Anxiety

Sometimes You Just Need to Breathe

Written by: Nick Ortner

inhale, exhale, repeatOne of the most common challenges that we all face is overwhelming emotions. It’s not always easy balancing work that never ends (thanks internet… lol!), our health, our family life, our social life, etc.  Whenever I find myself overwhelmed, one of the first things I notice is how I don’t breathe.

And one of the first things I do to bring down the overwhelm and to bring myself back into balance is to tap on my breathing.

So today, I want to suggest that you tap along with this quick Tapping script. It will help you to get grounded and to find your breath so that you can be more present and relaxed during your day.

Tapping to Find Your Breath

Start off by thinking about your day or weekend. What things do you have to get done? Are there things you’re stressed about with the weekend? How do you feel about your week? Did it go well? Are there things that you’re still carrying from the week?

As you think about these things, notice your breath. How restricted does it feel? Is it easy or difficult to take a deep breath?

On a scale of 0 to 10, with 10 feeling like your breathing is very constricted, and 0 being that you can easily take a full, deep and long breath, where is your breathing right now?

Let’s begin tapping:

Starting on the Karate Chop point:

KC: Even though I’m so overwhelmed by everything going on in my life right now, I choose to bring some relaxation to my breath.

KC: Even though I’m so overwhelmed by everything going on in my life right now, and it feels like I just can’t keep up, I choose to bring some relaxation to my breath at this moment.

KC: Even though I’m so overwhelmed by everything going on in my life right now, and I don’t know how I’ll possibly get it all done, I choose to bring some relaxation to my breath and be still in this moment.

Now tapping through the rest of the points, say these phrases at each step as you tap:

Eyebrow: I’m so overwhelmed
Side of Eye:  I’m so overwhelmed by everything going on in my life
Under Eye:  There’s just too much going on right now
Under Nose: I don’t know how I’ll ever find balance again
Chin: I’m so overwhelmed
Collarbone: It seems impossible that I’ll be able to get everything done
Under Arm: How can I possibly relax?
Top of Head: It feels like it never ends

EB: But maybe I could just be present in this moment
SE: Maybe I could allow myself a moment to just catch my breath
UE: I have so much overwhelm in my chest
UN: I want to allow this overwhelm to release from my chest
CP: I choose to allow some breath into my body
CB: Maybe I could notice some of the little things around me in this moment
UA: Maybe I could notice some of the peaceful things around me right now
TH: Maybe I could bring some peace into my body

EB: With everything going on in my life, maybe I just need to take a moment right now to breathe
SE: I want to allow my body to breathe
UE: I choose to allow my body to breathe
UN: I can go back to figuring things out in a few minutes
CP: But in this moment, I am choosing to allow breath into my body
CB: I can even take a breath, and allow oxygen into my body in between each point that I tap on
UA: I can go back to figuring everything out in just a few minutes
TH: In this moment, I am choosing to breathe and just be present with what is around me

EB: I can allow my body and mind to just be present
SE: I can allow my breath to slow down
UE: I can allow my breath to get deeper and fuller
UN: What if I could approach my weekend with more breath?
CP: How much easier would each day be?
CB: What if I could allow myself to breathe during the entire weekend?
UA: What if even during the stressful moments, I could find my breath again?
TH:   want to allow myself to breathe more this weekend

EB: Regardless of what happens this weekend, I will be ok
SE: No matter what comes up this weekend, I can always find my breath
UE: I can continue to find my breath throughout this weekend
UN: I can find peace, even through the business
CP: I choose to allow breath into my body
CB: I choose to allow peace into my mind
UA: I can breathe and be present in my body and mind, even when things are busy
TH: I am so thankful for my breath

Now take a deep breath in… hold it… and then out again.

And do that 2 more times. In… hold it… and then out again. In… hold it… and then out again.

On a scale of 0 to 10, with 10 feeling like your breathing is very constricted, and 0 being that you can easily take a full, deep and long breath, where is your breathing right now?

Did it improve? What did you notice as you did the tapping? How will you approach your weekend differently now?

Let me know by leaving me your comments below.

Until next time…

Keep Tapping!

Nick Ortner


How do you feel after going through that tapping exercise? Let me know below!



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55 Comments on this post

  1. william says:

    Some years ago I took a course on positive thinking, It worked very well but found one weak link which was you cant lie to yourself. this was called The law of reversed effort. It has bothered me for years. An example is you can be positive and if you go forward with a plan that you feel is ok and achievable this law of reversed effort comes into the mind and obstructs to give negative vibes. So how can one eliminate this troublesome law ? I am ok health wise and a fit 78 year old.regards Bill

    • Nick Ortner says:

      Great question, Bill! I think it comes down to 2 things: what we actually believe, and how to eliminate self-doubt. Our brains work very much a sponge, in whatever we hear enough times gets absorbed and accepted as the “truth” (whether that truth helps us or harms us). So if you wanted to achieve something, first you would pay attention to the limiting or doubting thoughts, and tap on them, peeling away the layers until you discover where these beliefs came from. Once cleared, you can tap “in” the positive affirmations. Doing this enough times, the brain will accept this as the new “truth” and everything will be in alignment with achieving the plan. And as you probably know with positive thinking, the universe will conspire to make that plan a reality. 🙂

  2. Ann says:

    During tapping I felt an increasing desire to breathe more deeply and now feel more oxygenated ….must be good for the brain ! Will continue with this whenever I feel breathing has reduced or become suppressed. Thank you Nick .

    • Nick Ortner says:

      Absolutely, Ann! We often don’t realize how constricted or shallow our breathing actually is, and certainly our brains benefit from more oxygen. 🙂

  3. Julia Lee says:

    I think the tapping is fab – I was holding my breath as I’m packing and preparing to go away for a few days and feeling the pressure of a deadline – I gave this a go and voila!

    I can’t stop yawning now tho’!

  4. Jean says:

    Homebound 84 yr old with a rare muscle disorder, I also replaced week for the weekend. Our family faced a sudden loss of a loved one this weekend and this has helped me to relax. Relaxed so much that at 7:17 AM I want to sleep, which I need. I was awakened early. I can only sleep for 3 hrs at a time because of my disorder. I may not sleep, but I will rest because my body requires it. Thank you, Nick.

  5. Sheryll says:

    It is absolutely amazing what this method (tapping) can accomplish. I learned meditation a long time ago, but certain circumstances intervened and made me so stressed that I didn’t dare stop and meditate because a flood of anxiety would occur. I find that tapping, for whatever the reasons, helps me to focus and accomplish a huge decrease in anxiety effortlessly.

  6. Mary Pat says:

    Monday morning. I am back at work after a long week last week and a weekend of attending Mom and her needs. I will use this to bring me back to center. thank you. This will also help my patients.

  7. Janice Duncan says:

    I have not been able to relax for a long time and fine it hard to breath; sometimes I can only take short sharp breaths, which sounds like a little snort. This is not funny. I did the tapping and it did make me feel a lot better so well do it often and hopefully I will come right again.

  8. ANYA says:

    Thank you Nick

  9. Annette Bland says:

    I have been practicing breathing but not with Tapping however with Tapping, it is so much better. Thank you.

  10. Angela Cook says:

    Thank you Nick. Always Right On! My breathing went from 8 to 4 or maybe 3! In just those few minutes. Calming. Relaxing. I feel like it will stay with me for some time. Muchas gracias!

  11. Ann says:

    Thanks for sharing this tapping exercise. I want to let you know that if I have a problem falling asleep, I will tap for a few minutes and it quiets my mind and totally relaxes me. It is amazing to me. I so thankful to you and look forward to all the positive comments from others.

  12. jim lentz says:

    Thanks for the tapping script. A good reminder of what I need to do when I feel withdrawn & overwhelmed.

  13. Tania Mustain says:

    I feel more relaxed and present after this script with tapping. It’s amazing how this works. Thank you

  14. maria says:

    I went from 8 to 3… feel much better, more relaxed, tension headache almost gone…

    Thank you so much Nick, so many people need this today!1

  15. Semaj Crawford says:

    I was an 8 when I started, taxed and overwhelmed with business. I’m a 2 now! Perfect choice. Thank you!

  16. Name (required) says:

    This was very helpful and came at the perfect time. I was feeling so overwhelmed and forgot about tapping. Then I saw your email Nick. I feel much better. I plan to tap every day again.

  17. J cr says:

    It helped me breath and relax a little

  18. Paul K. says:

    Wow, just came from the gym and was a bit out of breath. Now I feel great. Thanks Nick!

  19. Jean says:

    Perfectly timed. The beginning of a wonderful weekend. BREATHING with each moment. Being present. Being here.
    Loving my breath as it flows in and out of my body, with ease and Grace. I am grateful for this breath. And, now this one……………

  20. Carol Jones says:

    The timing of this tapping solution is just what I needed. THANK YOU THANK YOU

  21. Les says:

    Dear Nick :-))) Thank you so much for putting this up there. It’s great to have a Tapping Script to fall back on. Mostly in times of need, your routine or memory flies out the window, so having a copy is handy for just this purpose! Being overwhelmed, can happen to anybody at any time. In such moments EFT makes such a difference. Many thanks to you (& Jessica) for keeping the EFT wheel spinning!Have a great weekend!

  22. Pamela says:

    Being printed as I write! Many blessings, Nick. I have difficulty actually getting myself to do the tapping (I need to tap that too!). Have your book and cds! Just reading your script this morning has lifted me into hope and peace as I breathed and adaptedyour words somewhat to reflect my situation. Thank you.

  23. Nicola Kingsley says:

    I was doing really well, more and more relaxed, laughing at times, until “Regardless of what happens this weekend, I will be ok”. When I said that I was filled with self-doubt and my breathing tightened up again. I guess I need to tap on that next?

    • Nick Ortner says:

      Sounds like your body is trying to tell you something, Nicola. If there was something (like a worry) that caused your anxiety to go up, that’s a good place to begin tapping. 🙂

  24. Eileen Yelovich says:

    Just what I needed to start the weekend, thank you Nick!

  25. Karoline says:

    Thank you for this script, it reminded me to take the time this weekend and just breath! Life is good!

  26. Angelica says:

    Deep breath brings me back to feeling serene and confident of myself. Your script gives me the exact expressive words I need to carry out the tapping successfully from worrysome to total ease. Feeling grateful of having known you. Sending blessings to you now.

  27. Estee says:

    Thank you so much Nick…you really make me feel so good!

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