotional pain. Meditation, yoga, personal transformation, etc. This past week I added EFT, or meridian tapping, to my toolbox of healing, and it really helped me identify the emotions behind my over-eating. I did a little tapping this morning and realized what was going on with my eating. I immediately felt better – like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders and I could think clearly.
EFT is super easy to put into practice. All you have to do is tap on your meridian points while repeating statements that bring up your emotions. What I love about EFT is you can say all of the things about yourself that you feel deep in your gut that you rarely take time to acknowledge. Saying these things while tapping on your meridian points allows you to really get clear about the emotions, and then reprogram yourself so that you have a new set of emotions.
Confused? Watch this quick video where Jessica Ortner, tapping goddess, teaches you the easy steps to get you tapping.
Here's a diagram of the meridian points:
I’ve started tapping every morning for 5 minutes after I meditate, and WOW is it bringing up a lot of my emotional gunk. This is definitely a tool that I’ll be bringing in to my coaching practice.
So there you have it. I recognize that I’m not perfect, that I have emotions that affect my relationship with food, and that I’m still learning and growing every day. If you recognize that too, and you're ready to deal with some of those emotions, why not give tapping a try this week.
Challenge: Following Jessica Ortner's demonstration, try tapping on something that's been bothering you lately - issues with your boss, an unresolved relationship, overwhelm about your busy schedule - whatever it is for you, tap on it for 5-10 minutes each morning. Then, come back and let me know how it goes!
Bonus: If you really want more guidance with your tapping, the 2011 Tapping World Summit is FREE and there are still 3 more days to listen to the audio classes. The first few days of the Summit really got my interested in tapping, and now I'm hooked. It's a great resource that you can add to your toolbox, too!
Sending you peace & love,
Katie
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