top of page

Neuropsychology - Stress & Anxiety

Stress is an omnipresent issue in our modern society. Faster, better, more and more. It is no wonder that we are stressed at some point. Depending on the extent and type of stress, this can have a major impact on our physical well-being and mental health. 


Stress is the body's natural reaction to challenges or threats. It occurs when our expectations do not match reality. Science distinguishes between eustress (positive stress) and distress (negative stress). Eustress can have a motivating effect and encourage us to master difficult tasks. Distress, on the other hand, occurs when the demands are too high or last too long. This often leads to overexertion, anger, fear or even overwhelming sadness and affects our health. 


The most frequently cited causes of stress in our modern world include professional and personal challenges, social expectations or health problems. 


Short-term stress leads to an increased release of adrenaline, cortisol and dysphoric hormones. This puts the body on alert. The heart beats faster, blood pressure rises, and breathing becomes faster. 


According to a study by Andras Bilkei-Gorzo, Susanne Erk, Britta Schurmann, Daniela Mauer, Kerstin Michel, Henning Boecker, Lukas Scheef, Henrik Walter, and Andreas Zimmer from the University of Bonn, the amygdala, prefrontal cortex, and hippocampus are activated in the brain. With every stressful situation, we unconsciously learn new coping strategies within milliseconds. Depending on the context, these can hinder the next stressful situation. All memories not related to the stressful situation are blocked. Conversely, unlearning this inhibiting autopilot reaction can only happen if all three brain regions communicate.


The study by Mélissa Chauret, Sabrina Suffren, Daniel S. Pine, Marouane Nassim, Dave Saint-Amour and Françoise S. Maheu with adolescents also shows socially learned fear behavior. Certain brain regions, such as the left amygdala, are smaller in anxious adolescents than those in the control group. This seems to indicate that the brain structure also changes when fear is learned. 

The researchers also point out that unlearning fear behavior takes a lot longer and is more complex than learning it.


From an evolutionary perspective, this natural reaction of the body is vital for our survival. How would you feel, for example, if you encountered a saber-toothed tiger? Instead of saber-toothed tigers, we now have toxic people, cars driving fast, the risk of losing our job, constant change, etc. The short-term stress helps you to tackle your challenges in a more focused and energetic way.


However, long-term stress can cause serious health problems, such as cardiovascular disease, immune deficiency, digestive problems and even cancer. The psychological effects of stress should not be underestimated either, such as anxiety and depression, burnout syndrome, cognitive impairment and even dementia.


With constant stress, the valuable connections between the three brain regions are lost and we are no longer able to “think clearly”. Our perception is limited all the time and focused on the stress/anxiety trigger.


The symptoms of chronic stress often come on gradually and unnoticed. We may say to ourselves, “Just hold on a little longer…”. Or we have trained ourselves to have a belief that hinders this for years; e.g. “I have to be strong/perfect.” or “I am not enough.”


We often do not pay attention to the symptoms that are clearly visible and say to ourselves and others: “I never have time.” or “I am always really busy.” This can be fine for a certain time. At some point, however, the body will clearly show its limits and this can have long-term health consequences. It is therefore important to listen to your body and do something about it in time.


This does not only have consequences on a personal level. With the loss of motivation to work, productivity in companies also drops massively and health costs rise. A survey by the Swiss Federal Statistical Office from 2022 shows that around 1/5 of employees are increasingly stressed at work. This is with 46.6% also the most mentioned reason for sick leave (Workmed Statistics 2022).

Stress not only costs us our happiness and our health, but also a lot of money. Nevertheless, it is an unavoidable part of life. But it does not necessarily have to have negative effects. We already have two automated stress helpers at our disposal. Our body uses these for us completely unconsciously; crying and laughing have been proven to reduce stress.


Wouldn't it be wonderful if you had coping techniques at your disposal that you can consciously call up in stressful situations? Yes, you can use stress as a source of strength to better master your challenges and grow personally.


You are not powerless and helpless at the mercy of stress, even if it sometimes feels that way. If you already feel that way very often, it is high time to do something about it. You already have your solutions within you and can control the stress. It starts with your will to choose a sustainably healthy and fulfilling life.


So let's work out your personal strategy.


♡ regards, Sandra Kolb

MOVE development

コメント


bottom of page