For Calming Jitters

I posted this picture on Instagram yesterday after realizing that I should have reminded Lucy of these tips I have tried to teach her over the past year.

Here are a few calming techniques your child (and you) can do under her desk:
1. Remember WorryFAST – Each finger represents a different emotion from left to right. Hold onto the finger with your opposite hand.
Worry – thumb
Fear – pointer
Anger – middle (ha!)
Sadness – ring
Trying To Hard – pinky

If they can’t remember which, try them all. Just tell your child to hold each finger until they feel better. It is basically an easy meditative practice to help them calm down. 

2. Try Tapping (or EFT)

Tapping on the side of your hand where my fingers are located in the picture can help calm your nervous system down. It is just one point in a series of tapping points. I like to descibe tapping as emotional acupuncture. Try both hands. There are also points located at the side of the top digit on each finger.

Tapping only my hand has helped me before public speaking and when I was pulled over for speeding. 

I am somewhat obsessed with tapping and have been using it a lot since Lent of 2014. I first began in 2005. So it is a great and FREE tool for anyone. There are tons of YouTube videos leading you through tapping on almost any topic you can conceive of. We had a lot of fun earlier when I lead a tapping birthday party for one of my aunts.
You can even tap for a better night’s sleep, which I need to do this evening. The shift in sleep cycles always impairs me for what feels like months. But I broke down and invested in essential oils for Oliver to sleep through the night. That was a minor miracle. I am still trying to bribe him for the first time to break the 4:30 am wake up. If he sleeps through the night until Friday, he gets a present. Fingers crossed it works.