How Emotional Freedom Technique Can Help with Stress and Anxiety Around the Holidays

The holiday season is often portrayed as joyful and magical, but for many people, it’s also a time of heightened stress, pressure, and emotional overwhelm. Between busy schedules, financial strain, family dynamics, and the physical toll of a packed calendar, the nervous system can easily slip into a state of overdrive. This is where Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT)—also known as “tapping”—can be a powerful tool for creating balance and calm.

What Is Emotional Freedom Technique?

EFT is a mind-body method that combines gentle tapping on specific acupressure points with focused awareness on thoughts and emotions. By stimulating these points while acknowledging feelings such as anxiety, worry, or overwhelm, EFT helps calm the body’s stress response and restore a sense of groundedness.

The tapping points are primarily located on the head, face, and upper body—areas that influence the meridians used in traditional Chinese medicine. The process is simple, non-invasive, and can be adapted for almost any setting, making it especially useful during the hectic holiday season.

Why the Holidays Can Trigger Stress and Anxiety

Even if the holidays bring moments of joy, they can also place unique demands on the mind and body:

• Increased social commitments can cause fatigue and overstimulation.

• Financial pressure from buying gifts, additional food and travel costs creating more strain

• Family gatherings can sometimes stir unresolved emotions or conflicts.

• Changes in routine can disrupt sleep, eating patterns, and self-care habits.

For people who already experience anxiety, the extra stimulation of the holiday period can intensify symptoms.

How EFT Helps Reduce Holiday Stress

1. Calms the Nervous System
Tapping on acupressure points helps lower cortisol levels—the body’s main stress hormone—and supports the parasympathetic nervous system, which promotes rest and recovery.

2. Increases Emotional Clarity
The process of acknowledging emotions out loud during EFT helps you become more aware of what’s truly bothering you, making it easier to address the root cause rather than just the surface feeling.

3. Reduces Overthinking
The repetitive, rhythmic tapping combined with intentional wording can quiet the mind and interrupt spirals of anxious thought.

4. Can Be Used Anywhere, Anytime
EFT requires no equipment and only a few minutes, making it ideal for quick resets during a holiday gathering, in the car before a social event, or before bed when your mind is busy.

5. Helps Shift Mindset
By pairing self-acceptance phrases with physical tapping, EFT encourages a balanced perspective and can turn moments of overwhelm into opportunities for calm.

Incorporating EFT Into Your Holiday Self-Care Plan

• Start your day with a short tapping session to set a calm tone before holiday activities.

• Use EFT before events that typically cause anxiety, such as family dinners or public speaking.

• Tap before bed to release the day’s tension and prepare your body for deeper sleep.

EFT can be done on its own, but many people find it even more effective when combined with other body-based therapies such as massage, osteopathy, or Bowen therapy, which help release physical tension while EFT addresses the emotional component.