The Sky is Falling In!!

When setting up a practice for the first time, or when taking some big step in your practice that asks you to move out of your familiar zone and into something different, it is natural that strong feelings can arise.

There’s the anxiety: What is going to happen?

The self-doubt: Am I going to be or do enough?

The overwhelm: Is this going to be too much for me?

The uncertainty: Will I be okay?

When this happens to me, I’m reminded of the story of Chicken Little, who ran around telling his friends that the sky was falling in. And that’s very much how it can feel, that something catastrophic is going to happen and we’re going to die, or that we’ll be rejected, or judged, or that what we’re going to do will fail. Most of the time, of course, we’re not going to die, even though it feels like that, and most of what we imagine is going to happen (usually bad) will not come to pass at all.

But our thoughts and feelings can be misleading us, and when we’re feeling really scared in an effort to keep us safe, our minds can create all sorts of reasons why it would be better for us not to move forward at this time. After all, if we’re feeling that strongly about it, it must be the wrong thing to do. Maybe I need more information, more training, or more planning. Maybe tomorrow or next week would be better. Maybe I should wait until things are a bit quieter and there’s less happening in my life.

Sometimes this is a sign that we’re not ready, and need to take a step back.

And sometimes we just need to find a way to move forward. Sometimes what we are feeling is not so much a healthy caution about taking a big step, but an old conditioned response to change. It can be hard to tell the difference. One thing I’ve learnt is that a decision made in a wild panic is usually not a good one. For me, calming the frightened adrenaline rush of fear helps me to ground myself, and to consider my options more objectively. Then I can make the choice that’s right for me. I can move ahead, or I can find what I need to take a step closer to what I want or where I want to be.

EFT (or tapping) is my tool of choice for soothing that panic and fright. Used regularly, it calms the old conditioned reactions, and supports me in finding the best choices for me. Here’s a typical tapping routine that I might use to support myself in times like this. I hope you find it useful.

 

Click here for a diagram of the tapping points

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