Do you want to live to a hundred? If you do you might have to change some long standing habits.

According to the online article “Your Body’s Ten Weirdest Health Clues,” women taller than 5 feet, 2 inches may be missing a gene mutation that helps them reach their 100th birthday, according to a study in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

But apparently you can beat the odds if you quit smoking, cut back on your alcohol intake and eat less meat.

So what habit (or habits) are keeping you reaching the century mark?
If it’s one of the above, you can help yourself a number of ways. Medical help is becoming more effective in the treatment of smoking cessation. Twelve Step programs provide support and a way of life that can help with alcohol abuse or overeating.

But even if your habits aren’t as severe as an addiction, changing them can be very hard! However, when we change the energy surrounding that habit, change can be much easier.

One way you can change the energy of a habit is through the use of the Temporal Tap. This technique is drawn from Traditional Chinese Medicine, and was originally used as a form of anesthesia during surgery.

In this adaptation, made popular by award winning author and energy medicine teacher Donna Eden, it can be used to address a habitual problem by tapping on specific acupuncture meridian points.

Begin by identifying the habit you would like to change. Then create an affirmation in the present tense that expresses what you want. For instance, you might say, “I love to eat healthy foods that are good for me.”

Now create an affirmation which reflects the same sentiment, only negatively framed. “I no longer eat foods that make me tired and cranky,” or “I no longer eat foods that make me gain weight” would be the negative reframe of the affirmation “I love to eat healthy foods that are good for me.”

By the way, the most effective affirmations are those that are short, aligned with your values and spoken in your native tongue.

To perform the Temporal Tap start tapping at the outer edge of your right eyebrow. Continue tapping around the ear to the bottom of the ear. Say your original affirmation while you are tapping. Repeat this whole procedure four or five times.

Do the exact same procedure on the left side, using the negatively framed affirmation. Do this three or four times a day, allowing a lapse of at least a half an hour before repeating.

The Temporal Tap isn’t just for curbing habits around cigarettes, alcohol and food. You can use it to address any habit, situation or condition you want to change. Just remember reinforcement over time is the key. It usually takes 30-40 days for a change in thinking or behavior to become permanent, so be patient. Once you have it, you can move on to something else you’d like to change.

Author's Bio: 

Rose Mattax is a licensed clinical professional counselor, Eden Energy Medicine Clinical Practitioner and Certified Flower Essence Practitioner. Learn more at http://www.RoseMattaxLCPC.com