If you’ve been following me for a while, you know that I invented the Harmonic Egg. The Harmonic Egg is a powerful modality/technology designed to assist the body into finding a healthy balance between its sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous responses. To summarize this quickly, let me just say that your body’s Autonomic Nervous System (ANS, the part of your nervous system that works below your conscious knowledge), has two main parts: a Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) that controls your “fight or fight” response, and your Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS) that controls your “rest and digest” response.  Ideally, your body is in a PNS response most of the time, and your body is focused on tasks such as digestion, rebuilding and healing as its main duty. Only in times of danger…or, to a lesser degree, when being competitive and challenged…does the SNS kick in, giving you the energy and power needed to fight, flee, or compete in a situation that, hopefully, allows you to survive your momentary challenge and walk away, unharmed.

So, the SNS is, basically, your stress response. It gives you adrenaline, epinephrine, and cortisol for energy and to relieve pain until you are in a space to address whatever wounds you might have received. That’s great in a time of crisis, but its not meant to be a long-term solution. In cases of prolonged stress or trauma, the SNS can become your default mode, pushing your PNS into the background. Over time, your body isn’t taking care of the housekeeping as well as it should; digestion is problematic, Human Growth Hormone and DHEA can no longer repair your body easily when you become sick or have an accident, and your adrenals burn out, leading to chronic fatigue, depression, poor concentration and sleep issues. I can not overstate how critical it is to keep your SNS and PNS in a healthy ratio of balance, because chronic stress can lead to anything from exhaustion, to a compromised immune system, to addictions, mystery illnesses (autoimmune), and more.

This year, for many reasons, has been what most would call a stressful year, and now we are quickly sliding into the holiday season. For many people, the holidays are also filled with anxiety, and this year proves to make it ultra-challenging. This is why I want to jump into a lesser-talked-about topic in the realm of stress: the HPA Axis. In a nutshell, your perception of the stress you undergo determines whether that stress will motivate you into a healthier life, or derail you into chronic patterns that will lead to health issues down the road.  In many ways, you get to choose what happens to your body below the surface, just by how you think.

The HPA Axis is a trio of glands that work together to regulate your stress response and hormonal communications within your body. In “HPA”, the H stands for Hypothalamus, a tiny gland in your brain that sits slightly above the Pituitary gland, the P in “HPA”. The hypothalamus is your Command Center, and acts as a filter to your thoughts. Your perception of your world informs it on how to act, and on what decisions to make. Once it has made a decision, the hypothalamus tells the pituitary, your Master Gland, what type of hormones to release and how to instruct your body to respond. If the hypothalamus deems that everything in your world is fine, the pituitary gets the direction to continue to instruct your endocrine system to keep rebuilding and acting normally. However, if your world is seen, by you, as a scary place, the hypothalamus instructs the pituitary to “release the hounds” and prep for danger.

This danger message goes to the A in “HPA”…you guessed it, the Adrenals. Now your body is flooded with adrenaline, cortisol, epinephrine…chemicals that, long term, will rip your body apart. High cortisol levels mean low DHEA levels, so your body isn’t repairing like it needs to. And all this is being signaled by your brain, which might only be stressed weeks ahead of a holiday gathering where you have to see your crazy uncle or your overbearing parent. Your perception of a situation that hasn’t happened yet is damaging your body before you even booked your plane ticket.

I think you can see why I wanted to talk about this, especially for the holidays and for this year, in general! Your perception of your reality runs the show, and is your hack to getting access to the ANS, the system that operates below your conscious mind. This is where your power to heal, and manifest, resides. So, how can we hack our hypothalamus over the holidays?

Its important to understand that your ANS and HPA Axis respond to patterns of thought, both conscious and unconscious. This means you need to develop a habit, which will take conscious awareness and persistent work. This is not a quick fix, but a lifestyle change that, in the beginning, will be like any new workout routine…boring, frustrating, and possibly exhausting. However, it takes time, and declared intention, to make a change. Here are some suggestions:

Practice Mindfulness – when you are completely in the present, your thoughts are not in the painful past, nor in your imagined frightening future. You can do a lot of great manifesting work by imagining the future, but if you have a habit of being a pessimist, stay in the present until you can dream about more positive outcomes.

Begin a Habit of Gratitude – Many beautiful things in our lives get taken for granted. Write a list, EVERY DAY, of what you are grateful for…your loved ones, your horse, your home, your kids, the sunrise, a stranger’s smile. Get into a habit of noticing and recording it all.

Feelings of Love and Safety – This is a BIG deal. When you have experienced chronic stress or trauma, feeling safe can be a hard emotion to cultivate. However, this perception is running your hypothalamus, and you have to convince it, and you, that you are in a safe place. Feel that sense of safety deep within, and feel the love you have for who you are and who you were. To know you are safe and cherished is the best way to hack your system.

Meditation – going inward and allowing your heart and soul to speak to you will be the BEST conversation you could ever have. And, if you’re near a Harmonic Egg, let it help you slip into the zone faster while being surrounded by frequencies designed to reset your ANS at the same time. As you come to see that you are bigger than any challenge you could possibly face in this lifetime, you can let go of the fear that keeps you running from the holiday chaos. Embrace your life, love who you are, and your HPA Axis will follow your lead.

The Harmonic Egg website gives you many tools you can use to scare away the holiday anxiety. A location near you can provide in-person sessions, and if we aren’t in your neighborhood yet, contact one of our centers and sign up for remote sessions. Gift certificates for others are also available. My book, Unlocking the Ancient Secrets to Healing, provides suggestions for sound and color therapy you can do at home. You can also find the calming music we use in the Egg, specifically designed to soothe your mind, body and spirit. You can find all that here: https://harmonicegg.com/energy-healing-tools-store/