Workplace Bullying Shatters Confidence—EFT Tapping Helps You Rebuild

If this blog article caught you are, chances are work hasn’t felt safe for a while. Maybe you’re completely in a panic with the Sunday Scaries just thinking about what the week has in store. Or waking up on Monday already braced for attack. Maybe the tiniest sound of a Slack notification makes your stomach flip.

I’ve coached all different kinds of people and one of the topics that keeps coming up when we really dig into lack of confidence, fear of the spotlight, fear or criticism, is the long term effects of bullying whether as a child or in a professional environment.  This is often tied to worthlessness, shame, and inadequacy, which leads to reduced self-esteem and a diminished sense of self-worth.

Let’s talk about why bullying at work hits so hard, why the effects stick around even after you change jobs, and how a body‑based tool like EFT Tapping can finally give your nervous system the memo that the danger is over.

How Common is Workplace Bullying?

A recent survey from the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work shows that about one in six employees in the EU has been bullied or harassed on the job. In Germany alone, thousands of formal complaints land at the Federal Anti‑Discrimination Agency every year. So if you feel alone, you’re not—far from it. The numbers are heartbreaking, but they also prove your pain is real and shared by many.

​“The Workplace Bullying Institute (WBI)reported 30% of American adults have been bullied as targets, while a UN International Labour Organization (ILO) study found over one in five people globally (23%) experienced workplace violence and harassment.”

What Counts as Workplace Bullying (and Why It Hurts So Much)

Bullying isn’t a one‑off snarky remark. It’s a repeated, targeted behavior designed to undermine you. Maybe a manager belittles your ideas in front of the team, or a colleague “forgets” to cc you on critical emails where you had a deadline. Maybe someone derails your whole project plan by just not doing their part and humiliating you when the whole thing is late. Maybe someone micromanages you and criticizes you so that you fear them coming into the room. deadlines shift so often that you can’t win no matter how hard you try. Over time, these cuts can bleed your confidence dry.

And here’s the worst part. If the bully happens to be your boss, the damage goes even deeper. I had one boss tell me to ‘get the fuck out of his office’ because I was the unlucky messenger who showed him a press release I didn’t like that didn’t lie about company wins. I was in my 20s and that haunted me for years and I was always terrified of making a mistake.

When the person controlling your performance review also wields humiliation as a tool, your brain starts linking any authority figure with danger. That wiring doesn’t disappear just because you hand in your badge.

What Workplace Bullying Does to Your Body and Mind

OK, so we know it feels horrible but it’s not all in your head - your body is being affected too. Bullying kicks your fear center—the amygdala—into overdrive. Your body pumps out cortisol meant for short bursts of survival. But when the “attack” is daily, cortisol becomes your new normal. Memory fogs, sleep tanks, and your immune system taps out.

After long-term exposure to this and your brain being stuck in fight, flight, or freeze, you might notice:

- anxiety that won’t shut off, even on weekends

- flashbacks or panic when you hear a certain tone of voice

- digestive issues, headaches, or racing heart

- chronic pain in your body that won’t go away

- you’re pulling back from opportunities because visibility now feels unsafe

Why Switching Jobs Doesn’t Erase Workplace Bullying

You pack up your desk, you update LinkedIn, you start fresh. Then someone in the new office raises an eyebrow during your presentation and suddenly you panic, your heart races like you’re right back under that old fluorescent lighting. That’s not you being dramatic, it’s trauma physiology. Your brain tagged everyday cues like closed‑door meetings, a clipped email,  or even something small as an eye‑roll as signs of threat. Until you teach your body otherwise, those tags stay attached.

Why EFT Tapping Helps Release Emotional Scars of Workplace Bullying

EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) looks simple—lightly tapping specific acupressure points while articulating your feelings, but in fact, the scientific research is solid. Studies from Bond University show up to a 43 percent drop in cortisol after a single session. Imaging studies reveal the amygdala calming down while the thinking part of your brain, the prefrontal cortex, lights back up.

Here’s how a session usually flows:

1. You pick a moment that still stings—maybe the day your boss mocked you in front of clients.

2. You give that memory a distress rating, 0–10.

3. While tapping, you say out loud exactly how awful it felt. No sugar‑coating.

4. After a few rounds, you rate again. Most people experience intense relief and it can even be a bit confusing because the memory is still there, but it’s lost the emotional charge. The person no longer feels activated in anger, shame, or sadness.

Repeat that with a handful of memories and you start to feel a baseline shift. Meetings feel neutral, not loaded. Feedback lands as data, not as a personal attack. You catch yourself volunteering ideas because the old freeze response isn’t running the show.

How EFT Tapping Helps Heal Workplace Bullying

EFT sessions should be done with an experienced practitioner but there are plenty of DIY tapping meditations you can do with Youtube videos or also with the Tapping Solution app. (try it for 2 weeks here).

- You can raise your hand without the chest‑tightening rush.

- You can sleep through the night—you wake rested instead of wired.

- You stop rehearsing conversations in the shower.

- You remember what it’s like to trust your own competence.

When you tap frequently and especially if you add it as part of your morning routine to ground yourself, it gives you the space to move forward building confidence bit by bit.

Want to Use EFT Tapping to rebuild your confidence?

This autumn, I’m opening a handful of spots for a 5‑Session Private EFT Package—€499 instead of €625. Over five one‑to‑one sessions, we’ll:

• lower the emotional charge of key bullying memories
• teach your nervous system that work can be safe again
• rebuild self‑trust so you can show up without the armor

If you’d rather start in a group, I also run two‑hour workshops for teams or communities. You’ll learn the science, watch a live demo, and leave with a tool you can use that same afternoon.

Take a breath. Feel the tension in your shoulders. Imagine what it would be like for that to loosen—permanently. If that sounds good, let’s talk. You deserve to feel safe at work and proud of what you bring to the table.

Your calm, confident self is closer than you think. Book a strategy session here to start: https://bit.ly/4g4cIrD

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About Andrea Hunt:

I’m an EFT Tapping Empowerment Coach and I help ambitious professional women reach their goals faster by breaking free from fear, self-doubt, and impostor syndrome so they can build confidence like a muscle—one bold step at a time—and finally step outside their comfort zone to create the life they know they deserve.
Curious about EFT Tapping? Download my FREE EFT book and discover how tapping can enhance emotional resilience, improve mindset, and reduce perfectionism and negative self-talk.

➡️ Get Your Free Ebook Here to Learn the Healing Transformative Power of EFT Tapping  https://bit.ly/3U2eHnw

➡️ Book a call with me here! https://bit.ly/4g4cIrD

➡️ Learn more about me: www.dreahunt.com