How to Know If You’re in Survival Mode—and What to Do About It

Michelle Lamansky
Aug 18
2 min read

Recognizing the signs of nervous system overload and practical steps to come back to center.

Ever feel like your body’s buzzing, your mind won’t slow down, and everything—no matter how small—feels like too much?

You might be stuck in survival mode—and you’re not alone.

What Is Survival Mode?

Survival mode happens when your nervous system is stuck in a prolonged stress response. Your body thinks it’s under threat, even if there’s no immediate danger. This state can become your “normal” without you even realizing it.

Common Signs You’re in Survival Mode:

You wake up already tired or anxious.
You're easily overwhelmed by noise, people, or decisions.
Small tasks feel like huge burdens.
You feel disconnected from joy or from your own body.
You’re constantly “on,” even when exhausted.
You snap at people or shut down emotionally.

Sound familiar?

Why This Happens (Simplified)

Your nervous system’s job is to protect you. When it perceives threat—real or imagined—it activates a survival response (fight, flight, freeze, or fawn). But chronic stress, past trauma, or even modern busyness can keep your system stuck there.

Over time, this drains your energy, affects your mood, disrupts digestion and sleep, and leaves you burnt out.

How to Begin Resetting Your System

Here’s the good news: You don’t have to overhaul your life. Regulating your nervous system can start with small, consistent shifts.

Try these:

Exhale Longer Than You Inhale. This sends a safety signal to your vagus nerve, helping your body downshift into calm.
Ground Through Your Senses. Look around and name five things you see. Feel your feet. Smell something comforting. Orienting to your environment helps reset your sense of safety.
Touch Something Soft. A cozy blanket, a pet, warm tea in your hands—all of these signal “safe” to your body.
Micro-Moments of Stillness. Even one minute of closing your eyes and breathing gently can help.
Track Your Patterns. Awareness is the first step to regulation. Notice what tends to spike your stress or soothe it.

Want to know how your system responds to stress? Take the quiz: Are You Stuck in Survival Mode?

What Comes Next?

If you’ve been stuck in survival mode, you don’t need to push through or figure it out alone. The Inner Balance Method is designed to help women like you gently regulate their nervous systems through breath, body awareness, and grounded daily tools.