Mental EFT: My new running hack.

self healing in motion

A couple of months ago, I took my pooch to see a local animal kinesiologist. She is an animal communicator and I had great results when I got her in when Rooey was a pup. Since then, we’ve been through allot, so I thought I would check in to see how and where I could help out on my end now she’s a little older.

It turns out you can do EFT (emotional freedom technique) on yourself as a surrogate for your dog, and it works… really well! When I saw how quickly Roo responded I was astonished, and ever since I’ve made it a regular practice we do together.

So recently, on a run with Roo, we went through a long narrow track where allot of other dogs and frequent bike riders pass by (two scenarios Roo can get very overwhelmed by). So I decided to try doing mental EFT with her! I imagined myself tapping each area, and in my head I went through a process, which went something like this ‘moving objects are safe to be around, bikes are safe, I can ignore other dogs, all is well, I am safe, running is joy, I can relax and let go’… and so on… in fact I did this for the entire 45min run, focusing on safety as the main theme.

The results were amazing! Roo ran beautifully next to me, focused, in sync, and whether it was the mental EFT working on myself also, or the sheer joy of our successful run together, I felt the best I had ever felt after a run. We even went into the pet shop after, and the ladies behind the counter mentioned how ‘relaxed and into herself’ Roo appeared.

Fast forward to this morning, on a run solo run, I had decided last minute to ditch my headphones so I could be more with my senses and the environment, and if I am honest, on a morning where I was not feeling my best, most confident self, I knew I needed to be in silence instead of being distracted by music…

Half way down the beach track my EFT run with Roo popped into my mind, and as I entered the beach I figured, if it worked on her, I am sure it could have an affect on me, so I spent the rest of the run cycling through my own mental process to shift my stuck energy… and of course, it worked!

Some of my process today as I visualised the tapping points included some work I at times need to go back over, around being seen in public/feeling exposed.

‘I am relaxed and at ease when I run, being seen when I exercise feels easy, I can let go of how I think others should see me when I exercise, I can be free and move in my own time, I feel joy when I run, running is joyful when I take my time and relax, I don’t have to be fast to be effective, I don’t have to look professional, I can run for joy, I can stop if I need to, I can be seen by others, freedom is this, freedom is doing things for me, freedom is my body moving in it’s own unique rhythm, at it’s own pace, in the vessel that is perfectly healthy and lovable in this moment, nothing changed. This is the freedom I allow myself, this is the joy, right here, with myself, for myself, I choose this, I choose to keep moving, I choose to show up, for myself, without judgement.’

So many people struggle to get out moving because of insecurities, fears, and negative self talk, so I find this to be a beautiful technique for helping our self.

If we can remain open, and be playful and curious with the ways in which we can help our self, we so often find the answers are there within us, and we don’t always have to work ‘harder’ or go and pay money to someone else to fix us, we simply need to be willing and patient with our self enough to show up for our self and try it out.

May this help anyone who needs it today - a fun, simple hack to help you get through your run, walk or any other movement practice. x

And if you do give it a go, I would love to know how it goes… x