The Reiss Motivation Profile® for life planning

Even though many things stress and strain us as human beings, it is still different how this affects people and how they go through this time. While some people still make the best of the situation and enjoy themselves -halfway -others get caught up in a whirlpool of stress. Some become depressed. The reason for this is, as always, to be found in the individuality of people. People have different levels of stress robustness, which we call resilience. In contrast, stress-robust people remain emotionally stable and largely optimistic even in times of crisis.

How stress arises

As soon as our body perceives a threat, the brain activates the sympathetic nervous system. This ensures that the messenger substances adrenaline and noradrenaline are released in the adrenal medulla. As a result, the heart beats faster and blood pressure and breathing rate increase. In addition, blood flows from the small vessels, head anddigestive system into the large muscles in the trunk, arms and legs so that we can better defend ourselves or escape. Stress is thus a biologically necessary response to threats.

This chain of reactions is lightning fast and also subsides quickly. But, incase of permanent threat, the body additionally releases the hormone cortisol, which activates various metabolic processes to quickly supply us with energy.

This evolutionary mechanism ensured the survival of our ancestors and is by no means outdated. It is still useful today. Because even if there is rarely any danger from outside today, the head activates the process chain that increases our performance and motivation. Stress therefore only becomes a problem when we can hardly get any rest.

Typical warning signs of permanent stress are morning tiredness. Or a dwindling enthusiasm for things that we enjoy doing and that are good for us. Even what we normally look forward to is then experienced as stress, every appointment - even a visit to the theater -becomes torture.

If stress becomes chronic, the positive effect of the body's response is reversed. The permanent tension weakens the organism. Then even the hormone cortisol no longer has an anti-inflammatory effect, but inhibits our ability to remember. Permanent stress makes us ill. All this has been known for a long time.

However, when stress has a damaging effect varies greatly from person to person. With the Reiss Motivation Profile®we have an effective tool at hand to assess the basic vulnerability of a person.

Specific life motivesin combination can indicate whether a person can handle stress well or whether it is more difficult for him or her. If there is a strong expression in some life motives, a person is usually less able to cope with stress. He has a strong need for security, quickly becomes nervous or anxious, and worries a lot. If other special characteristics are added, the person often feels self-doubt. He wonders how he will be received by other people and worries a lot about what others think about him. Especially the two motives Tranquilityand Acceptancein combination lead to the fact that a person goes through life psychologically less robust, thus is less resilient and stressful situations stress him more than those who have these two motives low pronounced. These people often go through life more courageously and fearlessly. They feel self-confident and are comparatively less worried about how they will be received by others or how stress will affect them. In other words, they are psychologically more robust overall.

Lack of resilience - a destiny?

Yes and no. Yes, there is the personality factor, the individual characteristics, the individual vulnerability. But there are also possibilities to take good care of oneself and to become more robust -despite the certain disposition of lower resilience. Every person has these possibilities. What helps?

1. Focus on the here and now: Train mindfulness, best through regular meditation
2. Reflect on one's own RMP - and challenging situations - on a regular basis.

With the RMP we can not only learn how our stress tolerance is, but also learn what our stress triggers are. And what we need to get back into balance in our life planning.