The best way to deal with stress – Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT)
Stress is all around us and affects all areas of our lives. Sometimes small minor events will cause the stress reaction (fight or flight) and other times it will be big traumatic events. Each time our body experiences stress, many chemicals are released especially cortisol. Many studies have shown the connection between cortisol and weight gain , cloudy thinking and even poor decision making. Not only is our health affected but it can also affect our careers, relationships and even our abundance . Additionally, many times we store these stress events as blocks in our energy system, truly blocking us from the success we seek.
There are many ways to deal with stress; diet, exercise , sleep and meditation, but I’ve found that the most effective way is meridian tapping or EFT as it is more commonly known.
What is EFT?
EFT is a form of needle-less acupuncture. It is the marriage between western psychology and eastern medicine. The theory is that we hold negative emotions, feelings and/or events in our energy body and unless we release them, they can act as blocks to our success. The process is simple, you begin with a problem , then you gently tap using your finger tips on the energy meridians as you are verbalizing the problem. After a few rounds you will find that the intensity of the problem is reduced and sometimes completely gone.
EFT for Emotional Eating and Weight Loss
EFT works on a myriad of stress related issues but my focus has been on emotional eating. The underlining factors that contribute to emotional eating can not be dealt with without the mind body connection. Diets alone are futile because to an emotional eater food is not just food, it may represent reward, safety ,companionship or love. You know exactly what I am talking about . You start your diet Monday morning and you are on fire , excited with the possibilities, then out of nowhere you are staring aimlessly at the pantry or the refrigerator . You don’t even know what you are looking for, all you know is the fire has been extinguished and the possibilites are the furthest thing from your mind. This behavior may take a few hours or a few weeks but it always happens. You give up, get discouraged, swear off diets and gain back everything you lost ( and then some) . You berate yourself and either get depressed or enter a state of denial “I don’t care” all fueling the stress response which in turn contributre to the emotional eating cycle. Then a few weeks later you hear of the next great hope and you start all over again ! With each unsuccesful attempt both the mind and the body become more resistant to releasing the weight ( yoyo syndrome). In some ways the “yoyo syndrome” creates the exact opposite response that you are so desperately seeking -stopping the emotional eating cycle and lasting weight loss.
Have you tried everything; pills ,counting points, weighing and measuring , restricting carbs, fats or proteins, beads, exercising till you collapse or every muscle in your body aches? Have you sworn that this is the last time you’ll gain the weight and there you are again? If you are sick of the roller coaster ride then EFT is truly the answer. It has been for me ! I will add that persistence is necessary and using EFT in a specific way is also vital. But the freedom you have been seeking is only a Tap away.
Click here to schedule your complimentary (free) Weight Breakthrough session so we can discuss how I can support you to your goals. If you’re unable to find an available appointment, please email me at leslie@Stresslesswitheft.com for more availability.
You may also want to check out a powerful audio program that I produced with my mentor Carol Look. It’s called “Afraid To Lose Weight?” and it addresses the sometime underlying reasons why we find it difficult to release weight. You can check it out by clicking here.