Survival Protected You, Living Expands You
You were not made to only make it through
There comes a moment
Quiet
Subtle
But undeniable
When you realize you are not living
You are surviving
You are checking off boxes
Swallowing emotions
Getting through the day without breaking
And calling it strength
You tell yourself
At least I made it
But deep down
You know you were made for more
What Surviving Really Looks Like
Survival mode is not failure
It is brilliance under pressure
It is your body and mind doing what they needed to do to keep you safe
But make no mistake
Survival is not the same as living
It looks like:
Hypervigilance or numbness
You are always bracing for what could go wrong
Or feeling nothing at all to protect yourself from everything
A reactive mindset
You are not choosing how you move through the world
You are defending yourself against it
Scarcity thinking
Love feels limited
Safety feels conditional
Time and rest feel like luxuries
Disconnection
You are unsure of what you need
Because your focus has always been on what to avoid
Emotional exhaustion
You are tired
Not from doing too much
But from carrying what no one else can see
What Living Feels Like
Living is presence
It is choice
It is breath
It is noticing sunlight through the window
Laughing from the belly
Saying no without guilt
And resting without earning it
It looks like:
Engagement with life
You allow yourself to feel fully
Joy
Grief
Curiosity
Hope
Intentional response
You slow down enough to choose your words
Your energy
Your boundaries
Abundance mindset
You believe in enough
Enough love
Enough time
Enough space
And your worthiness of all of it
Connection
You are honest with yourself
You let yourself be seen
You build relationships where your truth is never too much
Aliveness
You are not just functioning
You are existing fully
Creating
Resting
Becoming
In One Line
Surviving is holding your breath
Living is remembering to breathe
Even in the chaos
And believing you deserve the air
You Are Allowed to Shift
You do not have to stay in survival mode forever
You may go back and forth
That is okay
But now that you know the difference
You get to choose
You get to reach
You get to reclaim
Because you were never meant to just get through life
You were meant to feel it
To live it
To rise within it
Journal Prompt:
Where in my life am I still surviving and where am I ready to begin living?
Mantra:
I release survival as my only strategy. I choose to live fully and freely
Closing Words:
Survival protected you, bliving will expand you
Your next breath can be more than a reflex
It can be a return
To you
To joy
To life
Written by Marcia Blane, LPC, NCC, C.Ht.
Licensed Mental Health Counselor | Trauma-Informed Life Coach | Clinical Hypnotherapist
www.marciablane.com
