The Busy Trap: How Survival Mode Keeps Us Moving Through Trauma

In our most challenging times, when survival feels like our only choice, we may instinctively turn to a life of constant busyness—a coping mechanism that helps keep intense emotions at bay. It’s a response often mistaken for avoidance, but in reality, it’s a natural way for us to manage overwhelming feelings in moments of distress. Psychologists call this a survival response: when faced with something traumatic, our minds and bodies instinctively go into high alert, preparing us to either fight, flee, or endure. In such times, busyness becomes the armor that allows us to keep moving forward, a lifeline that helps us make it through.

The Journey from Survival to Healing

Choosing to stay busy as a means of coping isn’t about weakness; it’s about giving ourselves time and space to build up the strength needed to confront our inner struggles. As Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, an authority on trauma and resilience, wisely notes, “The capacity to continue moving forward in spite of the turmoil inside is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit.” By staying busy, we are in fact safeguarding parts of ourselves that need time before they are ready to begin healing.

However, there comes a time when busyness alone can no longer carry us. True resilience is found in our willingness to slow down, turn inward, and allow ourselves to feel. It’s in recognizing when we’re ready to pause and tend to the wounds that need healing. This shift isn’t easy; it requires courage to stop and face the emotions we may have set aside. But this is also where transformation begins. In the words of Carl Jung, “I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become.” By honoring both the strength it takes to keep going and the bravery required to slow down and heal, we redefine resilience as more than just the ability to survive hardship—it’s the courage to embrace healing and change.

Healing with Yoga Through Movement: Releasing Trauma and Rebalancing the Nervous System

When we are in the depths of trauma, sitting still can feel impossible. The body remembers what the mind tries to forget, and the nervous system remains locked in survival mode, bracing against danger that may no longer be present. Yoga and other healing practices become gentle invitations to listen deeply to our bodies, to honor the tension we carry, and to start releasing the energy we’ve held for so long.

Trauma lives in the body, creating patterns of tension, fear, and protection that we carry even after the trauma has passed. Dr. Peter Levine, a pioneer in the field of somatic healing, explains, “Trauma is not what happens to us, but what we hold inside in the absence of an empathetic witness.” Yoga offers a way to reconnect with our inner witness, allowing us to observe without judgment. Through mindful movement, we start to feel what has been locked away, releasing the tight grip trauma holds on our muscles, our breathing, and our sense of safety.

Healing with Yoga

In trauma, the nervous system can become overactivated, stuck in a constant state of “fight or flight.” Healing with yoga and somatic practices encourages the body to gently shift out of this state and re-enter a place of rest and balance. With time and tenderness, we can use these practices to rebuild the resilience of our nervous system. Each breath and each stretch slowly teaches the body that it is safe to relax, to trust, to let go.

Eventually, through patience and self-compassion, we become ready to sit still, to feel deeply, and to listen to our own needs. We learn that healing is not a single moment but a journey—an unfolding process where we cultivate peace, resilience, and a renewed relationship with ourselves. Yoga, in this way, becomes more than movement; it becomes a path back to our own wholeness.

“Pain is inevitable: suffering is optional”

by Haruki Murakami

Transform Your Wellness Journey

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