Try this the next time you feel anxious or afraid

Sarah Murphy, LPC • July 5, 2022

If you want to learn how to feel better fast next time you're upset, you have come to the right place. This blog teaches you an easy tool you can use to help you feel connected and safe.

One of the fastest and most effective ways to restore a sense of safety is to give yourself a calming hug. This simple body-based technique helps your body feel calm, centered, and grounded by harmonizing the spleen and triple-warmer meridians. Best of all, you could do this in public, and nobody would notice! Practice the technique right now by watching the video below and following along. You can also download written instructions in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.

How it Works

It's so simple to do! Cross your arms over your chest, with one hand resting on the side of your chest in the area of a bra strap, and the other resting above your opposite elbow. Hold for a minute, and switch sides.


Why It Works

The calming hug is an energy psychology technique that helps your body balance the yin and yang energies that flow along your triple warmer (that's the hand above the elbow) and spleen (that's the hand in the bra strap area) meridians. This allows you to feel calm and grounded. The technique is also helpful if you are having trouble focusing.


If you haven’t given the Calming Hug a try yet, do it now. Take notice of how your body feels both before and after you use the technique. This technique is just one of many body-based techniques you can use whenever you feel scared or anxious.


More Techniques to Feel Better Fast

If you found the Calming Hug helpful, here are a few more tools you can use next time you feel scared or anxious: Simplified Self-Havening, the Soothing Butterfly Hug, and Calm Breathing. All of the videos and techniques in our "Try This" series were created by ACEP's Humanitarian Committee in order to help people heal by spreading the word about the powerful effects of energy psychology techniques. We invite you to help by sharing this information!


Need Help From a Professional?

Many people are seeking alternatives to pharmaceuticals while they strive to maximize their wellbeing and deal with things like anxiety and fear. ACEP is a nonprofit, 501c3 dedicated to the research, education, and sharing of energy psychology.  Check out the ACEP practitioner directory to find a certified ACEP therapist in your area or online.



Author:  Sarah Murphy, LPC

Sarah Murphy is a licensed professional counselor and coach with more than 12 years of clinical experience. She is Communications Committee Chair for ACEP and staff therapist for Unite for HER. She specializes in energy psychology, including EFT, as well as mindfulness and hypnotherapy. Learn more at www.transformative-therapy.com.


Video Resources Provided by the ACEP Humanitarian Committee

The mission of the ACEP Humanitarian Committee is to develop and implement humanitarian projects that alleviate emotional distress caused by catastrophic natural and man-made events around the globe. We do this by encouraging and assisting ACEP members in developing humanitarian projects that utilize recognized energy psychology and other modalities that meet ACEP’s standards and guidelines. Learn more here.


Photo by Kevin Valerio on pexels

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