Have you ever found yourself lying awake at night, tossing and turning because something happened during your day at school that still really bothers you? Your worries have taken over. You replay the situation over and over again in your head. Your emotions become intense. Then you start thinking about how much you really need your sleep, but you’re not sleeping. You know how important sleep is, but all you can do is toss and turn. You look at the clock and become more upset that you’re not sleeping and worry about how you’re going to get through the next day. Aaargh!
Does this sound familiar?
If you are an educator, you are among some of the most caring and compassionate people I know. You care deeply about your students. You care deeply about building relationships. You have a lot of integrity and strive for helping your students blossom, not only as learners, but as productive and compassionate citizens. When something happens to disrupt your ability to do this incredibly important job, it can hit you hard.
Stress has a significant impact on your ability to get quality sleep. Stress signals your body to release cortisol. Cortisol naturally starts out high in the morning to get you moving and then gradually decreases throughout the day to help you wind down. When you are stressed throughout the day, your cortisol level can stay high, which prevents your body from preparing for a night of quality rest.
So what can you do about it?
Did you know that using Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) can reduce cortisol levels? EFT has been explored for a range of different issues and research consistently shows how it can significantly reduce cortisol levels.
So how can you use EFT when something happens during your school day that is really bothering you?
Basic EFT is an incredible tool to use to calm your body’s emotional response and lower cortisol levels. To receive a complimentary copy of my EFT for Self-Care Guide where I explain the steps of using Basic EFT, simply sign up for my email community at bottom of this page.
One aspect to be aware of when using EFT is that it can impact people in different ways. For some, it is energizing and invigorating. For others, it is calming and comforting. It is important to know how you will respond so you can decide the best time to use it. If you find it to be energizing, you will want to use it several hours before going to bed. Perhaps you can use it in the car on the ride home. I found that time to be particularly useful when decompressing from my school day. If it is calming for you, you can use it shortly before going to bed, even as part of your bedtime routine.
It is also important to be specific with what you are focusing on. Choose one part of that event that is bothersome to you and just focus on that while you are tapping on the acupressure points. For example, perhaps you had a particularly difficult interaction with a parent. There might have been several statements the parent made that upset you, but just choose the one thing they said that stands out the most. “Even though I feel so angry, I feel it in my jaw, just thinking about that parent accusing me of singling out her child in front of the whole class today…” Using Basic EFT on that one part can help reduce the intensity of the emotions you are feeling about the entire situation, thereby reducing your cortisol levels, and bringing your body back to a state where it can prepare for a restful night.
If you happen to wake up in the middle of the night and can’t get back to sleep, you can still use Basic EFT on what is keeping you up at night. If you have someone in the bed with you and you don’t want to wake them, you can simply imagine tapping on the points to help regulate your nervous system and bring your body back to a state where it can rest.
To learn how I can help you improve your sleep with EFT, click the button below to book a Complimentary Chaos to Calm Consult.