Your Guide to Understanding and Overcoming Survival Mode
Panic set in every time I climbed into the car after my accident, no matter who was driving. Jaw clenched and eyes peeled, I stayed hyper-vigilant for any sign of danger. Racing cars on the freeway would cause my heart to race and my palms to sweat. I’ve even pulled over and gotten physically ill on the side of the highway.
It took months for me to get behind the wheel again and even longer before I felt safe in the car, no matter who was driving. It was hard to break away from that constant vigilance. I found myself wondering how to get out of survival mode after trauma and worrying that I’d never heal.
This collection of effective strategies is a great place to start. And, if you need more help, don’t hesitate to contact Catalina Behavioral Health.
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What is Survival Mode?
The panic that sets in immediately following a traumatic event is normal. When this panic doesn’t go away, however, it can indicate you are living in survival mode. Long after stressful situations have passed, you find yourself hyper-aware – muscles tense, heart racing, and in a state of panic.
Your body stops essential functions, leading to physical problems, and you may have trouble sleeping. You stop living for enjoyment and only live to survive. This is the reality of survival mode.
Unfortunately, survival mode doesn’t always pass on its own. To truly heal, you’ll need coping strategies and the right support.
Survival Mode and Chronic Stress
The constant worry that accompanies survival mode causes chronic stress. Physical symptoms including high blood pressure, a weakened immune system, problems sleeping, and digestive issues are common in chronically stressed people.
Chronic stress also has emotional impacts including memory problems, irritability, difficulty concentrating, anxiety, and depression.
How to Stop Living in Survival Mode
Feeling constantly on edge, always ready to respond, is no way to live. In addition to being uncomfortable, survival mode symptoms impact your ability to live your life. You might be less inclined to spend time with friends, do things outside of work, or make time for what you enjoy.
Anyone who has been stuck in survival mode knows that it’s exhausting. It takes a toll on your well-being and impacts daily functioning.
Try these healthy coping mechanisms to reduce prolonged stress and stop your trauma from controlling your life.
Limit Exposure (When Possible)
For me, it felt impossible to avoid the panic that set in when I had to travel somewhere. Some days, I even walked 40 minutes to get to my therapist instead of taking the ten-minute drive because I couldn’t stand the thought of getting behind the wheel.
While you can’t avoid your triggers forever, it can help to limit exposure as you are learning coping strategies for overcoming them. This might involve setting boundaries with people in your life, limiting media consumption, or avoiding certain situations.
Get the Right Kind of Support
When I first struggled with nervous system regulation, I isolated myself from the people around me. Even being surrounded by loving people who wanted to help, I was embarrassed that something like getting in a car could affect me so much.
With the right support, you won’t feel embarrassed. Catalina can connect you with a trauma-informed therapist who can make you feel comfortable sharing your experiences.
Professional Support and Mental Health Treatment
I don’t think I would have been able to drive again, much less feel safe, without the help I received from my counselor. Talk therapy helped me discuss what happened to me, giving it less power. We worked on a plan that gradually made me comfortable behind the wheel again. I also worked with a psychiatrist to find a medication that relieved my anxiety and helped me sleep.
Trauma treatment doesn’t look the same for everyone. Common therapeutic approaches for post-traumatic stress disorder following a traumatic event and related conditions include trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy, prolonged exposure therapy, and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing.
Seeking professional help can also help with understanding survival mode. With the right evidence-based therapies, you’ll learn to break free from negative thinking patterns that often accompany surviving trauma.
Finding Support from Friends and Loved Ones
Strained relationships are common following trauma, especially if you aren’t sharing what you’ve been through. Some people withdraw from the people who love them before giving them a chance to help.
This stems from feelings of being misunderstood, embarrassed, or ashamed. The people around you will love you regardless of what happened and you have nothing to be ashamed of. Give them a chance to show support and compassion.
Support Groups
Group counseling can be a safe haven and real gift for trauma survivors, as it is a safe place to talk among people who have been through their own struggles. Many are likely living in survival mode like you. Talking can provide insight into coping skills and things they still struggle with.
Learn Coping Skills to Calm the Central Nervous System
Living outside of survival mode following trauma starts with learning to regulate your autonomic nervous system. Relaxation techniques are helpful for stress management and induce a state of calm.
A therapist can guide you in practicing these and other relaxation techniques when you are not panicking. With practice, it will become easier to induce a state of calm when you recognize you are stuck in survival mode.
Deep Breathing
During early practice, try lying down or sitting with your hand on your stomach. Breathe through your nose, hold that breath, then exhale. Some people use a 4-second inhale, 4-second hold, and 4-second exhale, while others exhale for longer than they inhale. Repeat this until you start to calm down.
Grounding Exercises
Grounding involves centering yourself in the current moment, turning your focus away from the inner panic you might feel. For example, you might look around and try to name five things you see that are red or blue. Some people center themselves through activities like squeezing a stress ball or chewing a piece of gum.
Meditation
During meditation, the goal is to clear your mind. Start by breathing deeply. It can help to have a mantra or word that you focus on. For example, “calm”. Say “calm” in your head, trying to focus only on that word and the way that your breaths fill your lungs and then exit your body.
If you do find your thoughts wandering, don’t overanalyze or judge them. Instead, return your focus to your breaths and continue repeating your mantra.
Progressive Muscle Relaxation
I like to start progressive muscle relaxation on my toes. Take deep breaths and focus on intentionally relaxing muscle tension in your toes, then your feet, and slowly up your legs. Continue up to your abdomen, chest, fingers, arms, and head, moving in sections.
Other Coping Mechanisms to Overcome Survival Mode
Outside of learning to regulate the central nervous system following a stress response, healthy habits improve mental wellness and support the healing process.
Practice Mindfulness
When you practice mindfulness, you are present in what you are doing instead of worried about anxieties or what may happen. Be completely engaged. During a walk in nature, you might look and listen for animals, hear your feet on the ground, and see leaves blowing through the trees. Tune into the human experience.
Prioritize Self-Care and Physical Wellness
Sometimes, healing from trauma or mental health issues starts with caring for your physical body. Add self-care activities like positive affirmation or self-talk when you are brushing your teeth.
Make time for daily hygiene and be sure you are getting enough sleep. Proper nutrition, hydration, and physical activity also support physical and mental health.
Practice Self-Compassion
No matter what you experienced that caused you to live in survival mode, it wasn’t your fault. Many trauma survivors experience shame or guilt. For example, you may blame yourself for being at the location where the traumatic event happened, even though you had no way of knowing. Realistically, fear should not dictate your life.
Develop self-awareness of how these negative thoughts influence your stress response. Be as compassionate to yourself as you would a friend. You would never tell a friend it was their fault for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Through self-compassion, you can start to heal from what happened and shake off negative, unhelpful thoughts.
Do Activities You Enjoy
When you are surviving after trauma, you are not living. Think back to the last time that you did something you enjoyed. It’s been too long, hasn’t it?
Make time to sit and enjoy a cup of coffee or tea in the morning. Get together with a friend, make art, get out in nature, and do the things you love. Life is too short to let trauma stop you from leading a fulfilling life.
Set aside time for what you love and commit to it. Even if you feel panicked when it’s time, do pleasurable activities anyway.
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Regain Control of Your Life at Catalina Behavioral Health
Whether you’ve recently experienced trauma or need help overcoming past trauma, you’ll find support at Catalina Behavioral Health. Don’t accept that constant stress is living. Instead, reach out for support, learn coping strategies to heal, and reclaim your life.
At Catalina, you’ll work with a team of dedicated individuals who have the single goal of helping you accomplish more than just surviving daily life. You can thrive again.
Call us today to find out how our team can support you through this tough period. Healing is possible, especially with proper help!