The ESGR Axis
Definition
ESGR stands for:
- Emotion — subjective emotional experience and cognitive load
- Stress — objective physiological and behavioral pressure
- Gut — gut–brain regulation as a biological modulation layer
- Resilience — the nervous system's capacity to recover under sustained stress
These dimensions form a dynamic axis, not a linear causal chain.
ESGR does not assume that one dimension causes another.
Feedback, amplification, dampening, and failure are all allowed.
Why These Four — and Only These Four
The ESGR axis is designed as a Minimal Complete Set:
- Removing any dimension creates blind spots
- Adding more dimensions increases redundancy and risk
Common candidates not included as core dimensions:
- Sleep, exercise, nutrition → treated as contextual variables
- Hormonal markers → treated as inferred background
- Social factors → treated as non-modelled context
Emotion: Subjective Entry, Not Objective Truth
In ESGR, emotion represents:
- Cognitive load
- Perceived demand
- Mental friction
Emotion is a signal, not a verdict.
Emotion is not:
- A diagnostic category
- A stability indicator
- A target for optimization
ESGR systems never attempt to "fix" emotions.
They observe how emotions contribute to load.
Stress: Load, Not Feeling
Stress in ESGR refers to:
- Cumulative demand
- Sustained activation
- Consumption of regulatory resources
It is measured as load, not distress.
Stress determines:
- Whether continued effort is sustainable
- Whether recovery remains possible
- Whether intervention should be avoided
Stress is the decision axis of ESGR.
Gut: Modulation, Not Causation
The gut–brain axis functions as:
- A modulation layer
- A biological buffer
- A recovery friction or assistance factor
It influences how easily recovery occurs, not whether it must occur.
ESGR explicitly rejects:
- Single-cause biological explanations
- Microbiome determinism
Gut is neither the origin nor the solution.
Resilience: The Only Output That Matters
Resilience is defined as:
The capacity of a nervous system to return to a usable state after stress.
This includes:
- Speed of recovery
- Reliability of recovery
- Tolerance to repeated load
Resilience is not:
- Positivity
- Motivation
- Performance
- Absence of discomfort
A system may feel bad and still be resilient.
Compliance Note
Systems that add dimensions beyond the ESGR axis, or remove dimensions without justification, risk scope creep and misinterpretation.