EFT Morning Tapping: How to Start Your Day Off Right with This Simple Technique

Your morning sets a lot of the tone for what follows. Wake up already behind, mind racing before your feet hit the floor, and the whole day tends to match that pace. A stressful start often leads to a stressful day, while beginning with intention and calm creates more peace and productivity. Whether you’re dealing with morning stress, struggling to get out of bed, or simply want to set yourself up for success, incorporating EFT morning Tapping into your routine can transform how you approach each day. 

In this guide, we’ll explore how to use EFT Tapping to create an energizing morning practice that sets you up for the day.

What is EFT morning Tapping?

EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) Tapping is a gentle mind-body practice that combines elements of ancient Chinese acupressure with modern psychology. The technique involves using your fingertips to tap on specific acupressure points on your face and body while focusing on how you’re feeling, so you can let go of any stress or discomfort and make room for however you do want to feel.

When using Tapping to start your day, it can help you release anything holding you back in the morning: like low energy, anxiety, worry, etc., and welcome in whatever you want to create in your day ahead. 

Think of it like hitting your body’s reset button first thing in the morning. Just as you brush your teeth or wash your face every day, morning Tapping can be just as important, only it’s a way to “clean” your mind and emotions! 

Morning Tapping is a powerful way to wake up your energy system, set a positive tone, and create an intentional start to your day.

Why practice morning Tapping?

EFT Tapping to start your day offers several key benefits:

1. Sets a Positive Tone: Rather than immediately jumping into stress mode when you wake up, morning Tapping helps you begin your day from a centered, balanced state.
2. Reduces Morning Anxiety: Many people experience heightened anxiety in the morning. Tapping helps calm your nervous system and reduce stress hormones, making it easier to face the day ahead.
3. Increases Energy: Morning Tapping can help shake off grogginess and increase your natural energy levels so you can go out there and get things done with ease.
4. Creates Intentionality: Taking time to tap in the morning allows you to set clear intentions for your day instead of operating on autopilot.
5. Improves Focus: By clearing mental clutter first thing, you can approach your daily tasks with greater clarity and concentration.
6. Boosts Productivity: Starting your day in a calm, focused state helps you be more productive throughout the day.

How to do EFT morning Tapping

If you are new to Tapping and want an overview of the basics, check out this Beginner’s Guide to EFT Tapping first, and see how often to tap if you’re building this into a daily habit. 

And if you already know the basics, here’s a step-by-step guide to creating your morning Tapping practice:

1. Choose your timing

The ideal time to tap is right after waking up, before checking emails or social media. Even 2 minutes can make a significant difference (but if you can do more, that’s great, go for it!). You might need to wake up slightly earlier to fit it in, but starting your day intentionally is worth it.

2. Find a quiet space

Choose a peaceful spot where you won’t be interrupted. This could be:

• Sitting up in bed
• A comfortable chair in a quiet corner
• Your favorite morning spot
• Even the bathroom if that’s where you can get privacy

3. Begin your morning Tapping sequence

Assess how you feel:

Start by taking a deep breath in and out and checking in with yourself. How do you feel this morning? What’s on your mind? What would you like your day to look like and feel like today?

Rate the intensity of any stress or anxiety you’re feeling on a scale of 0-10.

Then follow this basic sequence:

Start with the Side of the Hand point:

Tap continuously while saying a setup statement three times, like this one:

“Even though I'm feeling this way this morning, I deeply and completely accept myself.”

Tap through the rest of the points while focusing on how you feel: 

Tap about 5-7 times on each of the following points while focusing on whatever you are struggling with this morning. 

• Eyebrow
• Side of the eye
• Under the eye
• Under the nose
• Under the mouth
• Collarbone
• Under the arm
• Top of the head

You can say “reminder phrases” out loud as you tap to keep your focus on what is bothering you, such as “I have so much to do today,” “I’m worried about [specific upcoming event],” or “I feel groggy and tired.” See more tapping phrases for other moments in your day.

Reassess how you feel:

After doing one round of Tapping, check in with yourself again. How are you feeling? You can go through the points again if the intensity is still higher than you’d like, and keep repeating until you feel a bigger shift. Or, when you feel ready, you can move onto the positive.

Introduce the positive:

Once you are feeling a bit better, you can do one final round of Tapping while focusing on what you want to create in your day. This can help anchor in new, positive intentions and beliefs about the rest of your day.

Here’s an example of a Tapping round to round to close out your morning Tapping practice:

Eyebrow: What if I could have a great day today?

Side of the eye: I choose to feel calm, centered, and energized.

Under the eye: It’s safe to feel good this morning.

Under the nose: I can handle whatever comes my way.

Under the mouth: I’m ready for a great day.

Collarbone: I welcome in positive energy.

Under the arm: I choose to feel confident and ready.

Top of the head: I am grateful for this new day.

Guided Tapping meditation to wake up and start fresh

Prefer to be walked through a guided Tapping meditation in the morning? 

Follow along to this Morning Clearing Tapping meditation with Jessica Ortner here (it’s just under 7 minutes long, and can dramatically shift your entire day!):

For more meditations like that, download The Tapping Solution app:

Get Started For Free

Try the Tapping Solution App and lower stress in under 10 minutes

• Instantly reduce anxiety and stress
• Fall asleep faster and sleep better
• Boost productivity, stay motivated
• Relieve chronic or occasional pain
• Release anger, find peace

Get Started For Free

Try the Tapping Solution App and lower stress in under 10 minutes

• Instantly reduce anxiety and stress
• Fall asleep faster and sleep better
• Boost productivity, stay motivated
• Relieve chronic or occasional pain
• Release anger, find peace

Common concerns that Tapping in the morning can help with

The great thing about Tapping is that you can adapt your morning Tapping routine to address any specific challenges you commonly face when starting out your day:

For morning anxiety, you might use phrases like: 

• “Even though I’m worried about everything I have to do today, I choose to take it one step at a time.”
• “I’m already feeling behind”
• “I’m feeling anxious about my meeting later”
• “I choose to breathe deeply and release tension from my body, grounding myself in this present moment”

For low energy or morning fog, you might use phases like:

• “Even though I’m feeling tired, I’m open to feeling more energized as the day goes on"
• “I’m having trouble waking up”
• “I just want to go back to sleep”
• “I choose to welcome vibrant energy into my day”

For Monday morning blues, you might use phrases like:

• “Even though I’m dreading going back to work, I choose to stay open to joyful possibilities today.”
• “I wish it was still the weekend”
• “I’m worried about everything that’s on my plate this week”
• “I choose to stay open to the gifts that this day might bring”

Tips for success with morning Tapping

1. Start Small: Begin with just a couple of minutes if that feels most manageable, even two minutes can make a big difference! You can always extend your Tapping practice as it becomes more of a habit.
2. Be Consistent: Try to tap at the same time each morning to establish a routine. It can become as much of a ritual as brushing your teeth!
3. Do It First Thing: Try to avoid checking your messages, opening your email, or doing anything else before you do your Tapping. If it’s the very first thing you do, you won’t get distracted by other tasks and will get the chance to set your intentions right off the bat. 
4. Stay Flexible: While consistency is important, don't beat yourself up if you miss a day. Just get back to it the next morning as best you can!
5. Track How You Feel: Notice how your days differ when you start with Tapping versus when you don’t. Do you feel more focused and centered? Energized and optimistic? Maybe you notice you get more done, or feel less anxious, or are able to be more present with your loved ones.

A 5-minute morning tapping round

This is a slightly longer version of the sequence above, timed for the five minutes right after you wake up, before your phone or your to-do list gets a vote. Rate how you feel on a 0 to 10 scale first, then work through the round below.

1. Setup (Karate Chop, x3): “Even though I’m waking up feeling tired and already behind, I deeply and completely accept myself.”
2. Setup (Karate Chop, x3): “Even though I don’t feel ready for today, I choose to meet this morning as it is.”
3. Setup (Karate Chop, x3): “Even though my mind is already racing, I’m allowed to start slow.”
4. Eyebrow: This groggy, foggy feeling
5. Side of Eye: Everything I already have to do today
6. Under Eye: This tightness before the day has even started
7. Under Nose: I’m already behind
8. Under Mouth: This heaviness in my body
9. Collarbone: I release some of this now
10. Under Arm: All this pressure to have it together
11. Top of Head: I’m allowed to start this day at my own pace

Reassess your number. If it’s still high, do one more round, then finish with a short positive pass: tap through the same points while repeating “I choose to feel calm and steady this morning” or “I’m ready for whatever today brings.”

Morning sessions to try in the app

If you’d rather be guided than tap on your own, these sessions inside The Tapping Solution App are built for the start of the day:

What our data shows

Our Turn Your Day Around category, 13 sessions built specifically for mornings and daily resets, has been completed 1,966,865 times, moving people from an average intensity of 6.0 down to 3.4, a 43% drop. The individual morning sessions above follow the same pattern, from Create a Great Day’s 914,053 completions (5.3 to 2.9) to Morning Stress Relief’s smaller but consistent 6.5 to 3.7.

In a peer-reviewed study of 270,461 App users published in JMIR mHealth and uHealth (Church & Stapleton, 2020), a single guided tapping session brought self-rated anxiety down 44% and stress down 45% on average, the same shift these morning numbers are tracking. This is self-report app data, not a clinical trial.

There’s also a physiological reason morning stress responds to tapping. Cortisol, the body’s main stress hormone, naturally rises in the first hour after waking. In a randomized controlled trial, 83 adults did one hour-long tapping session, a supportive talking session, or nothing at all, and researchers measured cortisol in their saliva before and after: the tapping group’s cortisol, anxiety, and depression scores all dropped more than in the other two groups (Church, Yount & Brooks, 2012; Evidence Atlas record). A 2020 replication with a new group of 53 adults found cortisol dropped 43.24% after tapping, compared with 19.67% after a psychoeducation session and a 2.02% increase with no treatment (Stapleton et al., 2020; Evidence Atlas record).

What people say

Betty, on Create a Great Day, rated herself an 8 before, a 2 after

Heather, on Motivate Me to Have a Productive Day, rated herself a 7 before, a 5 after

Common mistakes with morning tapping

1. Checking your phone first. The moment you open email or social media, your nervous system is reacting to someone else’s agenda before you’ve set your own. Tap before you look at a screen, even if it’s only for two minutes.
2. Skipping the number. Rating your stress or grogginess from 0 to 10 before and after is what tells you the round actually did something, not just a guess.
3. Only tapping on the positive. Jumping straight to “I choose to feel amazing today” without first naming what’s actually there, the dread, the tiredness, the racing thoughts, tends to fall flat. Name it first, then move toward what you want.
4. Quitting after one hard morning. Some mornings a single round won’t clear much. That’s normal. Do a second round, or come back to it the next day, rather than deciding the practice doesn’t work.
5. Making it complicated. A full 5-minute round is great when you have it, but a 90-second round on the side-of-hand point alone, naming whatever’s loudest, still counts. Consistency matters more than length.

Go deeper

• New to tapping? Start with Tapping 101.
• The 9 tapping points, with a printable chart.
• More tapping phrases for whatever moment you’re in.
• How often to tap, if you’re building this into a daily habit.
• Free guided tapping meditations, including morning-specific ones.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is EFT morning Tapping?

EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) Tapping is a gentle mind-body practice that combines elements of ancient Chinese acupressure with modern psychology. The technique involves using your fingertips to tap on specific acupressure points on your face and body while focusing on how you’re feeling, so you can let go of any stress or discomfort and make room for however you do want to feel.

How long should a morning tapping round take?

As little as two minutes counts. The full round on this page is closer to five, but even a single round on the side-of-hand point, naming whatever feeling is loudest, is enough to shift something before the day gets going.

What do you say when tapping in the morning?

Start with a setup statement that names what’s actually there, like “Even though I’m waking up feeling tired and behind already, I deeply and completely accept myself,” then tap through the points naming it directly: “this groggy feeling,” “everything I have to do today.” Once that eases, do a round with what you want instead, like “I’m ready for whatever today brings.”

Can tapping help with morning anxiety?

Many people use it for exactly that. Our Turn Your Day Around category, 13 sessions built for mornings and daily resets, has been completed 1,966,865 times, with users’ intensity dropping from an average of 6.0 to 3.4. If morning anxiety is tied to an ongoing concern, use tapping alongside a clinician’s care for the stress and emotion around it.

Is it better to tap before or after getting out of bed?

Either works. Sitting up in bed right after waking, before checking your phone, is the easiest habit to build because there’s nothing else competing for the moment. Some people prefer a chair or a quiet corner once they’re up; use whatever spot you’ll actually return to tomorrow.

What if I don’t have time for a full round?

A shortened version still helps. Tap on the side of your hand for even 60 to 90 seconds while naming whatever feeling is loudest right then, tired, rushed, anxious about the day. Consistency matters more than length.

Can morning tapping actually increase energy?

Our Instant Boost of Energy session has been completed 168,528 times, with users rating their energy-related intensity 6.7 before and 4.1 after, on average. Tapping works on the tension and stress that tends to drain your energy in the first place, which is often enough to help some energy return.

How soon will I notice a difference?

Some people feel a shift in the first round; for others it takes a few mornings of practice before it becomes reliable. In the JMIR study of 270,461 App users (Church & Stapleton, 2020), a single guided session brought self-rated anxiety down 44% and stress down 45% on average, but a daily habit tends to compound that effect over time.

Ready to transform your mornings?

The morning is a sacred time for setting the tone of your day and connecting with yourself, and starting your day with EFT morning Tapping can make a real difference in how the rest of it goes.

It can also be a lot of fun (just give this 30 second Tapping video a watch and tap along, you’ll see what I mean!)

Want to see what the hype is all about for yourself? Download The Tapping Solution App today and try these morning-specific Tapping meditations:

• Create a Great Day
• Morning Clearing and Affirmation Process
• Turn Your Day Around: Morning Stress Relief
• Tony Robbins Morning: The Power of Tapping
• Motivate Me to Have a Productive Day 
• Manifest Positive Change: an Affirmation and Visualization Journey ATM 
• Instant Boost of Gratitude
• Micro Boost of Energy
• Daily Tapping Tuneup Quick Taps

The Daily Guidance Card Deck is another perfect way to start the day. Just pick a card, read the affirmation, and follow along to the short Tapping meditation to set your intention for the day.

Whether you use Tapping to wake up with more energy, release anxiety, or set positive intentions for your day, this simple, quick practice really can turn your day around in more ways than you can imagine.

Give it a try.

If you want a physical tool to anchor a morning routine, The Tapping Solution Planner has daily Tapping prompts and space to set your intention before the day gets going.

Until next time… Keep Tapping!
Nick Ortner

P.S. Looking for more guidance on using Tapping throughout your day? Check out this comprehensive guide on Tapping at different times of day.