Functioning From Survival

Are You Functioning from Survival?

It’s a common catch phrase amongst personal development junkies these days – are you surviving or thriving? I wonder if many actually stop to ponder the energy of the question and identify the unique and sometimes extremely subtle differences between the two. Although the differences can be overlooked, being unaware of them can leave you floundering in a cycle of doubt and confusion about why you don’t seem to be able to move forward and create your life the way you’d like to.

It can be very difficult to create your life successfully when you are in survival. When you are in a constant state of fight or flight you move away from your crown and into your root chakra where survival instincts are heightened. You may experience discomforts such as procrastination and lacking motivation and drive. In that primal state of survival you can lose the ability to commit to yourself fully and openly. Your mind becomes scattered as all your energy is drawn to the root chakra and decision making becomes difficult. This is when you may feel like you are swimming against the current and your ability to cope with more than what’s required to survive is severely compromised.

Some things to consider include your relationship with money:
•  What does success mean to you?
•  What does failure mean to you?
•  What does money mean to you?
•  What is your relationship with money and wealth?

Also consider how you function in regards to relationships. Do you protect yourself emotionally, perhaps as a result of a time when you felt emotionally damaged? Do you have difficulty with trust and vulnerability? Are you holding up a sword and shield to protect yourself from emotional attack and do you have a tendency to create separation from others to avoid pain?

There are certainly times in your life where the ability to function in this way may not only be required but essential to your wellbeing. In times of high mental and emotional stress this may become your method of functioning and surviving, however sometimes you can remain stuck there even after the stressful event has passed. This is when the frustration begins to arise as the desire to move forward is sometimes intensely strong yet you seem unable to move or take action towards creating your life and it may feel as though you are stuck on a merry go round of frustration and perceived failure.

Coming out of the judgement of yourself and into remembering that you are a magnificent co-creator is a very important step to raising your energy from the root chakra and to take yourself out of survival so that you can move into a space of thrival. Breathing is a great way of releasing stuck energy as during fight or flight mode, we often hold our breath in. Breathing out slowly and releasing the energy can help us to raise our vibration and release ourselves from primal instinct.

Remember your infinite capacities to create and connect and remember that we are all one and that separation is merely an illusion. Most importantly practice kindness to yourself in times of stress and bring your awareness back to your heart. From your heart space you can begin to see all the colour in the world again instead of viewing the world from behind your armour.

Remember that needing protection to survive is merely an illusion. With courage you can step into your heart, close your eyes, breathe deep and trust in you.