The tricky thing about stress is that we often still function in everyday life, while our inner ability to regulate has long since reached its limits. We equate functioning with health - and overlook how much energy this state costs us.
What we colloquially refer to as «stress» biologically describes a highly complex regulatory process. The term is derived from the Latin «stringere» - tension. Our everyday lives confront us with a multitude of demands that require our bodies to constantly adapt. Although our stress regulation systems are ideally equipped to cope with these demands, the pace of modern life often demands more from these mechanisms than they can cope with in the long term - an imbalance that can have serious consequences for our health.
Our body activates an ancient biological program as soon as we anticipate a challenge: the stress response. This process is controlled by our autonomic nervous system with its two counterparts, the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. The sympathetic nervous system quickly mobilizes the necessary energy: heart rate and blood pressure rise, breathing becomes faster, the muscles are better supplied with energy and blood to increase performance. As soon as the demands subside, the parasympathetic nervous system ensures recovery. Our autonomic nervous system is supported by our hormone system. When we are active, our adrenal cortexes release the stress hormone cortisol and provide us with energy. When we rest, our body reduces cortisol production again. Our «body battery» regenerates after the exertion. When we are in balance, our stress regulation systems swing back and forth like a perfectly tuned pendulum between tension and recovery.
The decisive factor is not whether we experience stress - but whether our system can still switch flexibly between activation and recovery.
If the demands in our lives become too great at times or over a longer period of time, the pendulum swings more frequently and for longer periods in the direction of stress - recovery phases become rarer and shorter. The balance begins to falter. We take fewer breaks and make greater use of the sympathetic nervous system, our «performance nerve», while neglecting the parasympathetic nervous system, our «recovery nerve». Our adrenal cortexes are constantly active and our cortisol levels remain chronically high. We draw more energy from our «body battery» than we feed back into it. It is often small changes that mark the beginning of an overload: we find it harder to make decisions and concentrate, our patience decreases and we become irritable more quickly, we suffer more frequently from sleep disorders, mild headaches and tension. We may no longer take enough time to eat regularly. Or we try to keep ourselves awake with caffeine or nicotine. Similar to an electric car's low charge warning, these early warning signals tell us that we need to rest. During this phase, our ability to function in everyday life is often maintained. However, the price our system pays for this is constantly increasing.
If the stress becomes chronic and we do not heed these warning signals early enough, our stress regulation systems become increasingly inflexible and the pendulum «catches» on the «performance side». Even if we take a break, our body can no longer switch from performance mode to recovery mode. Even when we sleep, the sympathetic nervous system remains active. The hormonal stress axis can lose its regulatory fine-tuning under chronic stress, which is reflected in altered cortisol rhythms. Our «body battery» becomes increasingly depleted. To use the image of an «electric car», we run the risk of not making it to the next filling station. Our body shows us that something is wrong with symptoms such as back pain, panic attacks, high blood pressure, heartburn, digestive problems, frequent colds and skin problems. We feel increasingly tired and listless. Chronic stress dysregulation is associated with an increased risk of various mental and somatic illnesses.
People close to us, such as our partner or friends, often recognize the «blocked pendulum» earlier than we do, e.g. when we stop pursuing our hobbies or withdraw. For ourselves, on the other hand, there is often a discrepancy between the subjective experience of stress and the objective burden. We may still feel «okay» even though our body is already in a prolonged alarm reaction. This is because our brain blocks out early warning signals in favor of short-term performance. The longer we are under constant stress, the quieter our body's signals become. This is precisely why subjective perception is not a reliable indicator of stress. We lose our sense of our actual stress limits, our brain switches to «autopilot». We then confuse early warning signs, e.g. muscle tension, with normal tiredness. Sometimes, however, we realize that the situation is threatening to slip away from us while we are still trying to «keep all the balls in the air». Or we define ourselves in terms of resilience and strength and don't want to appear «weak» in front of others. Then it may be that early warning signs are threatening for us and we ignore or overplay them.
Did you know? The perception of body signals varies from person to person. In neurodiverse people (e.g. with ADHD and autism), the ability to perceive signals from inside the body (e.g. hunger, thirst, pain or heartbeat) is impaired even when they are relaxed. In contrast, people with anxiety disorders tend to classify even normal signals, e.g. a slight palpitation, as threatening.
For orientation, we distinguish three typical patterns of stress regulation as observed in the clinical classification:
For orientation, we distinguish between three typical patterns of stress regulation.
They are not intended for self-diagnosis, but for structured classification.
A)
B)
C)
If you recognize yourself in category B or C, a structured professional classification is recommended. Especially in the early phases, clarity determines the further course of the process.
Subjective feelings can be deceptive. This is why we supplement the professional assessment with objective measurements. Among other things, we record heart rate variability, stress hormones such as cortisol and selected neurotransmitters.
This reveals how flexibly your regulatory systems actually work - regardless of your subjective feelings.
The earlier an imbalance is detected, the easier it is to stabilize the regulatory capacity.
Functioning is not a reliable indicator of health - flexibility is.
