Mental Health Monday: Tapping Technique

Hello all,

  

I am Shelly Binkley, the new co-chair of the Neurodiversity and Mental Wellness community group. My pronouns are she/her. I like hand-written lists, mint chocolate chip ice cream, and playing D&D.

  

As one of my duties as co-chair, I will be working with Heath to create posts on our community page, including this new series called Mental Health Monday!

  

For today's post I would like to highlight the "tapping" technique, which I have personally used before for stress management and grounding.

  

Tapping, also called EFT (emotional freedom technique), involves using your fingertips to tap repeatedly on key pressure points of your body, such as the side of your hand, the top of your head, below the nose and chin, and on your collarbone. Tapping is often paired with repeating a calming phrase or mantra to help recenter your focus.

  

More information on how to practice the tapping technique, including an instructional video and graphics highlighting the tap points, is available at this website: https://www.thetappingsolution.com/tapping-101/

  

What I like best about this technique is that you can modify it to fit the situation. When I'm in a meeting or other public place, I focus just on tapping the outside of my hand, which can be done without drawing much attention. While it is of course not a fix-all for anxiety, tapping on my hand and other pressure points has often helped me ride out a wave of panic and redirect.

  

What are your favorite tools for stress management? Please share with us in the comments!