16/08/2025
Being out on our boat brings us joy - whatās your thing? Or is joy something you havenāt felt for a while?
Read onā¦.
Survival stress happens when parts of the triune brain lose integration. This occurs when thereās a perceived threat to our survival. In that moment, our long-term goals, the things we love doing, and all the fun, playful aspects of life suddenly lose their importance. The body gives priority to only one thing - staying alive.
We donāt consciously āturn onā survival stress - itās switched on automatically by the subconscious. The triggers for this live deep within the limbic brain.
Once survival mode is activated, we can respond in a number of ways. Most people know the classic ones: fight, flight, freeze, and escape.
But there are others you might not have heard of - two Iāve seen consistently in clinic over the last few weeks are play and pleasure.
When play or pleasure show up as a survival stress, it simply means weāre so caught up in survival mode that weāve stopped allowing ourselves joy. We become serious, we feel unworthy of fun, or even guilty for enjoying ourselves. Sometimes, we might even feel resentment toward others who are having fun, because deep down we donāt feel itās available to us right now.
For example, I worked with a client recently - twice in the past three weeks.
On her first visit, she chose African Daisy as her relevant flower essence. This one is all about playfulness, especially when life feels heavy with responsibility and thereās no time for fun
On her second visit, she chose Chocolate Daisy, which is about dissolving complexity and simplifying life.
Both times, āplayā showed up as a survival stress. When I asked her about it, she said, āI used to go out, do so many things, and have so much fun. Right now, Iām barely hanging on.ā
This is what survival mode can look like - our reptilian brain becomes more active, and activity in the cerebral cortex (the part that plans, dreams, and goals) decreases. That shift makes us more reactive and less able to think long-term.
By reducing survival stress and restoring balance so we can return to a life that includes play, pleasure, and joy.
