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.
Bereits bei der Erwartung einer Anforderung aktiviert unser Körper ein uraltes biologisches Programm: die Stressreaktion. Gesteuert wird dieser Prozess durch unser vegetatives Nervensystem mit seinen beiden Gegenspielern, dem Sympathikus und dem Parasympathikus. Der Sympathikus mobilisiert schnell die nötige Energie: Herzschlag und Blutdruck steigen, die Atmung wird schneller, die Muskeln werden besser mit Energie versorgt und durchblutet, um die Leistungsfähigkeit zu steigern. Sobald die Anforderungen nachlassen, sorgt der Parasympathikus für Erholung. Unterstützt wird unser vegetatives Nervensystem durch unser Hormonsystem. Bei Aktivität schütten unsere Nebennierenrinden das Stresshormon Cortisol aus und versorgen uns mit Energie. Ruhen wir uns aus, fährt unser Körper die Cortisol-Produktion wieder herunter. Unsere «Body Battery» regeneriert sich nach der Anstrengung wieder. Wenn wir in Balance™ sind, schwingen unsere Stressregulationssysteme wie ein perfekt abgestimmtes Pendel zwischen Anspannung und Erholung hin und her.
The decisive factor is not whether we experience stress - but whether our system can still switch flexibly between activation and recovery.
Werden die Anforderungen in unserem Leben zeitweise oder über längere Zeit zu gross, schlägt das Pendel häufiger und länger in Richtung Beanspruchung aus – Erholungsphasen werden seltener und kürzer. Die Balance™ gerät ins Wanken. Wir machen weniger Pausen und nutzen verstärkt den Sympathikus, unseren «Leistungsnerv» und vernachlässigen dabei den Parasympathikus, unseren «Erholungsnerv». Unsere Nebennierenrinden sind ständig aktiv und der Cortisol-Spiegel bleibt chronisch erhöht. Wir beziehen mehr Energie aus unserer «Body Battery» als wir wieder einspeisen. Oft sind es kleine Veränderungen, die den Beginn einer Überlastung markieren: es fällt uns schwerer, uns zu entscheiden und zu konzentrieren, unsere Geduld nimmt ab und wir sind schneller gereizt, wir leiden häufiger unter Schlafstörungen, leichten Kopfschmerzen und Verspannungen. Möglicherweise nehmen wir uns nicht mehr genug Zeit, um regelmässig zu essen. Oder wir versuchen uns mit Koffein oder Nikotin wach zu halten. Vergleichbar mit dem Warnhinweis eines Elektroautos bei niedrigem Ladestand zeigen uns diese frühen Warnsignale, dass wir Erholung brauchen. In dieser Phase bleibt unsere Funktionsfähigkeit im Alltag häufig noch erhalten. Doch der Preis, den unser System dafür zahlt, steigt stetig an.
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.
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.
