ADHD strategies

Controlling our emotions

Calming your disinhibited emotions

With ADHD we are less able to regulate our emotions, their impact is often more profound from elation to despair and anger, having a simple, quick and effective technique to reduce and handle these reactions can be very helpful

Gary Craig developed EFT, based on acupuncture concepts, believing that tapping in sequence on key points that relate to emotions would help manage emotional reactions. The approach is to identify the experiences or issues underpinning these reactions and to build a descriptive phrase for the issue, then to tap.

The EFT procedure

A sequence of taps to calm your emotions:

Identify the problem

Focus the mind on the problem if it is simple or choose an aspect of it such as a thought, belief, emotion, memory or physical symptom if complex

Rate the intensity of the problem

From 1 = no problem really to 10 = the worst imaginable

Repeat this statement 3 times

”Even though I have this …" describe the problem in detail e.g. “this fluttery anxiety I feel in my chest about the speech at the conference tomorrow”, I completely accept myself”. While repeating the statement, continuously tap firmly on the fleshy part of the outer aspect of the palm with the fingers of the other hand

The Tapping sequence

Tap relatively firmly, but not enough to hurt or bruise, about 8-10 times on each of the following points: Top of head…Inner eyebrow…Side of eye…Under eye…Under nose…Chin… Under arm … Collarbone. Each time you move onto the next point repeat a short reminder phrase (e.g. “this anxiety about the speech”). Cycle this sequence at least 2-3 times

Rate problem

After a few deep and calming breaths, take a moment to stop and reassess the intensity of the target problem. If the distress is still present but less intense, repeat the above process but this time refer to it as “this REMAINING….” (e.g. “this remaining anxiety about the speech”) in both the statement and the reminder phrases. If the problem seems too large, then simply address one aspect of the issue. Once that aspect is resolved move on to the next.

Free advice available

There is plenty of free information on EFT on the Internet, such as here at EFT Universe that offers information and links to many other EFT sites.

Andrew Lewis

Andrew Lewis is an ADHD Coach, writer and founder of SimplyWellbeing. He has over 15,000 hours and 18 years of experience in coaching over 500 ADHD executives, ADHD business professionals and ADHD creatives. Andrew ran a major ADHD support group and an ADHD diagnostic clinic for a while. He is an ADHD specialist backed with business expertise from a twenty years career in software, from roles in programming, through marketing, sales and to running a few software start-ups. His ADHD insight is personal, with decades understanding his own ADHD experience and in bringing up his ADHD daughter. He has published his writing primarily via this website, with interactive ADHD courses in development.