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Tap-Along Video to Release the Dread and Anxiety of a Covid Holiday Season

Thanksgiving looks a lot different this year and I don’t know about you but I’ve been feeling a lot of dread and anxiety about a COVID-marinaded Thanksgiving. Not to mention the bleakness brought on by the cold, dark days of winter and the increasing likelihood of more shut-downs. Need I go on?!… lol 🙂

Ordinarily I love this time of year. It’s always so fun to get together with family, friends and loved-ones, but that’s not possible this year.

Back in March, when we originally went into lockdown, it was like an avalanche of uncertainty and fear cascading down on us. Every day it seemed, we had to adapt to a new threat. For people with a history of trauma, this on-going feeling of impending danger can be very triggering.

People across the country and the world worried about how to pay the bills, how to care for ailing relatives and protect those at higher risk. Some faced isolation and depression and all the associated mental health challenges. Others juggled home-schooling and working from home in a way that we now casually call the ‘new norm’.

Mixed in with the worry and anxiety of the first wave however, there was hope. Hope that there was an end in sight. There was warmer weather around the corner, and hope that we’d all somehow get a handle on this virus and that rates would go down.

But this second wave feels altogether different to me and perhaps it feels that way to you too?

Hope has dulled somewhat. Covid-fatigue has set in and along with it, anxiety, dread and stress. Perhaps you’ve been feeling this way too.

Just last week my three kids returned to full remote learning (aka home-schooling). When we received the news, I was immediately aware of my mounting anxiety coupled with a deep undercurrent of dread. Maybe for you, it’s not about school. Maybe it’s about your job, your health or something else entirely.

Whatever it is that’s causing you to feel dread, anxiety or fear right now – it’s important to acknowledge the truth of how we feel so that we can begin to find relief.

So with that in mind, instead of talking about the importance of gratitude (which is very important – but often inaccessible if we don’t address our worries first 🙂 ), I wanted to get really honest and offer you something that will hopefully bring you some relief for any dread or anxiety that you might be feeling.

I recorded the short tap-a-long video above for you that will help you to name and then release any dread or anxiety that you may be feeling right now.

I know this year looks a lot different and I know that so much uncertainty can feel scary or overwhelming. But Tapping can help us find a little relief so that we can be more calm and more present and able to enjoy even fleeting moments this Thanksgiving.

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Tapping Script to Help You Release Anxiety & Overwhelm During Election Day!

There’s so much stress and anxiety surrounding the election this year. No matter whether you’re here in the US or elsewhere in the world, the outcome of the November 2020 election will doubtless have an impact on us all.

So how do we manage that stress? How do we release the anxiety and overwhelm that we may be feeling right now?

I’ve put together a Tapping Script to help you do just that.

Before we get going with the Tapping, take a moment to notice how you’re feeling right now.

Are you anxious or stressed? Are you fearful, angry or overwhelmed? As you pause and tune in to your body, you might notice something like this:

“I’m feeling anxious in my belly. It feels tight and constricted. It feels like something is gripping tight in there and it’s hard to breathe. I feel it at a level 8.”

(On a 0-10 scale where 0 is the least intense and 10 is the most intense.)

Now that you’ve taken a moment to notice what you’re feeling and where you’re feeling it in your body, take as deep a breath in as you can and let’s begin to tap:

Tapping Script:

** Disclaimer – this post is in no way intended to be political. My aim is to acknowledge the stress and anxiety you may be feeling right now and to offer you a simple tool to help you safely release that stress. **

Karate Chop Point: (Setup Statement)

1) Even though I’m feeling so much stress and anxiety about the election and all that it means to me, I know I’ll get through this somehow.

2) Even though I’m feeling so overwhelmed and bombarded by politics right now. And it feels like I can’t escape from the barrage of media coverage, campaign emails and social commentary, I choose to do whatever I need to do to take care of myself right now.

3) Even though I’m feeling so anxious about the outcome of this election, I choose to pause and let my body know that right now, in this moment, I’m doing ok.

Now move on to the Tapping Points:

Top of Head (TH): I’m so stressed
Eyebrow (EB): How did we end up here?
Side of Eye (SE): I feel like I can’t escape the news and all that this election means to me.
Under Eye (UE): I don’t even know what to trust or who to believe anymore.
Under Nose (UN): There’s so much mis-information and fear on all sides.
Chin (CH): I’m so anxious about all the conflict I’m feeling.
Collar Bone (CB): What if the results are contested?
Under Arm (UA): What if who I vote for doesn’t win?

TH: What will that mean for the country? Will there be protests or violence?
EB: Does my vote even count anyway?
SE: Is the election being tampered with?
UE: Did my postal vote arrive on time?
UN: I feel so overwhelmed.
CH: There’s so much to worry about.
CB: And I’m feeling all this stress and anxiety in my body.
UA: I’m feeling it in my ___________________ (name the place in your body where you’re holding or sensing the stress/anxiety).

TH: This feels like a terrible nightmare and I want to wake up!
EB: What happened to how things used to be?
SE: When the result was just the result?
UE: This feels so stressful.
UN: I’m feeling all this anxiety in my ____________ at a level (0-10)______ and it doesn’t feel good!
CH: But I wonder what would happen if I could slow things down just a little bit now.
CB: I know I’ve done all I can do and I can’t change the outcome of this election.
UA: I’ve been trying to hold all this worry, fear and anxiety inside, but maybe I don’t have to hold it all together right now.

TH: What if I can choose to take just a little bit of this pressure off now?
EB: Maybe I don’t have to feel so tangled up with all this.
SE: What if I can allow myself to take just one step back now.
UE: Doing that doesn’t mean that I don’t care deeply still.
UN: But I have to do what’s right for me right now and that means taking care of myself and my emotions.
CH: I’ve been feeling so stressed and anxious for so long.
CB: And so I allow myself now to imagine taking one step back.
UA: Beginning to breathe just a little bit deeper now.

TH: But how can I breathe or relax with all this going on?
EB: I’m glued to my news feed.
SE: But maybe I can take a break?
UE: I give myself permission to pause and release some of this stress and anxiety now.
UN: It’s not serving me.
CH: I allow myself to recognize that when I’m stressed and anxious, I’m much less able to think clearly and make good decisions.
CB: And so, I allow myself to let go of some of this stress and anxiety now.
UA: What if releasing this worry and overwhelm does not mean that I don’t care?

TH: What if, by letting my body breathe more deeply and allowing my heart rate to decrease, I’m actually helping myself and others?
EB: I choose to release more of this anxiety from my _____________ now (name the place where you’ve been holding the anxiety).
SE: Letting it go so that I can feel a little more calm.
UE: And from this place now, I give myself permission to see that no matter what happens in this election, I’m going to be ok.
UN: But I still have all these worries and concerns about the future.
CH: And maybe that’s ok.
CB: I don’t have to solve it all today.
UA: Perhaps I can be ok, no matter what the outcome is.

TH: Maybe it’s ok to acknowledge my worries, anxiety and concerns.
EB: And maybe I can give myself all the space and time I need to be with all of this.
SE: I honor all of my feelings now, knowing that they are valid.
UE: This election is bringing up so much for me.
UN: But what if I don’t have to drown in it all.
CH: I choose now, to take that step back.
CB: I allow myself to care deeply still, but to also take care of me.
UA: Feeling my jaw unclenching now.

TH: Letting my shoulders release from my ears and lower gradually down my spine now.
EB: Taking deeper breaths in and out now, feeling my body beginning to calm down.
SE: I know there is so much going on, but I allow myself to slow down anyway.
UE: Knowing that I’m doing my very best right now
UN: Reminding myself that in this moment right here, right now I am ok.
CH: Releasing any remaining stress and anxiety.
CB: Taking a moment to pause that is just for me.
UA: Feeling grounded and centered in this moment now, and that feels like a relief.

Take another deep breath and check back in with how you’re doing now. What do you notice? Has the intensity of what you were feeling before we began Tapping changed? Has your anxiety or stress level decreased? Remember that there is no right or wrong answer and you can repeat this Tapping script as often as you feel helpful. 🙂

Please let me know in the comments how this Tapping Script helped you to release your Election Day stress and anxiety.

And as ever, if you need support or want to work with me one-on-one as your coach, click here to contact me or here to schedule a session today.

Karen 🙂