How to thrive in 2020

by Deborah Maragopoulos FNP | Feb 1, 2020 | Blog, Mind/Body | 0 comments

As an Intuitive Integrative Nurse Practitioner, I do more than help my patients get their hormones in balance. When you’re hormones are out of whack, your whole life is out of whack. You can’t think straight. You’re moody. Your body aches. You can’t sleep. You’re tired. Yet from the holidays through the beginning of this new year, well, it’s been hard for a lot of people. So many are experiencing a resurgence of symptoms. I work on finding the root cause of my patient's symptoms. And often it’s stress-related. So I do a lot of counseling. Let's discuss how to thrive in 2020.

I consulted with a patient recently who said, “I thought 2020 was going to be better, but the chaos is not letting up. How am I ever going to get better?”

You’re going to learn to become the Calm in your life. In the midst of chaos, you will be the still point. You will learn to be present. You will notice the light even at the darkest hour. Like a child, you will find joy in the littlest things. That is the gift of this year. A grand practice field to master being our divine selves.

And in learning how to be the Calm in your life, your body will be able to heal. You will become less inflamed. Your hormones will come into better balance. You feel less and less stress in spite of what’s going on in the world around you. Your mind will be clearer. You will bloom like a flower through a crack in the sidewalk. There will be no keeping you from basking in the divine light.

And as I counseled her, I realized I was counseling myself.

Life hasn’t let up. And still, I rise.

I cannot wait any longer for things to get better. There is no “better”. My perception formed from past experiences and expectations no longer holds true in this new chaotic reality. The fairytale is over. It’s time to live in this present moment. And make the most out of what is.

In 2011, just after my 50th birthday, I dreamt of the end of the world. It was my first apocalyptic dream.

The dream opened with me hiding under mattresses – like I was in a dump – there was aircraft hovering above searching and I knew we had to stay hidden. Little girls’ voices drifted up through the mattresses, and I hushed them. We had to be quiet.

After the danger passed, I gathered the girls. There were a lot of them. All Latina children. They followed me through the devastated city. It looked like San Francisco but completely destroyed.

We arrived at a makeshift campsite in the middle of union square.

It was just Steve and me and all these little girls. He had rigged some solar panels and we had refrigeration and heat and shelter. He handed me a tiny plucked bird to cook to feed the children.

I shook my head, how was this pigeon-sized fowl going to feed so many. But I prepared the meal and turned to serve the girls. One little one picked at a tiny drumstick and tossed it over her shoulder half-eaten. A cat grabbed it. I told the child that there wasn’t enough to waste.

And she smiled and pointed behind me at the spit over the fire, “there’s always enough when you make it.” And the tiny fowl had grown to the size of an emu!

After our meal, the girls and I explored the ruined city. There were wildflowers sprouting through the cracks in the broken streets. The girls asked the names of the flowers and I didn’t know them. But I said, “it’s a new world now. You can name them whatever you wish.”

And I woke up.

When I was young I didn’t think I’d be hereafter 2011. I could always “see” my future and it all became what I dreamed. Except I couldn’t “see” me after 50. Now I realize that the shift in the energy that happened about seven years ago changed reality for me and I believe for all of us.

I know now that this dream prepared me for this time. There’s no more waiting to live. No more waiting to grow. No more waiting to fulfill my dreams. I’m creating my reality as I go.

And so are you.

So have fun. It’s a whole new world.

If you’re interested in my CALM meditation that I shared with my patient, you can get it here.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Can your hypothalamus cause weight gain?

Yes. The hypothalamus is the master regulator of metabolism, controlling how your body stores and burns energy through its signaling to the thyroid, adrenals, and pancreas. When the hypothalamus becomes dysregulated by chronic stress, poor sleep, inflammation, or blood sugar instability, it defends a higher weight "set point" — causing the body to hold onto fat regardless of diet or exercise. This makes hypothalamic dysfunction an upstream root cause of stubborn weight gain.

What is a weight set point and why won't mine move?

A weight set point is the body weight your hypothalamus works to defend, calibrated over time by stress, sleep, hormones, and inflammation. When you diet, the hypothalamus perceives scarcity and responds by slowing metabolism, increasing hunger hormones, and suppressing satiety signals to return you to that set point. This is why most people regain lost weight within two to five years of conventional dieting — the set point itself was never recalibrated, only temporarily overridden.

Why do I gain weight under stress even when I'm not eating more?

Chronic stress raises cortisol, which disrupts blood sugar regulation, promotes abdominal fat storage, and signals the hypothalamus that the body is under threat. In survival mode, the hypothalamus defends fat stores and slows metabolism — so weight can increase even without any change in calorie intake. The stress chemistry, not the food, is driving the weight gain, which is why stress reduction is essential to any lasting metabolic reset.

Why do I regain weight after stopping GLP-1 medications?

GLP-1 medications work peripherally on appetite and gastric signaling, but they do not address the underlying hypothalamic dysregulation that sets your defended weight. Because the hypothalamic set point is never recalibrated, the body resumes defending its original weight once the medication stops — leading to significant regain. Long-term success requires restoring hypothalamic regulation so the set point itself lowers, rather than relying on appetite suppression alone.

How long does it take to reset your metabolism?

Genuine metabolic recalibration takes a minimum of 90 days, because the hypothalamus needs consistent signals of safety and sufficiency before it will lower its defended set point. This differs from a diet, which produces temporary suppression the body quickly corrects. A 90-day reset typically moves through three phases: stabilizing stress chemistry (days 1–30), rebuilding metabolic efficiency (days 31–60), and lowering the weight set point (days 61–90).

Why does my thyroid feel slow even though my labs are "normal"?

Under chronic stress, the body converts thyroid hormone into reverse T3, which blocks active thyroid receptors and slows metabolism at the cellular level — even when standard lab values appear normal. This means you can experience genuine symptoms of slow metabolism, such as fatigue, cold intolerance, and brain fog, while your thyroid panel looks unremarkable. Addressing the upstream hypothalamic and stress signaling often improves thyroid conversion and symptoms.

Is stubborn weight gain a willpower problem?

No. Stubborn weight gain is a signaling problem, not a willpower problem. The hypothalamus governs weight through survival mechanisms that operate below conscious control — defending its set point by slowing metabolism and increasing hunger when it perceives threat. No amount of discipline can override this system; lasting change comes from restoring hypothalamic regulation through reduced stress, balanced blood sugar, restorative sleep, and targeted nutritional support.

About the Author - Deborah Maragopoulos FNP

Known as the Hormone Queen®️, I’ve made it my mission to help everyone - no matter their age - balance their hormones, and live the energy and joy their DNA and true destiny desires. See more about me my story here...

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Last Updated: April 5, 2022