With stress out of control these days, focusing on self care has become more important than ever. Too many people are trying to power through the stress instead of making time for themselves. The result is poor health - both physical and emotional. It may not be easy to make the time, but you’ll never regret the way you feel when you devote time to your self care. Why do we have such a hard time giving ourselves enough time to take care of our physical and emotional wellbeing? For most of us it’s about time. When we don’t have enough time to get everything done, we run out of time for ourselves. Part of the problem is that we don’t make ourselves a priority. We allow everything else to monopolize our time. Every time we do that, it compounds the stress we already feel. And as we all know, stress causes most illnesses. If we really want to take care of our health, we must devote time to it. We can’t allow our busy lives to interfere with our ability to stay healthy. How much time you spend on this will depend on how much time you are willing to devote to taking control of your health. Not enough people think proactively about their physical and emotional health because of the way we’ve been conditioned. The food industry is less concerned with healthy ingredients and more concerned with taste. The more we like something, the more we’ll buy it. The problem is, most of our food has been processed and contains toxins and unhealthy ingredients and over time adversely affects our health. So until people make a conscious decision to change the way they eat, the problem will continue. Of course that’s easier said than done, so making incremental changes over time will increase your chance of success. In addition to food toxins, our bodies are adversely affected by environmental and other types of toxins. Over time these toxins become problematic for our liver. When your liver is overworked, it can’t properly do its job. But when your liver is working the way it’s meant to, you’re not going to have as many health problems. Body and mind health not only keeps us healthy, it keeps us in balance. In order to stay in balance we must focus on the amount of stress we allow into our lives. We allow too many people to put us into “fight or flight” because we don’t know how to say no. When we start taking control of our stress and practice self care, we begin to want more peace in our lives. This is where self care becomes important. When your nervous system is stuck in “fight or flight”, it can be difficult to get back to homeostasis. This is what self care does for the mind and body. But it needs to be a modality that energetically works on the nervous system. Having your nails done is not considered self care. However a massage is considered self care. What are some self care modalities to look into? Here are some that I recommend: Yoga is an excellent way to wind down at the end of the day because it helps to loosen up tight muscles. But yoga is most effective when combined with breathwork so I recommend learning from a teacher who explains how to breathe properly during each pose. Immerse yourself in the soothing frequencies of a sound bath. Instruments such as crystal bowls, flute, and chimes calm the nervous system and may help to bring you out of “fight or flight”. Sound and light therapy is another way to calm the body. The Harmonic Egg combines music and color to shift the body out of “fight or flight” and into homeostasis. It is an effective way to reduce stress, while experiencing soothing music and color. Now is the time to prioritize your health. By making a few small changes to your busy schedule, you will give yourself the gift of self care. When you care for your health in positive ways, your life will begin to improve. Jean Hanson is co-owner of Realign Your Life Wellness Center in Mesa, AZ. The Center offers sound and light therapy with the Harmonic Egg. Steve Hanson is a sound healing practitioner and offers bi-monthly sound baths. Appointments can be booked online at RealignYourLifeAZ.com or by calling 480-613-9137.

We’ve all heard the expression “stuff your emotions”. And unfortunately, that is what most of us do - especially when it comes to negative emotions like anger, frustration and shame. So instead of finding a way to release the emotions, we tend to bury them deep inside. You may wonder why releasing emotions is so important. Isn’t it better to hide our emotions - especially negative emotions - rather than expressing negativity out into the world? Of course it’s never a good idea to direct your emotions at other people. Instead, try to find ways to deal with your emotions privately - scream into a pillow, hit a punching bag, vigorous exercise. Letting yourself express your emotions privately may seem odd, but allowing yourself to let it out is a good way to release tension as well. It will allow you to get over whatever it is you are feeling, faster. But when you keep holding onto those emotions, it becomes more and more difficult to let them go. You may end up ruminating over the situation and stir up even more negative emotions. Because most people don’t fully express their emotions, the energy of those emotions become stuck in the body. This is what is referred to as “emotional baggage”. We all have emotional baggage that we carry around with us. And the energy of those emotions can, over time, contribute to physical discomfort and dis-ease. Stress, as most people know, is the cause of most illnesses and diseases. But it all starts with emotions. Negative emotions that get stuck in the body energetically, need to be removed energetically. But most people don’t know where to begin. There is an energy healing modality called the Emotion Code that allows you to energetically remove trapped emotions. This is a simple process that anyone can do. But you must first identify each emotion before you can release it. There is a book called “The Emotion Code” by Dr. Bradley Nelson that explains the process. Another option for releasing trapped emotions is to work with an Emotion Code Practitioner. That way you will be able to identify when you experienced the emotion and where it is stuck in your body. Emotions can be difficult to fully express, so why not try these tips for a while to see if it makes a difference for you. You may notice that you don’t seem to hold onto anger or frustration for as long as you used to. Or you may notice that things that used to bother you no longer trigger you the way they used to . The more you can manage your negative emotions, the more calm you will begin to feel. To feel peace and calm in the midst of chaos is a better way to live. And if you can do that, you can lead a more positive life. Jean Hanson is co-owner of Realign Your Life Wellness Center, in Mesa. She is an Emotion Code Practitioner and author of Trust Your Higher Guidance: Align Your Life to Manifest the Joy and Success You Deserve. For more information, call 480-613-9137 or visit RealignYourLifeAZ.com .

I don’t know about you, but some days I just seem to get triggered by things that happen during the course of my day. Luckily for me, I’ve gotten so much better at dealing with my triggers, which means it doesn’t take me long to get over it. It’s not always been that way for me. In the past, I used to get angry and then ruminate over even the smallest of things. For example, when an issue would come up with my computer, I would fly off the handle and allow it to ruin my entire day. Now when a computer issue happens, I feel mildly irritated at first, but then I immediately shift into a calm state, reasoning through a solution. How did I do it? With daily meditation. Every morning I devoted the first 10 minutes of my day to my meditation practice. That’s all it took, but it didn’t happen right away. It took many months of daily commitment. The reason I chose early morning is because my mind hadn’t yet fully awakened, so it was easier to keep my mind clear before my day officially started. After a few months, it dawned on me one day that a subtle shift happened that I hadn’t even noticed - I didn’t get triggered when my computer decided to act up that day. When I thought about it, I realized that I had stayed calm so I could think rationally about how to solve the problem. After that I started paying more attention to the things that usually triggered me and confirmed that a shift had indeed taken place. Another way to keep myself from reacting so strongly to triggers is Harmonic Egg sessions. The Harmonic Egg helps to calm the nervous system, which means it becomes easier for us to deal with stressful situations. Clients who come for regular sessions often tell us that at some point, they come to the realization that they no longer react so strongly to triggers and that they are able to let go of the anger much faster. What would it feel like to live your life without constant triggers disrupting your day? This is what can happen with consistent meditation. It can also happen with consistent Harmonic Egg sessions. Isn’t it time to let go of the disruptions causing stress in your life?

Discover the benefits of daily meditation, breathwork, and Harmonic Egg sessions in managing stress and improving overall health. Learn how consistent practices can reduce triggers, enhance calmness, and prevent illness. Explore scientific insights on stress and wellness.

We are all looking for ways to stay healthy but in today’s world it’s become a huge challenge. Toxins are everywhere - in the air, in our water, even in the food we eat. Instead of filling the grocery shelves with more fruits and vegetables, grocery stores fill the aisles with processed foods with unhealthy ingredients. We all have the same goal - to stay healthy. Yet it seems almost impossible when temptation is all around us, preventing us from sticking to our goals. We love to socialize with friends and family at restaurants, but once again, we are faced with too many unhealthy choices. The other problem we have these days has to do with exercise. Too many of us sit at desks all day long. Not only does that mean we don’t get enough exercise, it also means we’re cooped up inside for most of the day. Sitting inside all day long is not only stressful, it’s a detriment to our health. So this is the battle we face every day - being surrounded by unhealthy food and an unhealthy environment. It’s no wonder we struggle with our health. Even when we try making changes to our lifestyle, it’s hard to keep up with. Something always seems to be getting in the way - no time to shop for healthy food, work demands and family obligations. How are we supposed to carve out time to stay healthy when we have so many demands on our time? As frustrating as it is, I want to encourage you not to throw in the towel. There are still things you can do if you want to stay healthy. Start by drinking at least 60 ounces of water a day. I know that sounds like a lot to some of you, so try working your way up - drinking this much water every day is critical to your health. We need water to flush toxins from our bodies, hydrate our cells and organs, and keep our bones and joints from becoming dehydrated. Another thing you can do is to limit the amount of meat you eat each week. When you do eat meat, limit your portion size. Instead, fill your plate with more vegetables. If you can cut back on meat, you’ll need to incorporate other sources of protein into your diet. Try adding more variety to your diet with protein sources like quinoa, lentils, beans and nuts. Adding more vegetables into your diet is crucial to your health. If you can, commit to eating vegetables with every lunch and dinner - it’s a great way to stay committed to incorporating more vegetables into your diet. Fruit is just as important as vegetables to your diet. And it’s a great way to curb those cravings for sugary, processed sweets. None of these changes are easy, but if you are serious about improving your health you’ll give it a try. When you can keep trying to do the right things, you’ll not only feel better about yourself, you’ll feel better about your health.

Arizona Daily Mix visits the Harmonic Egg at Realign Your Life Wellness Center

Have you ever worn a piece of clothing that made you feel really good? Chances are, you loved the color. Most people don’t feel good wearing something in a color they don’t love. What is it about that color that makes you feel good? Think about the color red. How does it make you feel? For many women, it makes them feel strong and powerful. When they wear yellow they feel cheery and joyful. But how do you feel when you wear a color like gray? Probably not terribly cheerful, but probably more serious.

Becoming healthy is a life-long commitment. But it doesn’t have to be hard. In fact, it can be enjoyable when you incorporate the Harmonic Egg into your plan.

Sometimes when we talk about the Harmonic Egg, people don't understand how music and color provide energy healing to people and animals. So here is an explanation that will help explain how music works.