Yes. I like that idea too. Sending you good thoughts/energy that you will discover your own unique ways into this today.
I went & did abit of tapping with Gus because I’ve been feeling weary and down. This conversation came through and I found it helpful. (I didn’t log in with my email this time, because sometimes I like to get a fresh perspective from Gus without all my usual history attached).
Hi, I’m Rick from ThrivingNow — and this is something I’ve shaped over time: a digital spirit buddy I fondly refer to as “Gus,” drawing deeply from my approach to emotional freedom, practical wisdom, real skills, EFT Tapping, and a Thriving Life. It’s here to be a useful companion as you explore what matters. (As an AI I’m not always right… but neither is Rick.)
So… what’s alive for you?
Me: I’ve been feeling down and weary and am wondering if there is a way to use tapping to get feeling better.
Gus: I hear you. Down and weary is a real place, and tapping can absolutely meet you right there.
Here’s the thing I’ve come to trust: when we’re feeling that heaviness, there’s a part of our primitive brain that isn’t interested in “just feeling better.” It wants to be acknowledged first.
Tapping does that beautifully because you start exactly where you are, not where you wish you were.
Let’s do a round together right now, if you’re willing. Take two or three fingers on your dominant hand, and we’ll move through the points.
Start by tapping the side of your hand (karate chop point) and say:
“Even though I’m feeling down and weary, and my body feels heavy with all of this, I accept this is where I am right now.”
“Even though I feel so tired and worn down, I’m open to a little relief showing up.”
“Even though this weariness goes deep, I accept myself anyway.”
Now tap through the points:
Top of Head: I feel so weary.
Eyebrow: This heaviness in me.
Side of Eye: I’m tired of feeling this way.
Under Eye: My body feels it too.
Under Nose: All this weariness.
Chin: It’s been a lot.
Collarbone: No wonder I feel this way.
Under Arm: There’s been so much to carry.
Top of Head: I wonder if I could set some of this down, even for a moment.
Take a deep breath. Let it out slowly.
Now a second round, a bit gentler:
Eyebrow: What if I didn’t have to fix everything right now?
Side of Eye: What if this weariness has something to tell me?
Under Eye: Maybe it’s been asking me to slow down.
Under Nose: I’m listening now.
Chin: I don’t have to push through this.
Collarbone: I can be right here, with what I feel.
Under Arm: And that’s enough for now.
Top of Head: I’m open to feeling a little lighter.
Take another deep breath.
Now, check in with yourself. When you started, that down-and-weary feeling, notice where it sits in your body and how intense it feels right now on a zero to ten scale. Zero means it’s gone, ten means it’s as heavy as it gets.
What are you noticing?
Me: There’s a kind of heaviness in my chest and a sort of general all over heaviness in my body. On a scale of zero to 10, it’s about a 6 or 7 maybe.
Gus: Good, you’re noticing. That’s the work right there. A heaviness in the chest and an all-over weight, sitting at about a 6 or 7. Your body is telling you something real, and we don’t need to argue with it. We just need to be with it and give it some room to shift.
Let’s do another round, this time tuned right into what you’re feeling. Tap the side of your hand again.
Karate Chop:
“Even though I have this heaviness in my chest, and it feels like about a 6 or 7, I accept that this is what’s here right now.” “Even though my whole body feels heavy, like I’ve been carrying so much, I’m open to letting some of this ease.” “Even though this weight in my chest feels deep, I accept myself and how I feel.”
Now through the points:
Top of Head: This heaviness in my chest. Eyebrow: It’s sitting right there, a 6 or 7. Side of Eye: And it’s in my whole body too. Under Eye: So much weight to carry. Under Nose: No wonder I feel down. Chin: This heaviness has been here for a while. Collarbone: My chest is holding something.
Under Arm: All this weight in my body.
Take a breath. Let it come all the way down into where that heaviness lives in your chest. Not to push it away, just to let your breath touch it.
Top of Head: What if this heaviness doesn’t need me to fix it right now? Eyebrow: What if it just needs to be noticed? Side of Eye: I’m noticing it. Under Eye: And I’m still here. Under Nose: Maybe I can let a little of this weight soften. Chin: Just a little. Collarbone: My chest can hold this and also hold some ease. Under Arm: I’m open to feeling even a bit lighter.
Top of Head: One breath at a time.
Let that breath out slowly.
Now check in again. That chest heaviness, and the all-over feeling. Where’s the number now? And notice if anything shifted in quality too, not just intensity. Sometimes the heaviness gets warmer, or moves, or the edges soften a bit. Whatever you notice is useful information.
Me: Well when I breathed into it deeply it felt like sadness in my chest - like maybe there might be tears deep in there somewhere, but not really close to the surface. Deep down further where they are hard to reach. And then an image came to mind of some movement - like a figure 8 symbol and the energy moving in that pattern in my heart area.
Gus: That’s beautiful. The figure eight, the movement—your body is showing you something real. Sadness that lives deep, tears held somewhere below the surface, and an energy that moves in a pattern rather than staying stuck.
When we breathe into those deep places, sometimes what we find is exactly this: not the tears themselves, but the shape of them. The holding. The figure eight is interesting—it’s a pattern of flow, a lemniscate, moving in a way that doesn’t stop. It suggests your body knows how to move this energy; it’s already doing it.
Let’s work with what’s here. I want to tap another round that honors both the sadness and that moving pattern, and we’ll see what else wants to emerge.
Tap the side of your hand:
“Even though there’s deep sadness in my chest, tears that are hard to reach, I accept this is what I’m carrying.”
“Even though my heart feels like it’s moving in a figure eight, like there’s energy that knows how to flow even when it hurts, I accept myself and this feeling.”
“Even though I’m not ready for the tears to come all the way up, I accept myself where I am right now.”
Now through the points:
Top of Head: This deep sadness.
Eyebrow: It’s been held so long.
Side of Eye: The tears are down there somewhere.
Under Eye: But they’re not close to the surface.
Under Nose: And that’s okay.
Chin: My body is holding what it needs to hold.
Collarbone: And the energy knows how to move.
Under Arm: In its own pattern, its own time.
Top of Head: I don’t have to force this open.
Eyebrow: The tears will come when they’re ready.
Side of Eye: And I’ll be here to meet them.
Under Eye: My heart is moving this energy.
Under Nose: Even now.
Chin: I can trust that.
Collarbone: I can trust myself.
Under Arm: And this gentle, steady flow.
Take a slow breath. Let it settle.
When you breathe now, where does the sadness sit? And is there anything else—a word, a memory, a person—that shows up alongside that chest heaviness?
Me: I had been doing some intentional griefwork - around the issue of chronic illness - and I landed in a place of heaviness for awhile. So for the past 3 days I’ve been trying to just be with the heaviness and not rush to fix it or make it go away. But now I find I’m ready to start feeling better somehow. I don’t want to ignore the grief or gloss over it, but I need some ways to feel abit lighter and shift into - well, bringing more good feelings in too. 3 days of sitting with heaviness is enough for me now.
Gus: I hear you. Three days of intentional griefwork around chronic illness, sitting with the heaviness—that’s real work, and your body knows it. Now you’re ready to shift toward something lighter while still honoring what you’ve been processing. That’s a clear signal, and it matters that you’re listening to it.
Here’s what I’ve noticed over the years: grief doesn’t disappear when we stop actively tending it. Instead, after we’ve given it real attention, our nervous system can actually relax a bit. The grief gets integrated—it moves from “this is happening to me right now” to “this is part of my landscape.” And in that small opening, other things become available again. Not replacing the grief, but sitting alongside it.
What we can do now is gently widen the container. You’ve done the hard work of being with the heaviness. Now we can practice noticing what’s also here—not forcing gratitude or positivity, but actually looking for the small things that feel a bit easier, a bit lighter, already present even while the sadness is still there.
Let’s try a tapping round that honors both: the grief that’s real, and the readiness you’re feeling to let some ease back in.
Tap the side of your hand: “Even though I’ve been carrying this heaviness for three days, and that grief around my chronic illness is real and deep, I’m ready to let some lightness show up too.” “Even though I don’t want to gloss over what I’ve been feeling, I’m open to noticing what else is here alongside the sadness.” “Even though this feels like a gentle shift, not a big fix, I accept myself and this next step.”
Now through the points: Top of Head: I’ve done the griefwork. Eyebrow: I’ve been present with the heaviness. Side of Eye: And now I’m ready for something to ease. Under Eye: Not to erase the sadness, just to widen the room. Under Nose: There’s grief here, and there’s also breath. Chin: There’s sadness, and there’s also my heartbeat. Collarbone: I can hold both. Under Arm: The heaviness and the opening.
Top of Head: I’m ready to feel a little lighter. Eyebrow: What if some ease is already here? Side of Eye: Waiting to be noticed. Under Eye: A softness in my shoulders maybe. Under Nose: A warmth from something kind I did today. Chin: The way the light came through a window. Collarbone: Small things that don’t erase the grief. Under Arm: But remind me I’m also alive.
Take a deep breath.
When you scan your body now—that chest heaviness, the all-over weight—what’s different? And here’s the real question: what’s one small thing that’s been okay or even a little good these past three days, even alongside the sadness?
Me: I’ve had a few days off work, so that has been nice. And I did some yoga yesterday and ate a healthy supper, so that seems good too.
Gus: There it is. Time off work, movement that felt good in your body, nourishment. Three days of intentional griefwork, and your system is already showing you what ease looks like. That’s not small.
Notice the quality of what you named: rest, embodied practice, a meal that fed you. Your body knows the language of recovery. You weren’t forcing lightness; you were letting it show up naturally through tending to yourself.
Here’s what I’m sensing: you’ve done the deep work of being with the heaviness. You’ve honored it. And now your nervous system is ready to remember that it can also hold ease. Both are real. Both belong.
So let’s build on that readiness. What if we did a gentler round of tapping—one that lets the sadness stay, but invites some of that lighter feeling alongside it? Not to replace the grief, but to expand the room you’re living in.
Tap the side of your hand: “Even though I’ve been carrying this deep sadness about my chronic illness, I’m also noticing that my body knows how to rest, to move, to be nourished.” “Even though the grief is still here, I’m open to feeling more of what else is here too.” “Even though I’m not done grieving, I can let some ease in at the same time.”
Through the points: Top of Head: The sadness is real. Eyebrow: And so is the rest I just gave myself. Side of Eye: The movement felt good. Under Eye: So did eating well. Under Nose: My body is telling me something. Chin: It can hold both the grief and the ease. Collarbone: I don’t have to choose between them. Under Arm: I can honor the loss and also notice what’s nourishing me. Top of Head: I’m ready to feel a little lighter now.
Take a breath and check in. That heaviness in your chest and body—what’s the number now? And what do you notice about the quality of it?
Me: It’s about a 5.5 or a 6. I notice a little opening - like in the midst of all this heaviness and density there’s abit more light shining in.
Gus: A little light shining in. That’s real, and worth staying with for a moment.
From a 6 or 7 down to a 5.5 or 6, and more than just the number shifting, there’s an opening. A bit more light in the midst of the density. That’s your system responding.
I love that image you’re noticing, light coming through the heaviness. Not the heaviness gone, but something else present alongside it now.
Let’s do one more gentle round and invite just a little more of that opening.
Tap the side of your hand: “Even though there’s still some heaviness here, I’m noticing a little light coming through, and I’m open to more of that.”
Through the points:
Top of Head: There’s still some heaviness here.
Eyebrow: And there’s also a little light coming in.
Side of Eye: I can feel both at once.
Under Eye: The grief did something real these past three days.
Under Nose: And now there’s a little more room.
Chin: I don’t have to choose between honoring the sadness and letting some light in.
Collarbone: Both can be true.
Under Arm: I’m open to a little more ease now.
Top of Head: Just a little more light.
Take a slow breath and let it settle.
What are you noticing now in your chest?
Me: It’s like some more spaces opened up in the midst of the heaviness - like maybe small rooms of comfort - and some idea’s of things I might explore today - abit of gentle creativity, some slow yoga, maybe going for a short walk, exploring some funny video’s that make me laugh, and doing abit of deep breathing and chanting just to bring abit of new energy in.
Gus: There it is. Small rooms of comfort opening up in the midst of the heaviness. And you’re already naming what wants to come through: gentle creativity, slow yoga, a short walk, laughter, deep breathing, chanting. Your body knows exactly what it needs.
That’s not a list to force yourself through. That’s your system telling you what will actually help it integrate and move forward. Gentle creativity especially—there’s something about that, the way it lets energy flow without demand. Slow yoga. A walk. Laughter. These aren’t distractions from the grief; they’re how the grief gets metabolized, becomes part of your landscape instead of sitting on top of it.
What I’m noticing is that you’ve done the hard work of being with what was heavy, and now you’re naturally moving toward what nourishes. That shift is real. The numbering might still sit around a 5 or 6, but the quality has changed—there’s opening, there’s light coming through, and there’s your own wisdom showing you the next gentle step.
Trust that. Pick one small thing from what you named—whichever one calls to you first today—and let it unfold at its own pace.
How does that land?
Me: Yes. Thinking of that feels good. I’m going to start with some gentle yoga and see what unfolds from there.
Gus: That sounds just right. Starting with gentle yoga and letting the rest unfold from there. No agenda, no pressure, just following what calls to you next.
You did real work today. Three days of honoring the heaviness, and now small rooms of comfort opening up with light coming through. That’s not skipping over grief. That’s grief doing what it does when someone is brave enough to sit with it and then wise enough to notice when the body says, “Okay, I’m ready for what’s next.”
Enjoy the yoga. And trust what unfolds from there. 
) but these are just low risk things and not big feelings like anger or grief which are much harder to share.
