Even in Switzerland, the Nervous System Can Be in Survival Mode

Living in Switzerland, surrounded by beauty, order, cleanliness, and prosperity, has made me notice something I find deeply fascinating.

I’ve observed people appearing visibly stressed while waiting in queues, rushing through their working days, becoming impatient over small inconveniences, or carrying tension through seemingly ordinary moments. It made me wonder: if our external environment is so comfortable, why can everyday life still feel so stressful?

Then I think about places like Manhattan or Tel Aviv—cities known for their intensity, noise, crowds, and relentless pace—where you can also encounter people who seem remarkably relaxed, present, and at ease amid the chaos.

Of course, no city is one thing, and we can never know what someone is experiencing internally just by looking at them. But the contrast raises an intriguing question: how much of our experience of stress comes from our surroundings, and how much comes from the internal state through which we experience them?

As a somatic coach, this is what fascinates me. Our nervous systems influence how we respond to pressure, uncertainty, delays, and other people. Past experiences and unresolved trauma can shape our capacity for patience, our perception of threat, and our ability to remain grounded when things don't go according to plan.

Sometimes, the world isn't demanding an emergency from us, but our bodies respond as though it is.

We can live somewhere peaceful and still feel internally rushed. We can have security, comfort, and opportunity, yet struggle to experience a genuine sense of ease.

And we can find ourselves in the middle of a crowded, chaotic city and still feel connected to ourselves, able to breathe, adapt, and enjoy the moment.

This isn't about which country is better or which people are more relaxed. It's about recognizing that external order and internal regulation are not the same thing.

Somatic work invites us to look beneath our automatic reactions, understand the patterns held in the body, and create more room for conscious responses rather than habitual survival strategies.

Because perhaps the goal isn't to create a life where nothing ever stresses us.

Perhaps it's to develop the capacity to meet life without feeling internally at war with it.

YOUR OUTER ENVIRONMENT MATTERS FAR LESS THAN YOUR INNER ENVIRONMENT.

• Anxiety
• Stress management