Have you ever felt like all you really do anymore is struggle to get along with people around you? It doesn’t matter if it’s your closest loved ones or a stranger in line with you at the grocery store. The majority of the time you spend around others has become time spent arguing or getting confrontational over things that would normally not warrant such behavior. Maybe you’ve found yourself getting much angrier than usual, much quicker than you ever had before. Has raising your voice, more aggressive body language, and even storming off in a rage been how you react more often than not lately? If you really think about it, are you constantly fighting someone or something lately in survival mode? Or, perhaps, the opposite is true.
Maybe you’re not acting or reacting at all. Maybe you’ve gotten great at pretending not to notice when bad things are coming at you, and when you can no longer pretend the problem has disappeared, you turn from it and run the other way—distancing yourself from reality and getting as far from your troubles as you can. You are blowing off friends and family that genuinely care about you because it’s just so much easier than facing difficult situations head-on and working towards a solution. Whether that be literally getting away in a physical sense, or you’ve found a way to stay put and escape at the same time through mind-altering substances or negative behavior.
You stay as far away from every person, place, or thing that might make hold you accountable and make you take action. You’ve got a first-class seat on a direct flight to that fantasy world where nothing bad can bother you. Then again, you may be in a time of strife, but there is no reaction to the struggles at all. You’re not doing anything about anything, period. You’re not reacting or retreating. You’re not moving at all. Instead, you’re absolutely stuck in that dark place we call rock-bottom. No matter how much you’re aware of your lack of proactivity, you just cannot motivate yourself to climb out of that pit. Nothing brings you joy or causes you pain. You feel nothing, and you’re not going to make anything better or worse because you’re just not going to engage with anyone or anything. You are barely alive. Frozen in a place where you intend to stay because that’s the only thing you can do anymore.
Fight, flight, or freeze | Survival Mode
So, whether it’s fight, flight, or freeze, your reaction can be attributed to what is known as survival mode. When a human being is thrown into a situation that initiates the survival response, they will react in one of these three ways. This, of course, is something we’re taught about in biology class growing up. Now, I won’t pretend to know a thing about the scientific aspect of this instinctual behavior enough to get very detailed about each of these responses and what they may trigger. What I can tell you is that not only is there a biological backing to this behavior, but a spiritual one too.
It is our root Chakra or Muladhara, believed to control our basic instinctual needs as humans, including the fundamental survival instinct. This chakra, located at the base of your spine, is the chakra associated with the esoteric practice of grounding, as it is said to relate to our primal need to survive and keep our species going. Still, you may find it interesting that one of the most influential aspects of our existence in relation to our first chakra, aka the root chakra, is how we are brought up. Our upbringing can easily be seen as the very foundation of individually, who we each are. It governs how we exist with the energies surrounding us in this reality.
Parenting Style- Survival Mode
And while how we are raised is not the only thing that affects who we are as beings on this planet, to say it doesn’t play a huge role in deciding what kind of person we are and how we will go about existing in this current reality would be, honestly, quite ignorant. Of course, things like our relationship with our parents and the examples set for us by the individuals that we, as children, looked to for guidance will have a lasting effect on who we are, who we want to be, and who we will become. And knowing that these types of experiences are so closely related to our root Chakra is the kind of information that will come in handy when we realize the benefits of reflecting on them. Working out issues we have because of those experiences is necessary while we reach a level of understanding that makes it possible for us to know that a call for spiritual repair has been sent to us. I’d say it’s probably the second most important bit of knowledge that one will need when energy work and Chakra healing are becoming a part of their work on a soul level.
When we are so clearly being made aware of the fact that taking action is necessary for us, we will know what to look at as the healing process becomes a priority. But the most important bit of information when it comes to the root Chakra and how it relates to survival mode is all about awareness. After all, healing cannot begin without first becoming aware that a need to heal exists. You can’t begin clearing a blockage like those that affect such things as our root Chakra if you don’t know it’s even there. Just like a fever helps alert us that we are battling sickness, there are many ways a person’s spirit will show signs of unseen forces that are working against us on a soul level. Just like symptoms help us realize that we are in need of medicine to repair our bodies, the root Chakra has ways of letting us know that it’s time to take action and that it’s time for some spiritual healing to take place.
Energy Blockages
Root Chakra blockages can manifest as both physical symptoms and signs of emotional imbalance. For instance, you may experience lower back, leg, and ankle pain. While this can also just be part of the aging process, there are other symptoms that will surface alongside the physical ones. These, of course, are much harder for us to acknowledge. They are exhibited in the form of emotional or mental trauma or instability. For instance, you may suddenly struggle with a sudden feeling of helplessness. A sense that convinces you that you’re failing as a provider to your family or that you are somehow not capable of taking care of the people you love and care for most.
You may find yourself slacking at work and feeling depressed at the thought of having to go to your job at all. Like it’s all for nothing and is not going to get better. A blocked Muladhara chakra can manifest negatively as sudden jealousy in your otherwise strong relationship. It could cause you to no longer trust the people you always have and that have only treated you in a way that proves you should trust them. Your family and love relationships can feel so out of whack, and it’ll seem as if nothing can or will change the course that you’re on to a life of negativity where you become a victim. And that’s when survival mode loves to kick in, when you’re at your lowest point and feel like you have run out of options that will bring abundance and joy to your life.
It may be harder for you to see the bright side and have a positive outlook in life to the point that you’re now fighting with the people that mean the most to you. Your relationships may go from one built on love and trust to one full of resentment and envy. Failing to recognize that you require some root chakra healing may result in you hurting someone you love with constant accusations of cheating that stems only from your low energy or vibrational status if your survival response is “fight.” However, if you’re the type of person that goes into flight mode, you may have cut off all contact with the person you are in a relationship with because a blocked root chakra has your defense mechanisms in full swing. You may be running around going wild and partying to escape that difficult-to-see instinct of survival mode that you’re unknowingly dealing with.
And if you’re the “freeze” type, you probably have a lover that you cut off totally and completely—ghosting them because you’re dealing with internal blockages that directly affect your ability to be grounded and aligned. You could find that you’ve lost interest in things you used to enjoy. You may begin slacking off at your job or not paying as much attention to your children if life seems to be a constant enemy that really feels hopeless. But the explanation for why may be the kind that can be changed for the better. If you know that your actions are related to human survival response and become aware that survival response is related to the root Chakra, you can find what’s needed to get through your funk. By simply following suggested practices that will help clear root Chakra blockages, you can heal yourself from within.
Awareness- Thrive
Just being made aware that there are links to spiritual sickness and physical ones can be all you need to enjoy life and become the kind of person who controls their happiness because they are able to see that sometimes it takes more than a couple of pain pills or a nap to heal. Sometimes, it takes a little bit of energy healing, and spiritual or psychological work. When it seems like your fight, flight, or freeze response is kicking in because of whatever life is putting you through, there is comfort to be found in something as simple as awareness. Being aware of the different ways your spirit is said to guide you can be all it takes to get us on the right track, where taking care of ourselves on a soul level is just as important as taking care of ourselves when we have the flu. So, when you find yourself in survival mode, fighting, flying, or freezing through life, it’s time for some root chakra therapy. Walk barefoot in nature, soak up some sun, and plant a garden. Get out and find peace in the simple things and the most natural environments. Turn survival mode into “Thrival” mode.
