Relaxed and Stress Free Public Speaking

The EFT method is one of the most effective ways to "re-file" anxieties within the brain, such as the fear of public speaking.

As a protective mechanism, our brains tag certain situations that they perceive as a threat, even if that perception began at a very early age, or was completely unintended. EFT allows these associations to literally move into a different area in the brain, without the accompanying fear or anxiety.

It feels so easy that you might be tempted to make it more complicated than it actually is. That is the perfect time to surrender and trust that some great things just get to be easy.

Try this. Pick up a pen or small pebble in your hand and hold on to it tightly. Pretend for a moment that this object that you have picked up is your anxiety or fear about public speaking, and that your hand represents your gut or your consciousness. If you held the object long enough this would start to feel uncomfortable, yet familiar.

Now, open your hand and roll the object around in it. Notice that you are the one holding on to it and that it is not attached to your hand. The same is true with your feelings. Your feelings and anxieties are as attached to you as this object is attached to your hand.

Just as simply as you could choose to let go of what you are holding in your hand, you could let go of this anxiety and fear about speaking in public.

The choice to let go, or release harmful feelings can be enhanced by gently tapping along some acupressure points in the body. This method is called the EFT, or Emotional Freedom Technique. Essentially it acts as acupuncture for our emotions, and releases resistance to change. This technique also works well when trying to clear out strong negative emotions that are stored in the body. They can help also help release some of the “yes, but. . .” responses that come up with some affirmations.

EFT for Relaxed and Stress Free Public Speaking is the latest mp3 up at My Thought Coach, and will assist you in this experience. Give it a try while tapping the points outlined below using the first and middle fingers of either hand. With a light but firm pressure tap each area 7-10 times as you cover the area where the point is located.

1. Top of Head - the intersection of two lines on the top of your head (the tip of one ear, over your head, to the tip of the other ear; and a line from the tip of your nose, to the base of your skull)
2. Eye Brow - at the beginning of the eyebrow, just above and to one side of the nose.
3. Side of the Eye - on the bone bordering the outside corner of the eye.
4. Under Eye - on the bone under the eye about one inch below and in line with the pupil.
5. Under Nose - in the center of the area between the nose and top lip.
6. Chin - in the center between the bottom lip and bottom (or point) of the chin.
7. Collarbone - the junction where the collarbone, sternum (breastbone) and first rib meet.
8. Under the Arm - on the side of the body approx. 4 inches below the armpit

The Tao of Dirty DIshes

We all have things in our lives that must be done every day. Things we may not necessarily ENJOY doing, but nonetheless we do them because we know that when we don't they bring problems to us later on. They can range from things as simple as brushing our teeth, putting in contact lenses, or taking out the trash.

Bringing and maintaining order in your living space, a big theme in the lives of many, requires regular attention and effort. What I've discovered is that the time spent performing such daily tasks can become an ideal opportunity for growth. First, since you do them daily they serve as an ideal occasion for reminding yourself of your core commitments and values, or of your current goals. Perhaps even more importantly, the process of cleaning, of bringing order to the space you live in, is an ideal metaphor for the practice of living thoughtfully.

To live thoughtfully, which is what "My Thought Coach" is all about, is not the end of a process but the process itself. To live thoughtfully is a form of practice, a daily exercise, of bringing your thoughts back in line with your highest values and your best potential. This is something you can no more achieve once and for all than you could expect to clean your house once and for all. Or wash the last dish. Or take the ultimate shower to end all showers. Things will get messy again.

So it is too with our thoughts. There are so many things out there that tug at our attention, which can so easily dominate our thoughts and emotions. To get back in the driver's seat of your own mind requires a regular return to the center, a daily reminder of who you are.

An ideal time to serve yourself with this reminder is during the time you are cleaning. Take that time to talk to yourself, to release any worries and preoccupations that are bogging you down, and to bring your thoughts back to your core values. For a model of this kind of self talk, try out this month's new "Housework and Cleaning Meditation." Of course, if your problem is that you find it hard to get started cleaning in the first place, "Think Like a Clean and Organized Person" just might get that broom in your hands!

Just as you have the power to affect change to your physical body you also have the power to affect change to your physical SURROUNDINGS. All things physical allow us to master the things going on WITHIN us. You are indelibly connected to your environment, as the world is inside you as you are within it.

Stay free. Nourish your body and soul.

Ever noticed what kind of food your body craves after you have skipped a meal or gone for a while without eating anything but a few Oreos? Bet I can guess.

When you are dehydrated, hungry, and fighting low blood sugar, your freedom to make good food choices is very limited. You become a slave to the situation, and the odds of having enough will power to really stay committed to healthy eating is not in your favor. You might succeed, but it will be with a clenched fist.

Proactive choices are the only way to truly stay free. And freedom is everything. Choosing to guzzle some water and chomp on some string cheese BEFORE you are faced with choices that might cause you to stray, will buy you your freedom.

And so it is with so many other areas in our lives. We buy our freedom by obeying the laws of our land, by paying our taxes, by going to our annual check ups and by taking our blood pressure medicine.

We buy our freedom from emotional pain by choosing to let go of offenses and by forgiving ourselves and others quickly. We buy freedom when we replace harmful thoughts in our brains with better ones. We buy freedom and greatly increase the odds in our favor when we do life inside of a less stressed out brain and body.

Wanna feel better quick? In fairness, other options are available. Grab more Oreos and some caffeine and you'll feel perky in no time. Speed to the meeting you're late too, and you might make it. Stay offended- it feels sort of good, and they certainly deserve it. While you're at it you might as well rehearse any other weaknesses about the offender that you can think of too, and wrap your emotions right around the things in their character that haven't been perfected yet.

However, not much freedom with: a headache, fatigue when the sugar and caffeine wear off, a ticket, more adrenaline than your body knows what to do with and a damaged relationship that might have been easily resolved with just letting go.