What Does it Mean to Be Stuck in Survival Mode? The Long-Term Impacts of Living in "Fight or Flight"
Today We’re Discussing:
What does it mean to be in survival mode?
What are the long-term effects?
What does it feel like?
How can this negatively impact someone’s life & perception?
What is Survival Mode?
Survival mode is an instinctual fight or flight response caused by perceived threats, stress, or trauma. When a person perceives danger, their nervous system immediately draws all of its attention and energy towards getting them to react quickly for safety. The survival responses are fighting, running, hiding, or freezing for survival from that stressor. All humans and animals have a survival response to danger and can experience this state for short periods of time without high risk.
According to the American Psychological Association, 87% of people have reported experiencing this state of survival due to significant stress that has occurred since 2020. Over two thirds of adults have reported that their lives have dramatically and forever changed due to stressors following 2020.
At least one person you know is stuck in survival mode and the impacts can be detrimental.
How Does Someone Get Stuck in Survival Mode?
Someone can get stuck in this state of hypervigilance from three main factors: unresolved trauma (especially childhood trauma), chronic stress, and mental health disorders.
Some everyday examples that can cause someone to enter this state are losing a job, losing someone they love, physical assault, intense relationship problems, or medical crisis.
These types of examples may not necessarily keep someone stuck in survival mode, but if a person remains under high stress without relief in these circumstances, then this can spiral into deeper, chronic issues. An example would be a single parent struggling to maintain work performance, take care for their child, and keep food on the table primarily on their own.
It has been reported that those who have unhealed childhood trauma are more likely to get stuck in this survival mode based on “truths” that they learned about life from a young age. Situations such as neglect or witnessing domestic violence between parents can trigger long-term state of survival.
If a person was raised in unsafe, inconsistent, or helpless environments as a child, they may be stuck in this survival mode and may not even know what it feels like to live any other way.
What Happens to Someone’s Body in Survival Mode?
When someone perceives a threat, their body has an immediate response to help them escape that danger. This is meant to be a quick adrenaline boost so that the person can react quickly and most efficiently in order to escape. When someone’s nervous system enters into this state, it is meant to be a quick burst of energy rather than a long, sustained state of being.
Some of the signs that someone has entered this state are:
Pupils dilating
Salivary glands shutting down
Heart rate increasing
Breathing increasing
Blood stops getting sent to internal organs & towards the limbs instead
Unable to process new information
What Happens if Someone Remains in Survival Mode for Longer Periods?
After entering fight or flight mode for just short periods of time, the body requires a period of rest and recovery, but is not known to be detrimental to health. People were not meant to remain in survival mode for long periods of time. Because the immune system is suppressed under this state of being, disease begins to build up within the body.
A person’s longevity and quality of life is dramatically impacted when their body is physically blocking them from entering into a peaceful or relaxed state.
Heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer, lupus, digestive issues, injuries, and food allergies are just some examples that have been linked back to living under chronic stress for long durations of time.
How it Feels to Someone Living in Survival Mode:
Beyond the normal experiences that occur when a person’s nervous system turns on fight or flight, someone who dysfunctionally lives in this state ends up feeling completely disconnected from reality and rarely, if ever, experiences what it is to be fully present.
Some common experiences of those living in survival mode are depression, anxiety, hypervigilance, fear of making mistakes, brain fog, chronic fatigue, doubting their own thoughts and perceptions, and so much more.
Why do Some People Have a Hard Time Getting Out of Survival Mode?
Being stuck in this state is nothing short of miserable, so why then, do some people get stuck in this state?
The first reason is that many people have lived their entire lives in this state and it has become normalized for them. The person may not recognize that they’re in this state because it’s the only state of existence they’ve ever known.
The second reason, is that for some, it can become addicting living in this state due to the adrenaline rush that occurs while under threat. Some people may intentionally put themselves in risky situations because they experience a high off of the adrenaline. If this state of inconsistency (or ups and downs) in their lives is all they’ve known, then the adrenaline rush they get while in danger is their only chance of “heightened energy,” in their current reality.
The third reason why some stay stuck in this state is because recovering oftentimes feels harder than just living the rest of their life in this state. Recovering oftentimes requires facing past traumas head-on. Dealing with past traumas brings up old pain that the person may have tried to push out of their thoughts and is oftentimes an extremely painful healing process.
The fourth reason someone may be stuck in this state is if they’re unable to remove themselves from the current stress or danger. When this happens, the person oftentimes feels hopeless and believes that they have no other option other than to just sit, wait, and hope things get better.
The good news is, regardless of which of these is true for someone, there are several routes to healing and recovery.
How Does Someone Escape from Survival Mode?
The best way to get out of this state of living is to work with a professional, but here are some action steps to start moving forward in the right direction!
Acknowledge
It may be hard to recognize when you're in this state if it has been normalized to you. Take the time to acknowledge and learn more.
Heal
In order to get out of this state of survival, it is important to heal from the traumas that have lead to you living in this state. It takes effort over time to heal, but once you do, you will begin to enter into a state of love, freedom, and creation!
Connect
Join a support group, work with a therapist, or lean on your friends & family while in the recovery process. Community & connection in safe environments is vital when in the process of healing.
Join our online support group on Facebook here: Self Care Club: Community, Mental Health, Self Growth & Serotonin Boosts!
RESOURCES
Additionally, I encourage you to check out the resources below to learn more about survival mode. Learning & acknowledging is the first step to healing and/or understanding those who are going through this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgUH1qrJgE4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtimAuhyP-M&t=79s
https://cgrc.org/blog/trauma-and-the-brain-signs-you-might-be-in-survival-mode/
