Shadow work, emotional work, nervous system work, identity work. These are four of the core areas that the last slide in this collection identifies as where one must work to get out of survival mode. Survival mode quite literally is an entirely separate identity that you may build when going through a chronically stressful time in your life, a traumatic situation in life, or an abusive relationship.
Signs that you are in survival mode may include:
Working through each of the above areas while experiencing some of these sensations in your body can be a LOT.
More than likely, these sensations have set in without you even being fully aware of their presence, but you know that SOMETHING is wrong. Survival mode can creep up on us because we think that we are "in control" of mitigating whatever stressful situation has presented itself in our lives. Trauma? Push it away. Bad/toxic/abusive relationship? Keep having the same conversations because surely, "they'll understand this time..." (Hint: They won't). Chronic stress? Numb it away.
Everything is fine... until it's not. All of a sudden, you find yourself constantly on edge. You find yourself doing things that you know are not typical for you in your normal state. Sleeping more than usual or not getting restful sleep. Becoming more angry than necessary at the smallest inconveniences. Forgetting things that you KNOW you have no reason to forget. It's survival mode.
The work to remove yourself from Survival Mode requires persistent effort and dedication. Diligence and discipline.
Getting out of survival mode is not a passive activity. Meditation and breathwork will indeed be part of it, but in addition to that, self-awareness, journaling so that you can remember who you were before the survival mode set in. Journaling so that you can become aware of the ways in which you are showing up daily as you complete your work.
Increasing your overall capacity for life...
There are lots of people in our everyday lives who are in survival mode and don't know it. They especially don't know how to remove themselves from it because it is way more than distraction or numbing.
If you are working through survival mode, don't give up. It's possible and it may require a little more effort than you originally imagined, but you can free yourself from its grips.
