Inspiration

When I Forget to Tap…(Going Public!)

Written by: Nick Ortner

Perhaps the statement or question I see most often when I ask about successes and challenges with Tapping is, “Tapping has worked so well for me! It worked for X and Y and Z…but then I forget to do it! Why? How do I fix this?” I wanted to briefly answer this question of “What do I do when I forget to tap?” because I think it’ll apply to 99% of us. It certainly applies to me!

Yes, yes, you got me… “The Tapping Guy” (as I’m often referred to when people see me speak or in public!) forgets to tap! I always laugh at myself when I forget to tap, seeing as I spend my days writing about tapping, speaking about tapping, running a business whose sole focus is on sharing this powerful technique with the world… and I forget to apply it??? I mean, really? 😉

Now, this doesn’t happen often, but enough that it is comical when it does. So what’s really going on here? And what can we do about it?

What I do when I forget to tap:

1. This is all REALLY new. I’ve been using tapping for over a decade, but in the first 25 years of my life, I didn’t know it existed. This means there are old patterns, ingrained habits, and simple ways of life that don’t include tapping, and it can take some work to change them. The same is likely for you.

2. This isn’t only new on the individual level, it’s new to our culture, which means we don’t have cultural reinforcements as a reminder. So when you turn on the TV, you’re not going to see someone tapping on there. You will get plenty of reminders to eat food, drink alcohol, switch car insurance, or buy something…but not to tap.

3. Oftentimes, we’re resistant to change, even if that change will be a “positive” one. I devoted an entire chapter in my book to this topic because it’s so important to understand and clear the resistance to changing.

So what to do? A simple prescription for this challenge:

Tap!

1. Laugh at yourself. We often take ourselves, our personal development, our need to “fix” our lives, WAY too seriously. If I can laugh at myself when I forget to tap, then you can too. And that laughing at myself is really about COMPASSION. It involves an understanding that YOU are doing the best you can with the resources YOU have at that moment…as am I, as is the rest of the world.

2. Get practical. Post little sticky notes around that say, “Tap!” Maybe one next to the TV to combat the other commercials. Wear a bracelet or rubber band that serves as your tapping reminder. Establish simple routines: tapping in the shower, tapping before bed to release the stress and negativity for the day, etc. Set a daily alarm on your phone to remind you to tap, even if it’s just for 5 minutes.

3. Study and understand why you might be resistant to change. Ask yourself, “What’s the downside of actually healing this/letting it go/improving my life?” If you’re really honest with yourself, the answers will surprise you and open up a whole new world of what’s possible in your life and for your future. (Extensive discussion of this topic can be found in “The Tapping Solution“.)

4. Download The Tapping Solution App. This may be the easiest solution of them all, as our Tapping Solution App has a “Tapping Reminders” function already built-in! In just 3 easy steps, you can set up your daily tapping reminder right on your mobile device. Just see the image below. The app is free to download here with free meditations for each category instantly available.

Download The Tapping Solution App today!

I hope you found this helpful. 🙂

Now I’m going to go and tap on a pulled muscle in my shoulder that I’ve been ignoring for days. It doesn’t bother me much, so I’ve just kind of “dealt” with it, without wanting to take the time to tap on it…but now it’s time to let it go and release this pain.

Hmmm…how many things in our lives are like that? We just “deal” with them…when we could truly “release” them…

Just saying… 🙂

Until next time…

Keep Tapping!

Nick Ortner


Do you forget to TAP? Share your helpful reminder tips below!



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96 Comments on this post

  1. Josephine Ball says:

    Nick, I resonated with your first item about why one forgets to tap. When I think about it, I’ve been tapping for three years and NOT tapping for the previous 74 years! No wonder I reach for old habits and ingrained patterns to deal with my emotions. Your comment helps me be a little kinder to myself when I don’t immediately reach for tapping in my toolbox. Thanks for that and all the heartfelt work you and Jessica and Alex do!

    • Nick Ortner says:

      You’re welcome, Josephine. Sometimes just a little change in perspective is all it takes. 😉

  2. Gloria says:

    Have been tapping almost daily for about a month. Primarily the anxiety, at times the anger, most recently letting go of fear. Helpful, will continue to tap. Thank you for The Tapping Solution.

  3. Marilyn Chambliss says:

    How do I let Nick know that I tap at least twice a day. Once when I wake up to set my intentions for a good day, and at night when I go to sleep. As a lifelong insomniac, I tap to release my fear and frustration about insomnia. I do wish there were a tapping mediation to use when I wake up in the middle of the night, which is a common problem both for me and for other elderly people. I’m a healthy 76 years old. Anyway, please know, Nick, that I am a convert. Marilyn

    • Nick Ortner says:

      That’s terrific, Marilyn! I’m so happy to hear that you’ve already established a daily tapping routine. If you haven’t already, you may wish to check out our Tapping Solution App. We have a whole category of meditations for sleep support in there. 🙂

  4. Name (required) says:

    Well here is my story, I have been tapping for 2 months and it has changed my life but yesterday after returning from the gym after 2 hrs of exercise, Zumba and Yoga not used to yoga just went back to exercise as a last resource. I’m 80 years old after a bad fall on icy steps I have remain in pain since 14 Feb.2017 I use ice on my feet and my back and heat on one arm and my legs. Call my friend whom I have been trying to get her to tap for her fibromyalgia but she says she has tried everything. I said I’m so much in pain I was telling her and she says to me “why don’t you do your tapping” I said Oh my goodness I forgot all about it. After tapping twice with pain all over my body. The pain was gone it was like a miracle l could not believe it. Thanks Nick and praise God, I’m ready to go back to the gym for another 2 hour workout. She still resist tapping!

  5. BJ Smith says:

    I do indeed tap and it’s very beneficial. It’s kinda like sugar in that the more you tap the more you want to tap. I would benefit from a tapping meditation on removing resistance for those times that I backslide.

  6. Ralph Harnden says:

    Thanks for your concern, Nick. I have come to rely on Tapping and do it almost every night for sleep support and anxiety.

    I would like to do more Tapping, especially in the mornings. I would say that I don’t have time for it, but I do realize we all live 24-hour days.

    What would help me is a Tapping challenge support group, where small numbers of us in compatible time zones check in, encourage each other, and possibly Tap together.

    How can we make that happen?

  7. Carey says:

    When I’m just not feeling myself, I remember to tap, it helps me 99% of the time, yeh!!! I also write in my daytimer ideas that I feel the need to tap on, so I don’t forget. I normally get to those within a few days.

    Another reminder of mine is, I’ve got so many Tapping books and Summit info around my bedroom and bookshelf, it’s hard to forget about the process. Who wouldn’t want to use something that’s so powerful for so many different topics.

    Thanks to everyone at The Tapping Solution for all of your great books, App, and Summits. Your organization is a class act. ????

    • Nick Ortner says:

      Always keeping Tapping in visual range is an awesome way to remind ourselves to tap. Thanks for sharing, Carey! 🙂

  8. Lois says:

    You give me all this information in emails that you send to me regularly about apps. So why can’t you send the information in an email to those of us who don’t own a Smart Phone. Just asking!!! I own a Trac Phone, which I hardly ever use….just carry it with me, when I am on the road. You may have guessed it..I am elderly (91).I am not interested in all the fancy gadgets nor can I afford them, but I enjoy Tapping and find it helps me through the day.

    • Nick Ortner says:

      I can understand your frustration, Lois. Our mission is to spread the word about Tapping and make it accessible to as many people as possible. The app is a big part of that as smartphone use and technology is on the rise around the world. We also still post a lot of meditations and free content on our blogs as well so that folks like yourself can still access the audios and videos. I’m so happy to hear that you enjoy Tapping. The other often forgotten benefit of Tapping is that technology isn’t needed at all. Everyone is free to tap on themselves once they learn the basic technique. 🙂

  9. Anna says:

    Tapping has become so routine and old hat for me that I just start saying the words in my mind and imagine the rest…or let my subconscious imagine it for me…

    I got the app, and it has been awesome. It has been so worth it!!! I have made incredible progress I couldn’t have on my own. I had gotten stuck in a rut as far as what I usually say maybe.

    Unfortunately, I don’t think the app is on the amazon store market yet for those that only have kindle tablets:(

  10. Ana says:

    For me is funny how I use to remember. I remember Cheryl Richardson sharing, remembering her husband remembering her to tap and that she has a tool just at her fingertips (in a challenging situation when she purely forgot her own remedy).

    From her I’ve also learned to choose a favorite point and tap it only, when you don’t have time, willingness or situation doesn’t permit a full session. With voice or silently, with or even without words. This pull me out from some anxiety crisis, when I wasn’t able to the full route.

    Also, I like and find useful to combine Tapping with other methods, ex. with ideas from A Course In Miracles, in breathing, in Spontaneous Transformation Technique (Jenn McLean) etc, or when I want to memorize something or purely to calm my nervous system or pull me out from an uncomfortable state/ mood. I’ve found from my experience that Tapping fits well with everything. Personally I didn’t find anything that doesn’t work well with Tapping.

    So I’m very grateful to my neighbour doctor for initiating me in this (in a time of deep challenges for me) and to Nick for continuing and evolving in this method. I love it because is gentle and prove quick relief/ results in various situations on every level of the being.

    So, as Nick use to say: KEEP TAPPING!! : )

  11. Jane Dugan says:

    I encourage my mental health clients to tap for just about anything. If you believe it will help you, it generally will. We are talking to our body and telling it to function the way it is meant to function. One morning I had pain in my neck from sleeping wrong. I tapped ON THE BACK Of my neck along with the collarbone place and after awhile 15-30 minutes I realized I felt better.

    • Nick Ortner says:

      That’s wonderful, Jane! Tapping certainly DOES encourage a dialogue with our bodies, and very often our bodies respond positively. 🙂

  12. Nancy says:

    I have realized that at times I resist tapping and upon examining- it has come down to wanting someone else to “fix” whatever is going on or I’m upset that I have to tap at all over a specific issue.
    NOW that always puts the “ball back in my court “… take care of myself and reap the rewards or pout and suffer.

  13. Grace says:

    I have made it a practice to tap before I get out of bed in the morning and if I don’t have any issues to tap on I tap on gratitude and that works beautifully!!

    • Nick Ortner says:

      Love it, Grace! Making a habit of tapping at a certain time of day for a specific purpose always helps to keep it at the forefront of our minds when we may need it other times throughout the day. 🙂

  14. Leonard says:

    Thanks Nick for the app. Great work again!!!!!!

  15. Carol says:

    Recently saw a brief bit of tapping in a Doc Martin show (season 10).

  16. Audrice says:

    A great article, I have been tapping since 2005 and I too forget to tap. I tell people all the time to tap that it works wonders and then I often will forget to tap. I think maybe we get too feeling great and get lazy or take it for granted that what we did will just keep doing its thing and we can just cruse along with the top down and enjoy the breeze, but then a gust of wind come up and we are off balance. Do we tap ?often no ,we just try our every thing else . So thank you for that great idea ,I am posting notes all over to remind me to tap . I want it to be like brushing my teeth. The more people tap the better the world will blessing Audrice

  17. Tessi says:

    How often should we be tapping?

  18. Ruth Lacomba says:

    I took a course some years ago to tqp it is really good but I forget to do it but i do meditate.
    I wil put reminders to tap because it helps. many thanks Ruth Lacomba

  19. outlet says:

    Quando qualcuno cerca il suo importante cosa necessaria, quindi di conseguenza lui / lei vuole a essere disponibile che fra i dettagli , dopodiché di conseguenza che cosa è cioè mantenuto qui.

  20. Bente Lyngsøe says:

    I’ve been reading a lot about tapping for some years now, and I find it really interesting – something that I really want to be good at and be able to use to help others…But… I seem to give up even before i get startet. NOTHING seems to bother me at all when i try to focus with tapping. So, I dont have any progress

  21. Jo says:

    I found this article really interesting, particularly as (c) seems to apply to me. Just reading that I could be resistant to change made me realise that I am. It makes me feel scared that I could actually move on with my life

  22. Daisy says:

    Thank you! Yes, probably resistance at some deep level

  23. Vivian says:

    I really love what you wrote, for many reason but let s speak about two of them.

    You are honest.. and that s fantastic… !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    I thought this only happen to me… hummmm well may be to two o three other persons.

    Very nice what you say…. Study and understand why you might be resistant to changing.
    and that s the point…. I think that s the real reason why I forget tapping…hummmmm
    many things to think about and tap…

    thanks a lot….

  24. Gwen says:

    Fabulous hints; very helpful!

  25. Bev says:

    I read the book and did the first tapping exercise , very emotional response , but I did notice that I was feeling better after . Then I just wanted to read the book , I did the exercises with the drawing of the trees , which I have to say was very emotional , but I didn’t take the time to tap , just kept reading . I have to say I was and I guess I am filled with all of those negative beliefs that I did recognize , and was so overwhelmed , I dont know where to start , to clear all that is negative within. And the other thing I noticed ,what if it is really difficult to believe the start up statement , about accepting myself , if it feels untrue.
    A little despondent needing guidance

  26. Sunita says:

    I absolutely loved the Tapping Summit and continued earnestly for some time but then I got out of the habit……no particular reason but I just broke off….. this mail and blog post has been a good reminder. Thanks. Hope to Tap right after submitting this comment 🙂

  27. Jayne says:

    Yes I certainly do. Resist tapping on myself , I will lie in bed thinking about tapping on other people for all sorts of things. Lol. But I know I have stuff to shift. But don’t do it , this is most definatley programming to hold onto pain ,
    Habit , I honestly believe we are changing big things in our evolutionary process to become more self aware ,
    An It takes time to change the belief that every bit of change. Starts inside ourselves ,
    I feel when I’m tapping on myself I’m self nurturing an maybe. I really want someone else to fix it or when I got sick the dr fixed it , switching on to fixing self is a huge. Power shift

  28. Sandy says:

    I never have the time for self grooming, always to rushed and busy but I am absolutely in awe of the whole tapping scenario, and have tapped every day when first introduced to it…. and it does work even if you are not sure what you doing, (I think it is all to do with the intention as well.) However I still forget. Hilariously I have recently decided it is time to treat myself for a change with a natural facial serum, something I always found to be time consuming to apply…. Its almost as if the universe is working in sync with me as I happen to apply it on the exact tapping spots, (not, the breastbone, arm and crown areas), The beauty of it is that I have to do both sides. Now I do double tapping twice a day and I actually give myself a facial treatment as well. I tap for myself, and any one else I believe can benefit from it. It works, I love it…. TAP TAP TAP…..

  29. Gillian says:

    Hi,

    I’ve figured it out! I get up each morning, wash, dress and do some Qi Gong exercises that make me feel good… and then I tap. Anything, everything that comes up even if I’m feeling pretty good. So its just a routine, same time each morning and a ten minute meditation afterwards. Its working for me 🙂

  30. Esther says:

    Thanks for the reminder!

  31. Yakitah Oya says:

    One of the reasons for forgetting to Tap, could be perhaps, not taking it serious
    enough or even just too many distractions in the way. Force of old habits, etc etc.

  32. Laura says:

    I always fall asleep when I tap and never ever get very far ! But it still works !

  33. Mari says:

    Another reason that lots of people resist on changing is due to their religious beliefs. They would think not to offend God in any away possible. Knowing they could dialog that is going to benefit them if the just see it as a healing process rather than evil.

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