A Practical Tool for Calming Overwhelm
| with guest Theresa Lear Levine |
EFT, or “tapping,” is a technique that involves gently tapping on specific acupressure points while saying phrases related to how you’re feeling. It combines aspects of traditional Chinese medicine and cognitive behavioural therapy to calm both the mind and body.
“The beauty of EFT is that it doesn’t require perfection. You can show up with your messy feelings, tap through them, and shift how your body and brain respond.”
— Theresa Lear Levine, ADHDifference
For Theresa, tapping became a lifeline during moments of spiralling thought, sensory overload, and emotional fatigue. It gave her a way to pause, ground herself, and move forward—even in the middle of a storm.
Why This Works
ADHDers often feel everything all at once. A simple task can become a mountain. A passing comment can trigger a shame spiral. When you’re emotionally dysregulated, it’s hard to access logic, motivation, or problem-solving.
That’s where tapping comes in. It helps you calm the noise, without needing to think your way out of it. You don’t have to be “in the right headspace” to start—you can begin exactly where you are.
Tapping meets you in the moment and helps you move through it, whether you’re stuck in overthinking, anxiety, or the kind of freeze response where everything feels impossible. It’s accessible, portable, and doesn’t require external tools or perfect timing.
The Science Behind It
ADHD brains are more sensitive to stress and stimulation. The amygdala, which acts as the brain’s alarm system, is often more reactive in people with ADHD, making it harder to return to calm once triggered.
EFT tapping helps regulate the nervous system by sending calming signals directly to the brain. Studies have shown that it reduces cortisol (the stress hormone) and helps shift brain activity from the reactive limbic system back to the prefrontal cortex, where clearer thinking and decision-making happen.
Because it pairs physical touch with emotional acknowledgement, tapping also supports emotional processing and integration. For ADHDers, who often struggle to name or navigate big feelings in the moment, this combination can be especially effective.
When to Use This Strategy
Tapping is flexible enough to use in all kinds of everyday scenarios. Here are just a few:
- Before or after a difficult conversation: Use tapping to reduce emotional charge, clarify what you want to say, or process what was said.
- When you feel overstimulated or frozen: Whether you’re stuck in a sensory spiral or can’t get off the couch, a few minutes of tapping can help your brain and body reconnect.
- To manage transitions: ADHDers often struggle with task switching. Tapping can help ease that resistance and bring intention to the shift.
- During emotional flooding: Tapping gives your body something to do while your brain catches up. It offers comfort and containment, without needing to “fix” anything.
💬 Final Thought
EFT is not about silencing your emotions, it’s about giving them a safe and structured way to move through you. For ADHDers who often feel hijacked by their nervous systems, tapping is a way to press pause, breathe deeper, and build emotional fluency over time.
As Theresa says, it’s not about doing it perfectly. It’s about learning to trust your body, trust the process, and return to yourself, even on the hard days.