SURVIVING SURVIVAL MODE: HOW TO ESCAPE IT

Ask yourself these 10 questions to help pull you out of living in survival mode.

– KEYS SOULCARE

“Coming from a place where the sense of struggle lingers as strong as the smell of piss, I’d grown up seeing life through a single lens: survival.” — Alicia Keys

Scrapping. Clinging. Sprinting. Just making it.

It’s true, sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. But in a world that feels as if it’s moving faster each day, finding moments to slow into what you may grow into can seem like the hardest thing. How often have you rushed, looking past the present to the next milestone — and glazed right over the moments to celebrate or learn?

What is Survival Mode?

Survival mode is a psychological and physiological state caused by a response to a stressor. This response triggers our body to release stress hormones and turn on our stress response systems in our bodies, like a fight or flight feeling. While survival mode originally evolved to help us handle threats like predators in the wild, this response is still ingrained in our nature to this day, but our threats now look very different. It’s also possible to be in a prolonged state of survival mode if the stress is continuous, which can have long-term emotional effects on our mental health.

10 Questions to Ask If You’re Stuck in Survival Mode

Now is the time for reflection, not regret or survival mode thinking. Here are a few questions to assess where you are, and how close it is to a state rich with the grace and care we each have the power to give ourselves. Right here. Right now. 

1. Does your to-do list include any items that bring you joy?
2. How many of your deadlines are self-assigned vs. required?
3. When was the last time you ate a meal without multitasking?
4. Do you laugh every day?
5. When did you work on a project or hobby not related to your work or livelihood?
6. Have you moved your body in a way that just plain felt good lately?
7. What compliment can you pay yourself in this moment?
8. When did last receive a compliment and feel deserving of it?
9. When are you most filled with happiness? Is this something you make time for often in your life?
10. Do you make time in your day to connect with friends, family, and self in a present way?

Check yes, no, and, most importantly, how each response makes you feel. No criticism, just the real. Each day is made for us to live in our purpose and create space for our wildest dreams, moments of joy, and corners of light. Let the ratios ebb and flow, as they will with life, while finding time to take care.

What are you calling into your life right now?