Signs your nervous system might be in survival mode
One of the most common things I see in therapy is people trying to “think” their way out of something that’s actually happening in their body. We live in a culture that rewards productivity, independence, and pushing through and yet so many of us are living with a nervous system that’s stuck in survival mode, wondering why we feel exhausted, anxious, flat, or disconnected. The truth is, your body often knows long before your mind catches up.
Survival mode isn’t always dramatic. It doesn’t always look like panic attacks or emotional outbursts though it can. Sometimes, it’s subtle. It’s the constant overthinking and future-scanning. The inability to rest, even when you’re physically tired. The tight jaw, clenched stomach, or shallow breath you barely notice until someone points it out. It’s saying “I’m fine” when your chest is tight and your thoughts are racing. Or bursting into tears over something small, because your body has been holding tension for so long it doesn’t know where else to put it.
These are all signs your nervous system may be stuck in a fight, flight, freeze, or fawn response. And while that can sound clinical, it’s really your body doing what it was wired to do: protect you. If you’ve experienced trauma, chronic stress, or lived in environments where it wasn’t safe to fully relax, your nervous system might still be operating as if you’re in danger, even when you’re not. It’s not malfunctioning. It’s over-functioning in ways that once made sense.
As we approach the end of the year, these patterns can become more pronounced. There’s often a quiet pressure to reflect, finish strong, tie things up, show up in ways that don’t always match our internal state. Many people feel stretched thin, disconnected, or unusually emotional but brush it off as just being “tired” or “too busy.” In reality, this time of year often stirs up complex layers unmet expectations, grief, burnout, transitions, or unprocessed emotions we’ve kept at bay all year long.
If you’re noticing more reactivity, emotional fatigue, or a sense of not quite feeling like yourself, it may be your body asking for attention, not discipline. These cues aren’t signs of failure; they’re invitations. Your body is not betraying you it’s communicating with you. Leaning in with gentle curiosity can help you understand what’s being activated beneath the surface.
The goal isn’t to shut down these responses or “fix” them. It’s to listen. To slow down enough to notice what’s really happening. To build a felt sense of safety not just in your mind, but in your nervous system. This is what regulation work looks like. Not perfect calm, but increasing capacity to pause, to feel, to respond with care instead of urgency.
If you’re finding it hard to slow down, make decisions, feel joy, or trust your own signals—it’s not a personal failure. It might just be a sign that your nervous system is still working hard to keep you safe. Healing begins when we stop asking, “What’s wrong with me?” and instead ask, “What is my body trying to tell me and what does it need?”
You’re not broken. You’re adapting. And with time, patience, and support, your nervous system can begin to experience safety not just as an idea, but as a felt experience in your body, even during times of transition and stress.