What can feel threatening
A threat may be your partner not saying what is on their mind, a boss not acknowledging your performance, the pressure to score 95 percent in board examinations, or a friend who has not spoken to you in a while. These concerns may seem small to someone else, but past experiences can give them deeper meaning—a threat to your values, expectations, relationships or sense of self.
When the nervous system perceives threat, it mobilises to protect you. The experience may not look as dramatic as surviving on a boat with a tiger, yet the distress is real and can take years to identify.
Signs of survival mode
The signs vary because every person processes stress differently. Common experiences can include:
- Disturbed sleep—more or less than usual
- Not feeling rested
- Increased or decreased appetite
- A sudden rise in cravings for junk food
- Doomscrolling
- Reduced focus or brain fog
- Losing interest in things you once enjoyed
- Constantly running low on energy
- Persistent stress, hypervigilance or overwhelm
- Reduced social interaction to preserve energy
Support can be preventive
A qualified mental health practitioner can help you understand these experiences in the context of your life. This information is not meant to label you, but to notice the extent of the impact. An experience is not automatically a disorder unless it is pervasive and actively interfering with daily functioning.
Therapy does not have to be only reactive; it can also be preventive. If carrying the weight of your experiences alone feels too difficult, remember that you do not have to.