How to Stop Being Stuck in Survival Mode and Enjoy Your Life Again
You might know you’re stuck in survival mode, or you might not realize it.
It can look different for everyone. Being in survival mode doesn’t mean a normal level of stress from your job or home life. It’s not regular stress that has little to no impact on your health or your ability to perform tasks.
If you’re stuck in survival mode, your mind and body often shutdown or become highly reactive. This might prevent you from being able to enjoy your life, accomplish your goals, and fully realize your vision for yourself.
You’re probably here because you’re wondering “how do I get out of survival mode?”
We often need help to get out of survival mode. This article won’t give you all the care you need, but it can help you figure out why you might be living in survival mode and what you can do next.
Let’s start with what it means to be stuck in survival mode.
Why Your Nervous System Is Stuck in Survival Mode
Being stuck in survival mode means you’re either trapped in one state or constantly alternating between several. These states include:
Fight
Flight
Freeze
Collapse
It’s normal to shift between these states in the presence of a threat. But trauma and repeated stress can lead to dysregulation that distorts your nervous system’s perception of safety and danger.
This type of dysregulation doesn’t usually go away on its own. If it’s affecting your everyday life, it’s a sign that your nervous system is struggling to get out of survival mode¹.
You might notice that your body and mind are retreating to these states, even when there’s no threat. Sometimes the threat is minimal. You could be triggered by something like an offhand comment from your boss that sends you into a downward spiral. When you and your partner have a small conflict, you shut down and can’t control your emotions or your body’s responses.
These involuntary responses are the result of trapped trauma or stress energy. But trauma isn’t the only reason your nervous system might be stuck in survival mode.
You might not have experienced a traumatic event, but you’ve had experiences that have thrown your nervous system out of balance. Your dysregulation might be due to a build-up of stress energy. It could also be from a single, non-traumatic event. Even trauma you experienced as a baby can cause lasting damage to your nervous system and its ability to return to a balanced state².
Trauma and Survival Mode
The feeling of safety triggers parasympathetic ventral vagal dominance. In this state, you’ll usually feel social, connected, and grounded. The problem is, trauma or stress can throw off your nervous system’s ability to tell the difference between safety and danger.
Your system gets stuck in one state, or oscillates between different states. It’s rarely in the ventral vagal state. This is why somatic work focuses on helping your nervous system feel safety. It allows you to reduce the time you spend in these highly reactive states or makes it easier to return to felt safety.
Being stuck in survival mode can make it difficult to cope with challenges. It can make normal tasks and pursuing goals that would bring you fulfillment much harder.
I encourage you to work with a professional if you feel like you aren’t able to live the life you want to live. Are you living in survival mode? Here are some signs you might be.
Emotional Signs of Being Stuck in Survival Mode
These emotional symptoms are signs you might be stuck in survival mode.
Anxiety
Depression
Lashing out
Shutting down
Difficulty concentrating
Lack of fulfillment and joy
Several studies have demonstrated the healing effects of somatic work used for PTSD, depression, and anxiety. One analysis looked at the effects of Somatic Experiencing (SE) on individuals with posttraumatic stress symptoms. They experienced positive effects immediately after treatment, as well as a year later³.
While somatic practices can help ease emotional symptoms of being stuck in survival mode, it can also provide relief for physical symptoms.
Signals from Your Body
There’s no shortage of physical symptoms that can result from your mind and body being stuck in survival mode. This can make it difficult to pinpoint the cause of your discomfort and pain.
You might be stuck in survival mode if you’re having these symptoms:
Overwhelming responses to small stressors
Difficulty sleeping
Digestive issues
Chronic pain⁴
Headaches
Fatigue
Odds are, your physical pain or discomfort can be traced to blocked energy in your nervous system. SE helps your nervous system deactivate that stuck survival energy.
When I’m working with my clients, we practice spending time with different sensations that come up for them. This isn't easy to do, which is why I’m there as a supportive presence. I help my clients come in and out of these different states so we can get them back to a place of neutrality or resource. Once we figure out how to get back to a state of security, we gently move in and out of what doesn't feel good. This is meant to expand their capacity to feel unpleasant sensations without getting overwhelmed and being unable to do what they want to do.
Somatic healing helps you widen your window of tolerance, so you’re able to handle life’s ups and downs without behaving in ways you wish you wouldn't or shutting down completely.
Where Can You Go from Here?
If you’re in survival mode because of trauma, a somatic practitioner can be a great addition to your care team.
When I work with my clients, we work on getting to know their nervous system. Everyone is different, so we spend time figuring out what settles your nervous system and helps you feel more ease in everyday tasks.
Grounding and orienting often help the nervous system to settle, but this isn’t the case for everyone. We’ll figure out what’s resourceful for you by observing what happens in your body when we utilize certain tools. Maybe what helps you is:
Memories of a specific place or a memory with a loved one (even a beloved pet).
Having your pet with you.
Looking out a window and taking in what you see.
A particular scent, such as a certain candle.
Something you like to touch or have to support you, like a pillow or a blanket.
Your preferences can change as we continue to gently flex your nervous system.
Somatic Experiencing with a healing facilitator is important for many reasons. It's my job to track your activation, especially if you’re talking about something triggering. I can see it or hear it if your tone of voice, talking speed, posture, or facial expressions change.
We start small and make sure we don’t take on too much activation at once. Once we’ve been working together for a while and your capacity for stress has increased, we can go to heightened activation and stay there longer. This is what creates resiliency in your nervous system and helps you feel better and become better at feeling.
If you’re stuck in survival mode, wishing you could feel better and do more to be happy and fulfilled, sign up for my email list. You'll get a free guide for grounding and orienting, as well as updates when I post new blogs. You deserve support on your healing journey.