What is EFT Tapping—And Why It Helped Me When Nothing Else Did

There were nights I’d sit on the bathroom floor with the lights off—just needing five minutes where no one needed me.

Not to be touched. Not to be talked to.
Not to be calm. Not to have the right tone or the right answer.
Just to breathe and feel like myself for a second.

And even then… the guilt would creep in.

I’d think:
Why can’t I handle this better?
Why am I the one falling apart when I’m supposed to be the steady one?
What’s wrong with me?

The truth?
There was nothing wrong with me.
My nervous system was overwhelmed. My body was carrying years—generations—of invisible emotional weight.

What I needed wasn’t more self-control or mindset hacks.
I needed a way to meet myself in those messy, spiraling moments.

That’s when I found EFT Tapping.
And it changed everything.

What is EFT Tapping?

EFT stands for Emotional Freedom Technique—but most people just call it tapping.

It’s a simple yet powerful mind-body practice where you gently tap on specific acupressure points—mostly on the face and upper body—while speaking out loud the truth of what you’re feeling.

These tapping points aren’t random. They correspond to energy pathways in the body called meridians, the same system used in traditional Chinese medicine. When these points are stimulated through gentle tapping, it sends calming signals to the brain—especially the amygdala, which is responsible for the body’s stress response.

In fact, research has shown that tapping can significantly reduce cortisol levels (your body’s main stress hormone). One clinical study found that a single EFT session lowered cortisol by up to 43%, helping the body shift out of fight-or-flight mode and into a state of regulation and safety.

It might look or sound strange at first—
Like, Why am I tapping on my face while crying in the pantry?
But here’s what it does:

• It calms your nervous system

• It helps your body process stuck emotion

• It rewires old belief patterns

• It brings you back into presence with yourself—without judgment

Tapping is not about fixing or pushing through.
It’s about coming home to yourself—especially in the hard moments.

Why It’s a Lifeline for Moms

Motherhood cracks you open in ways no one prepares you for.

Yes, it’s beautiful. Yes, it’s filled with love.
But it’s also relentless, loud, nonstop, and deeply lonely at times.

You’re not just managing nap schedules and snack times—you’re carrying:

• The pressure to get it all right

• The guilt when you don’t

• The emotional weight of everyone else’s needs

• The grief for the parts of you that feel lost

You’re constantly “on.” Constantly giving.
And yet, there’s no pause button. No timeout. No one handing you a juice box and saying, “You’re doing great, mama. Let’s help you calm down.”

And when that emotional load gets too heavy, it doesn’t just sit quietly. It comes out as:

• Snapping over spilled milk

• Numbness that feels like you’ve disappeared

• Crying in the closet while everyone’s calling your name

• Resentment you don’t want to admit—and guilt the moment you feel it

The truth? You were never meant to hold it all without support.
You were never meant to override your body’s stress signals and smile through it.

That’s why tapping is a lifeline.

Because it gives you a way to release instead of suppress.
To feel without falling apart.
To return to yourself—not the perfect version, but the real one—again and again.

It’s not just a technique. It’s a radical act of mothering yourself in the moments when no one else can.

What It Helped Me Through

Tapping helped me...

After the bedtime I totally lost it.
When I couldn’t stop replaying how I snapped.
When I felt like I was failing every single day.
When I had so much resentment building inside me it scared me.
When I needed a safe place to feel—and didn’t know where else to turn.

It became a practice I could return to again and again—not to fix myself, but to finally be with myself.

Not to force calm, but to create space.
Not to make my feelings disappear, but to hold them with compassion.

A Simple Tapping Practice You Can Try

If you're reading this and your chest is tight…
If today felt like too much…
If you’re carrying guilt or frustration or exhaustion…

Let’s tap.

Start with one slow, full breath. Let it out with a sigh.

Side of Hand (Karate Chop Point):
Even though I feel like I’m falling short, I choose to offer myself grace.
Even though today was hard, I deeply and completely accept how I feel.
Even though part of me still thinks I have to be perfect, I’m learning to soften.

Eyebrow: I’m holding so much.
Side of Eye: I don’t feel like I’m doing it well enough.
Under Eye: I feel stretched, tired, and heavy.
Under Nose: I wish I could show up differently.
Chin: But maybe I can start by showing up for me.
Collarbone: I’m allowed to feel what I feel.
Under Arm: I’m allowed to be human.
Top of Head: I’m safe to come home to myself.

Breathe again. Let the words land.

What It’s Really About

Tapping isn’t about pretending everything’s okay.
It’s not about thinking positively or “snapping out of it.”
It’s about honesty. It’s about presence. It’s about softening when your body wants to armor up.

Tapping is how I learned to stay with myself after the hard moments.

It’s how I stopped spiraling so deeply into guilt.
It’s how I started being kinder to myself.
It’s how I remembered: I don’t have to perform to be a good mom.
I just have to return to myself—and keep doing that, over and over again.

Want a Free Reset You Can Use Anytime?

I created a 3-minute tapping practice for the days when everything feels heavy, and you're being way too hard on yourself.

It’s called The Tapping Mama Reset.
It’s short, grounding, and you can use it anywhere—yes, even in the bathroom or car.

Download it here:
[Insert your link]

You don’t have to do it all.
You don’t have to get it perfect.
You just have to come home to yourself.

And tapping will help you get there.