Survival Mode

You'll make worse decisions when in a highly stressed state.

“Survival mode” is a heightened stress state triggered by extreme fear and anxiety, leading to impaired decision-making and reduced cognitive function. In this heightened state of alertness, you may find yourself reacting before thinking, or freezing up when a decision is needed. You’ll be triggering your “fight, flight, or freeze” response, even when it’s not helpful.

From an evolutionary standpoint, survival mode makes sense. In ancient times when resources were scarce and dangers were everywhere, “survival mode” might have been the thing that kept our ancestors alive. As people far smarter than I have said, we humans didn’t evolve to be happy - we evolved to survive. And sometimes those survival instincts get in the way of good decision-making.

Unfortunately, the problem with survival mode is that it’s hard to turn off. It tends to activate at the least opportune times, especially when we’re stressed. It can interfere with our relationships, our careers, and our Jiu-Jitsu performance.

If you’ve been training Jiu-Jitsu for a while, you’ve probably felt yourself enter survival mode at some point. Maybe you lost your composure in the face of your opponent’s aggression. Or maybe their pressure game was too effective and you started to panic. It happens to all of us. In fact, strategic grapplers use this to their advantage and try to trigger survival mode in their opponents.

So what’s the secret to combating survival mode? Inoculation. Survival mode is less likely to trigger in scenarios that you’ve experienced before. This is part of the reason why frequent competition makes for better competitors: the more you do something, the more comfortable you get doing it.

That said, even the most seasoned veterans will find themselves in survival mode at some point. So what to do then? Here’s a lesson I’ve learned repeatedly throughout my life: if someone is trapped in survival mode, you need to get them out of that mindset before you can help them.

That’s easier said than done, of course! But through mindfulness practice, you can develop an awareness of your emotions and reduce their ability to govern you. High performers like Josh Waitzkin have also discussed “building triggers,” or small rituals you can do to get yourself back into the zone when you’re flustered.

On the podcast:

• Ep. 285: Pulling the Trigger, feat. Dr. Jooyoung Lee

Further study:

• Notes to a Software Team Leader, by Roy Osherove