5 Signs You’re Stuck in Survival Mode | A Spiritual Journey
People around the world are living from survival mode which is blocking their ability to thrive in life. It is time for all of us to shift into creation mode so we can live out our soul purpose and find fulfillment in the journey of life.
As a Spiritual Mentor & Intuitive Guide I support spiritually awakened and curious beings in the process of uncovering their inner spirit. I guide my clients and community members through the journey of shedding their ego layers built from fear and pain, in order to hear the voice of their soul and become their Higher Self. In the Spirit of Air Group Program my clients strengthen their connection to the Universe as they trust in their intuition and pursue a life of fulfillment and purpose.
The main block that is stopping you from hearing your intuition, trusting your soul path, and feeling fully connected to the Universe is that you are living from survival mode, not creation mode.
In this blog I will share 5 signs that you’re stuck in survival mode, along with a definition of what is survival mode and creation mode. Plus I will share the vibrational differences you may feel between your experiences of living in survival versus creation.
What is survival mode?
Survival mode is when you are living from a state of fear controlling most of your decisions. You believe you don’t have a choice on how you live. You are simply trying to only survive each and every day.
Often we are in survival mode without even realizing it because it originates from our ego mind. Our ego mind is the space of unawareness, meaning we aren’t consciously making decisions, instead our ego mind is processing the situation based on past experiences and the 5 physical senses in order to determine how to keep us safe. Survival mode is not a bad thing because it has a very important job and that is to keep us alive. However, because survival mode is focused only on our safety we are unable to break out of the cycle of constantly repeating the same day over and over again. Hence we become stuck in survival mode.
In the caveman days survival mode is what got us through each day, but we are no longer living in that age and it’s time to rewire our beliefs and our mindset in order to live from creation mode.
What is creation mode?
Creation mode is the space of presence and awareness where we are able to make conscious choices that lead us forward in the creation of our lives. In creation mode we know that the future does not need to be defined by the past, for we are creating an entirely new experience. We are not simply trying to survive each day, instead we are actively creating a life and future that is expansive and fulfilling.
In creation mode we are open to a broader perspective and we are able to make decisions by gathering wisdom beyond the 5 physical senses. We have a better understanding of energy and allow our gut instincts (intuition & the voice of our soul) to lead us forward into creating something new, rather than continuing to repeat the past.
What are the vibrational differences between survival and creation?
As an empath and sensitive soul, I am here to feel my way through my life experience. As empaths this can be extremely difficult at first because we don’t feel safe in processing our feelings and emotions. Learn more about being an empath in this blog if it resonates with you.
In my process of shifting from survival into creation mode I needed to learn the vibrational differences between the two and how they made me feel. This helped me to expand my perspective on both so I was able to support myself through the journey.
In survival mode I feel the energy of fear guiding my entire experience. This can feel like pressure, exhaustion and a heavy, harsh energy that weighs on me. I end up feeling resistant to everything and I become frustrated rather easily. Survival mode truly is a state of being, mentally, emotionally, spiritually and physically, and the more I reflected on my experiences in this energy I began to see how my self-doubt was created in survival mode. My ego-mind tried to convince me that I wasn’t safe in following my heart and soul because my fear of rejection had created an emotional attachment to needing approval from others.
Meanwhile, in creation mode I feel calm, centered and connected, whether I am resting or taking action on something. Rather than feeling resistance in the vibrational energy I am carrying I feel an effortless flow and a sense of belonging. It’s in creation mode where I feel fully supported to be my true authentic self and I feel aligned with my purpose, even when I step forward in uncomfortable situations.
Learning the vibrational differences for yourself in shifting from survival mode into creation mode is how you will be able to support and guide yourself through the process. It’s not a flip of the switch because we can easily be triggered by our environment to shift back into survival mode. This is exactly why I created the Spirit of Air Group Program because it’s a space where I guide and support my clients in the integration and embodiment phases of living from creation mode where they learn to trust their inner spirit and purpose fully.
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Back to the blog - 5 Signs You’re Stuck in Survival Mode
Here are 5 signs you are stuck in survival mode and it’s time to start shifting into creation mode.
1 Your mind is on the hamster wheel of worry
As you build awareness around the thoughts that float through your mind you often catch yourself in a state of worry. You mind spins and spins and spins like a hamster wheel, as you worry about anything and everything.
2 Ignoring your intuition
You can feel an intuitive pull or nudge to head in a certain direction, but you quickly ignore that feeling because you don’t trust it without having the logic to back you up. Your intuition encourages you to step out of your comfort zone because that is where you grow. In survival mode you don’t feel safe in following that direction because it’s pulling you away from what you were always told is the “right” direction. You feel conflict between where your heart & soul is guiding you and where society has told you the path you “should” follow.
3 Numbing your emotions/Avoiding your thoughts
Your emotions can seem extremely heavy and overwhelming, so you often find yourself numbing them by focusing on everything but your emotions. At the same time you notice how negative your thoughts have become and you don’t want to listen to them, so you avoid the path those thoughts are trying to lead you down. Again, you don’t feel safe in experiencing these emotions or thoughts, so you keep yourself in the cycle of avoidance and denial. When you avoid or deny something, you end up staying in a behavioural pattern that is unsupportive and unhealthy, this is typically what keeps you stuck in survival mode. You need to be willing to acknowledge something that is difficult in order to overcome it and lead yourself in a more supportive direction.
4 You freeze or run away anytime you feel uncomfortable
When we are living from survival mode our mind constantly tells us that anything that feels uncomfortable is actually unsafe and we cannot trust it. Safety and comfortability are two separate things, however your mind cannot distinguish between the two. Anytime a situation feels uncomfortable you shift back into survival mode, which is the freeze or flight reaction.
5 You are terrified of change & the unknown
You have created a sense of safety in being able to control your life or predict the outcome to everything. This means that as life changes, which is inevitable, you become terrified and are unable to make decisions from creation mode because you fall back into the pattern of fear controlling your choices.
In all of these signs it’s important to note that you have the ability to change your response to be able to guide yourself from an aligned and connected state, which is creation mode. Right now you are experiencing survival mode which is keeping you limited in life and is actually slowing down the path of achieving your dreams.
If you find any of these signs resonate with you and your life experiences, it’s not a space to judge and criticize yourself, instead it’s a moment to acknowledge how fear, past pain, and worry are controlling the outcome of your life.
In creation mode you are able to overcome fear and the outdated patterns of living on autopilot and you are able to find your spiritual power to lead yourself from trust rather than fear.
Do you want to continue to experience life in survival mode, where you feel the heaviness of fear controlling your decisions?
In the Spirit of Air Group Program you will be able to overcome survival mode and lead yourself from creation mode in the process of strengthening your connection to the Universe, and learning to hear and trust your intuition. This is where you begin to trust your spirit and create a life of fulfillment. Learn more about the program now and check out when the next round opens up for enrollment.
Survival mode is not a way to live your life.
Creation mode is where you pursue your purpose and experience fulfillment.
Until next time, sending love & light on your spiritual journey,
Sydney Smith
Spiritual Mentor
Founder of Adventuring with Poseidon Wellness
