By Faye Beard
Flight, fight, freeze and fawn are the body’s common psychological responses to stress, experts say. Survival mode, according to the Mental Health Association in Delaware, is a “prolonged state of stress and is marked by both mental and physical exhaustion.”
Social workers, healthcare practitioners, first responders, teachers, parents—and just about anyone who manages stressful situations—are susceptible.
“Our nervous systems are all jacked up,” said Tireeka Watson, MSW, LCSW. “It’s the slow fuse of burnout that turns into survival mode. We understand the concept of burnout, so we switched our brains to give ourselves enough coping skills to continue. We are in survival mode, and we have not taken a break.”
Watson, the founder of Oregon-based Anchored in Essence Therapy and Consulting, shared with NASW some less recognizable signs that people may be operating in survival mode and how they can emerge from it.
- You feel guilty getting rest. When you go home, you have a stack of things to get done. Your brain might still be scanning emails. You’re not even resting. You feel like you have to constantly be thinking of solutions. There is no off switch.
Be intentional. If you feel like you can’t rest, do something else. Set a timer. Go for a walk. Drink some water. Cook yourself something. - You need to be in control to feel safe. You won’t take into consideration other views. Your idea is the only idea that should be considered. Control can be a shield, but it’s a sign that your nervous system does not feel safe.
Say you’re in control. It’s cognitive mapping with yourself. Why do I feel like it’s not going the way I want it to go? Is it me? Is it perfectionism? Practice safe surrendering. Ask, how can I relinquish control? - You panic in stillness or slowness. A quiet day at work can cue anxiety. The calm feels eerie because you’re used to chaos. Your body may associate stillness with impending crisis. You always need to be needed. There’s no downtime.
We’re all given 15-minute breaks. Use them. We often eat lunch at our desks. Go somewhere else. Eat in your car and listen to music. Take a walk. Taking a one-minute pause can help. - You’re highly productive but emotionally numb. You’re checking all the boxes, but you feel nothing. You show up, but you don’t feel present anymore. Empathy fatigue has hardened the emotional disconnection between you and yourself.
Reconnect with yourself. Dance, stretch, and incorporate movement at the job. People should have a sense of community, creative outlets to express themselves, and peer spaces that are not judgmental.
Prolonged survival mode can have detrimental physical effects. “Constant activation of the fight-or-flight response can lead to increased blood pressure and heart rate,” explained Filipe Bastos, a psychology researcher and founder of Mind Owl, a London-based mental health organization. “Chronic stress can weaken the immune system, making our body more susceptible to illnesses and infections. Survival mode can also disrupt our digestive system, leading to problems like indigestion, irritable bowel syndrome, and even long-term gastrointestinal issues.” It also causes sleep disturbances, he added. “Over time, sleep deprivation can negatively impact our cognitive function and overall health.”
Watson has a message for her peers. “Clients can see a burned-out social worker from a mile away. The work is often high-stakes, emotionally loaded and systemically unjust,” she said. “We need to actively practice what we preach,” she said about following the great tips they often share. “Social workers also deserve a healthy, happy life. We need to be well, so we can model what wellness is.”
Faye Beard is a writer based in New York City.
