Living in survival mode feels like being stuck in a perpetual state of just getting by. 
Your central nervous system is always in an alert state. It searches for threats that might not even be there. 

You might be running on fumes, making judgments out of a place of fear, not possibility.
If this somehow resonates with you, know that this is something you can heal from.

At Doria Therapeutic Group, PLLC, we have helped clients break free from this exhausting cycle.
Survival mode puts your body in a fight-or-flight response, and the stress hormones, such as cortisol, ensure your body always remains in a tensed state.

What Survival Mode Can Look Like

Survival mode is continuous, unresolved stress, also known as chronic stress, and it shows up in ways you might not expect:

• Hypervigilance – constantly scanning your environment for potential problems
• Decision fatigue – feeling overwhelmed by even small choices
• Emotional numbness – disconnecting from feelings to avoid pain
• Chronic exhaustion – feeling tired even after rest
• Relationship struggles – difficulty trusting others or being vulnerable

When someone has been through trauma, they often stay in at least a partial form of survival mode long after the event. 
Your brain, trying to protect you, gets stuck in this defensive state where responses become more negative than positive

How Individual Therapy Can Help You in Unlearning Survival

A wonderful aspect of working with a therapist is that you are not going to work through this on your own.
Individual therapy will allow you to start to identify your patterns of survival, free of judgment.

Your therapist becomes a guide, making you realize that these reactions were reasonable under the circumstances you have endured.
Coming out of survival mode usually involves restoring a feeling of calmness and safety as well as grounding and mindfulness. 

Here’s what you’ll learn during your time in therapy:

• Figure out your triggers – what drives you into survival mode?
• Discover coping skills – effective stress and anxiety management tools
• Process unresolved trauma – work on the underlying causes of you remaining stuck
• Develop self-kindness – discover how to approach yourself with care and compassion

The therapeutic relationship becomes an example of a healthy connection. 

When you start feeling properly seen and understood by your therapist, that feeling of safety and value starts to become part of you.

Progress Comes in Waves

Survival mode recovery does not happen overnight, which is okay.
Sometimes you will feel stable and here, and sometimes you will feel as though you have gone back to the beginning. That is normal and natural.

The therapist will assist you through these highs and lows in a kind way.
Modern therapy acknowledges that recovery is something that will impact your entire being and not just your thoughts or actions alone.

When you make progress in one area, you ultimately find things getting better in other areas as well.

Moving Beyond Survival

And it is not about removing all stress in your life, that is unrealistic and unhealthy. 
Rather, it is a matter of having the ability to respond to or deal with adversities, not with reactivity, but in a calm way. 
Once you are no longer in survival mode, you can:

• Make decisions based on your values rather than fear
• Form deeper, more authentic relationships
• Access your creativity and intuition
• Experience joy and pleasure without guilt
• Trust your body’s signals and needs

Beginning Again

Life has a lot to offer. 
If you have been existing in survival mode, know that change can happen. It does not have to be solely your burden.
Individual therapy is a way to guide you to recovery that respects your narrative and pace.
You deserve to live a life that feels expansive rather than constrictive, connected rather than isolated.

Step out of survival mode and into a life of ease.

The staff at Doria Therapeutic Group, PLLC, understands the process of healing.

We offer a supportive and secure place where you can explore all your patterns and discover new ways of coping and rebuild your sense of peace.

No more wasted days feeling like you are in survival mode.

Contact Doria Therapeutic Group, PLLC, today to get connected with a mental health clinician.