Overcome the Overwhelm of Tax Prep with Reiki

I know what it feels like to be overwhelmed. Last year, I hired a professional organizer to work with me for five months to release fifty years’ worth of “stuff” and reorganize my empty nest. This year as I do my tax preparation, I am so grateful for all the work I did with Shanley Ten Eyck, a certified KonMari® Consultant. Using the KonMari Method® last February, we worked on one of the five categories: “Paper.” This sea of fiber and ink threatened to drown my ambitions and wash my exhausted brain onto the shore of defeat.

Fortunately, Shanley and I both are Reiki Masters, so we knew how to overcome the overwhelm. During the “Great Paper Purge of 2021,” she sent Reiki to me whenever I cried, and I used all my Reiki techniques on myself to make the process easier.

If you’re overwhelmed by the idea of wading into your own small sea of tax papers, I’d like to share some tips to help you through tax season, whether you have Reiki or not.

Prepare Yourself

I don’t like working with details. I’m more of a “big picture” gal. Few things distress me more than sitting down and going over fine details. Yes, it’s true that I spent thirty years as a college English professor grading essays, but spotting glaring grammatical errors just doesn’t give me the heebie jeebies as endless pages of numbers and details do. So if piles of paper give you the willies too, then get yourself ready:

• Physically–Don’t try to gather and fill out tax forms when you’re exhausted. Find a time of the day when you’re awake but before you’re tired. Find a quiet place. Tell everyone to leave you alone until you’re finished. If you have 2nd degree Reiki, use the power symbol (CKR) to charge yourself up. If you are a Reiki Master, add in the master symbol (DKM or Holy Fire®) to manifest the best outcome. If you have Karuna Reiki® symbols, add in Harth to fill yourself with light, and use Rama to clear and ground.
• Mentally/Emotionally–First, start working on your taxes as soon as possible to eliminate the extra pressure of a looming deadline. Work in short sessions and take breaks as needed to reduce frustration. Also, stay hydrated to improve mental clarity. If you have 2nd degree Reiki, add in the mental/emotional symbol (SHK) and add the distance symbol (HSZSN) to send Reiki ahead to your work sessions. If you are a Reiki Master, remember you are the “treasure house of the great beaming light,” and call on Reiki energy to clear your mind and empower you. If you have Karuna Reiki® symbols, you may also add in Iava for empowerment, Shanti to manifest best results, and Kriya to help you prioritize.

Prepare Your Space

Now that you have yourself primed for the job, it’s important to spruce up your working space. Creating your ideal environment (whether soothing and focused or vigorous and energetic) will help you move through the task more quickly. Don’t get side-tracked cleaning the space if it’s a total disaster area. Just clear the space where your eyes will fall so you aren’t distracted by thoughts of “I need to throw that away,” “Is that where my other slipper is?” or “I need to pay that electric bill before I lose it again.”

• Room–If you don’t have a dedicated home office, you could commandeer the kitchen table (or other flat surface to spread out your papers) and make that space off limits for as long as you’re planning to work. I like to diffuse essential oils that studies have shown to support mental clarity or memory, such as Young Living’s Clarity or rosemary. I also like to use sage or palo santo wood to clear the space of any residual negative energy hanging around from the cat squabble in the kitchen or my sighs of exasperation when I couldn’t find the email I was searching for earlier. Use the power symbol (CKR) or master symbol (DKM or Holy Fire®) to fill the room with Reiki. Invite your guides to help you and affirm that this space supports you in finding all the information you need and in completing the process quickly and easily.
• Desk/Table–Clear everything off the desk or table except what you need. Make separate piles for different forms and, if needed, different returns. If you have 2nd degree Reiki, place the power symbol (CKR) and mental/emotional symbol (SHK) over the papers and desk. If you have Reiki Master, draw the master symbol (DKM) over the desk and papers and motion it into the surface with the intention of manifesting the best outcome. If you have Karuna Reiki®, you may also add in Iava for empowerment, Shanti to manifest best results, and Kriya to help you prioritize.

Taking the time to prepare yourself and your space will help you get the job done easily and efficiently, whether you are sending everything to a tax preparer or filing on your own. For some additional tips on how to handle the physical and organizational side of tax preparation, take a look at Shanley Ten Eyck’s article, “Taxes Don’t Have to Be Taxing: 3 Steps to Quick and Easy Tax Preparation.”