Survival Mode

Home / Survival Mode

Definition:

Survival mode is when your brain senses danger and prioritizes staying safe over other functions (like thinking and resting), keeping your nervous system on high alert long after the threat is gone.

What to Do:

You need to identify what’s putting your body into survival mode.

Then practice giving your body repeated experiences of safety.

And use healthy coping strategies whenever survival mode shows up.

Why:

When you know the cause of your survival mode, you get a better idea of what you need to focus on when practicing and how to reduce your exposure to the things that trigger it.

Important: It’s a good idea to also look through the examples in the “How to Do It” section to see what this approach looks like in real life.

Survival mode is a normal human experience.

But some people are able to leave it more easily than others.

There are many reasons for this, one of them being narcissistic abuse.

If you’ve experienced it, you may struggle to get out more than someone who hasn’t.

But don’t think of it as something that’s “wrong” with you, because it isn’t.

It’s a skill you get to build, not a flaw you have to carry.

And skills are something anyone can build with practice.

Important: It’s a good idea to also look through the examples in the “How to Do It” section to see what this approach looks like in real life.

You don’t “exit” survival mode.

You ease out of it.

So using healthy coping strategies is important because it helps you move through it instead of getting stuck in it.

Important: It’s a good idea to also look through the examples in the “How to Do It” section to see what this approach looks like in real life.

How to Do It:

These are examples of how other members of Unfilteredd have applied this in their own lives.

Coming Soon

Coming Soon

Coming Soon

Tips for Staying Consistent:

These are insights from other members of Unfilteredd about how they managed to stay consistent.

Coming soon.