Break out of survival mode and start thriving
By Gabby J.
Please note that I am not a licensed therapist or expert health provider. While I am well-versed in my own mental health and tendencies, I would like to let readers know that this is information I have researched and learned through personal rehabilitation, and it’s important to remember that mental health and emotional healing may look different for everyone. It’s not one-size-fits-all.
Starting out this article by describing survival mode feels redundant since 99% of us have been chin-deep in survival mode since March 2020. Nevertheless, I will describe it just in case you’re ready to embark on your mental health journey and don’t even know where to begin.
Survival mode is what happens to your mind (and body) once experiencing unresolved, chronic stress. Once a person has experienced stress for an ongoing period of time, the mind and body will begin to overcompensate to return to your physiological equilibrium.
Three years of survival mode has the potential to cause a lot of harm to anyone. If you think about it, what is essentially happening is that your body is in constant fight-or-flight. (In addition to fight-or-flight is something known as “freeze,” which is also known as analysis paralysis.) The human brain and body go into hyper-alert mode by sending urgent messages back and forth to each other in order to solve the issue at hand. While it may seem like a dramatic turn, our bodies are simply doing their jobs and trying to keep us alive.
The brain tells the body to release cortisol or adrenaline as needed because it’s prioritizing the most imminent threat, and the body will obey. The problem is those types of hormones constantly flowing through your body have negative impacts on your immune system, memory, energy levels, mental health and overall ability to function.
Do you think you are currently in survival mode? You may be in survival mode if you:
Are experiencing dramatic mood swings, or acting out in response to any inconvenience you may encounter.
Just can’t relax (or at least enjoy relaxation) no matter how hard you try.
Have a decreased ability to focus.
Are unable to make decisions.
Are still tired after you sleep.
Can’t take any type of criticism.
Begin turning to drugs and alcohol as a form of numbing/escape.
Experience short-term memory loss or have trouble remembering simple things.
I would like to reiterate that I am not a licensed medical professional, so if you experience one or two of these things from time to time, it doesn’t mean you’re on the brink of mental illness. It’s simply important to listen to our bodies to catch these things before they get worse, right?
Reaching out and asking for help is the first step to crawling out of survival mode. Especially in the wake of pandemic-related social changes, it becomes altogether a little too easy to isolate yourself. Isolation can be healthy, but too much of it frequently creates loneliness. Talking to people for questions, emotional release and support is vital for the healing process. If you find that you don’t need help at the moment, it would be beneficial for you to practice checking in on others.
The second step is to gather information on who you want to be and “curate your ideal self” — and don’t forget to write it down. Take a moment to think: What are your goals? What are your aspirations? What are small, obtainable goals that will begin to set you on a new path? Furthermore, what’s the haircut that you always wanted to get but never did? What’s a way that you could dress that represents you to the fullest in your future endeavors? I suggest creating a new Pinterest board and developing an understanding of the aesthetic you are going for. Once you achieve a general idea of your future vibe, commit to making decisions that only that dream version of yourself could make.
Finally, an important part of exiting survival mode is: self-forgiveness. For starters, forgiveness for feeling down and exhausted all this time. Forgive yourself for not being on your A-game the last few years. There’s been a lot going on and you’ve survived it! But it’s time to do more than just survive. It’s time to step into our best selves and enjoy life again. I know, I know, easier said than done.
But while you forgive your past, you must also be willing to forgive yourself for not being perfect on your journey of improvement. Some days will be harder than others, but progress is almost never linear. In times when you think about giving up, think about where you were when you started and just list the ways in which you’ve improved. You may not notice any changes until a few months down the road, but it will be the best feeling when you do.
Header photo by Ibraim Leonardo / Pexels
