Want to Run Away - Tap Into EFT!

Have you ever experienced a situation that puts you down? Maybe it's bad grades, or peer pressure, or strict family rules that you have to bear with. If you really wanted to go to that party and your parents won't let you, you really feel like hating them. You eventually want to run away from home to get away from your problems and troubles - let alone be free from the strict bonds of parents.

Running away seems like a good option for escaping trouble, but it puts you in more trouble than you had at home. You can be kidnapped, be more likely to use drugs, end up in a gang, or even worse, killed. The worst part of running away is being homeless - you'll not have enough money to buy food and clothing, and you'll end up sleeping in the streets. But how can you shake off the urge to run away from home if talking to someone, even a counselor, doesn't help much? EFT, or Emotional Freedom Technique, is a great way to help you let go of your thoughts of you running away from home and to gain your acceptance of a hard life.

What really makes you want to run away? Does your grades need improvement? Do you feel as if your parents control you a lot? Think about the details of it - picture a lot of scenes, including the sights, sounds, hurtful words, and other senses that set you off. Then rate it from 0-10, with 10 being the most intense and urgent enough to make you run away. Let's say that you have bad grades and your parents grounded you for your report card. You really want to run away, and you rate your urge at a 10.

The first thing to do is to form a karate chop and find the karate chop point. The point is located between the base of the hand and the base of the pinky. Tap on it vigorously and firmly, saying that you accept the problem and yourself in spite of it. Those sentences are called affirmations, and they remind you that you love yourself even in the bad times. You can say your phases three times each, or three at a time per round. (I prefer three affirmations at a time per round.) Here are a few:

Even though I have those bad grades and want to run away, I deeply love and accept myself anyway.

Even though I'm grounded because of those grades and want to run away to escape my problems, I completely love and accept myself anyway and choose to solve them.

Even though I want to run away because I did bad at school, I fully accept and love myself and choose to do better in my classes next time.

Remember to say it like you mean it - focus on the problem.

After tapping on the karate chop point, tap on the end of your eyebrow near the nose, on the outer end of your eye, under the eye in the middle, under your nose, between your mouth and chin, at the end of your collarbone near the neck, under the arm, and right on top of your head, in that order. At each body part, say the things that relate to your problem, like:

Eyebrow: I have D's and F's.
Side of the Eye: Those grades caused me trouble.
Under the Eye:I can't hang with my friends anymore!
Under the Nose: I can't watch TV!
Upper Chin: I can't use the Internet to connect with friends!
Collarbone: It's because of my grades.
Under the Arm: I feel like running away.
Top of the Head: I want to run away!
(to other side of body)
Eyebrow: I want to get away from all those D's and F's!
Side of the Eye: I want to get away from it all!
Under the Eye: Being grounded is too much for me!
Under the Nose: I have to do chores and work instead of having fun.
Upper Chin: I hate my life!
Collarbone: I hate my family!
Under the Arm: I hate this house!
Top of the Head: I really, madly want to run away!

The next step is to take a deep, cleansing breath, let it all out, and tap on the same points, but this time, you're asking yourself if running away is a good option. Ask yourself those questions (or make up your own if you wish) while tapping on the points:

Eyebrow: Is running away any good?
Side of the Eye: How will I survive when running away?
Under the Eye: Where should I stay?
Under the Nose: Is it safe?
Upper Chin: How does my family feel if I do?
Collarbone: How will they find out if they run away?
Under the Arm: How can I feed myself if I run away?
Top of the Head: Where can I turn to if I'm in trouble?
(to other side of body)
Eyebrow: Do I have enough money?
Side of the Eye: Do I have enough clothing and underwear?
Under the Eye: Do I have some money for me to feed myself?
Under the Nose: Am I old enough to work if I can find a job?
Upper Chin: What will happen if I return home?
Collarbone: Will I be grounded again if they found out I ran away?
Under the Arm: Is running away still possible?
Top of the Head: Do I still want to run away?

After you do rounds of tapping on why you want to run away and how you feel about it, and when asking whether to run away or not, take a deep breath and rate your urge. Then, use the setup (tap on the karate chop point) and say those three sentences (or make them up):

Even though I still feel like running away a little, I accept and love myself and choose to let it all go.

Even though I feel a bit bad about my grades and want to run away a little, I choose to improve them and learn my lesson.

Even though I still want to run away, I choose to love myself and stay with my family.

Next, do a couple of rounds on your positive thoughts and ways you can solve the problem - here are some of them:

Eyebrow: I still have this guilt toward my grades.
Side of the Eye: I still want to run away.
Under the Eye: I choose to let go.
Under the Nose: I choose to shake the past off.
Upper Chin: The bad grades are now in the past.
Collarbone: My thoughts on running away are now in the past.
Under the Arm: I choose to love myself and let the past go.
Top of the Head: I choose to accept myself no matter what.
(to other side of body)
Eyebrow: I can improve my grades!
Side of the Eye: I can bring my friends over to study with me.
Under the Eye: I can save my money for a good tutor.
Under the Nose: I can always ask the teacher for help.
Upper Chin: I choose to turn my bad grades around.
Collarbone: I choose things to do instead of running away!
Under the Arm: I fully love myself!
Top of the Head: I choose to stay at home, improve my grades, and let the past go.

Next, rate your urge to run away - if it's not exactly on a 0, continue tapping until you no longer feel like running away from home. I suggest that you do the tapping routine every day - it will help you stay out of trouble and off the streets.

(Note: I am not a therapist, per se, but I practice EFT a lot. I'm just giving you example suggestions on how to use it effectively.)

For more on running away, visit the National Runaway Switchboard - they'll inspire you further and make you want to run away less. For more information on EFT, visit the World Center for EFT.