From Survival Mode to Sustenance: Cultivating Motivation
The past year carried many challenges and uncertainty, and you may have felt as though you were in a constant state of mere survival. Survival mode describes, “a state in which our nervous system is dysregulated, often because of prolonged stress.”[1] Survival mode often prioritizes getting through the day by meeting immediate needs, managing crises, and conserving just enough energy to stay afloat. For advocates, survival mode often looks like constant urgency which leads to moving from crisis to crisis to meet client needs while putting your own on hold. The prolonged activation of operating in survival mode can be physically and mentally exhausting and can lead to burnout. While survival mode is a natural, protective response to prolonged stress; remaining in survival mode for extended periods of time can quietly drain your energy, decrease motivation, lead to emotional numbness, and disconnect you from the work that once felt meaningful, grounded, and hopeful.
How to shift from survival mode to sustenance?
Shifting from survival mode to sustenance is a gradual process that takes time, support, and self-compassion. Acknowledging that you are operating in survival mode is a powerful first step toward reclaiming rest, boundaries, and sustainability in your professional and overall wellbeing. Moving towards sustenance means intentionally shifting from, “I just need to get through the day” to tending to what allows you to remain present, connected, and sustainable in your advocacy. This shift can look like giving yourself permission to slow down, naming feelings of exhaustion and overwhelm without shame, and recognizing that needing support is not a weakness, but a step towards a healing and sustainable practice.
Sustenance asks, “what do you need in order to continue the work in a manner that is sustainable?” This can involve reassessing your work-life boundaries, workload, and expectations - both internal and external - to identify what you need to feel present and whole. Taking the steps towards sustenance can feel daunting, a few shifts that you can take to restore your energy and motivation are:
- Reconnecting with those who offer supportive relationships
- Checking-in with your colleagues
- Seeking support from your supervisor
- Attending therapy sessions
- Engaging in community spaces where your feel heard, understood, and supported
- Prioritizing rest including taking a mental health day when needed
- Carving out moments for grounding and joy during the workday by taking five to ten minutes to take deep breaths, stretch, or go outside for fresh air and to observe nature
Practicing self-compassion during challenging times can gently support the transition from survival mode to sustenance. Self-compassion reminds you to extend kindness to yourself like you do for your clients. Recognizing imperfections, obstacles, and difficulty are part of a shared human experience. Embracing self-compassion allows you to mindfully accept that a moment is or has been painful.[2] Self-compassion is also a reminder that cultivating motivation is not about productivity or pushing through exhaustion; it is about honoring your capacity, reconnecting with your values and systems of support, and creating space for restoration. Through rest, boundaries, community, and moments of meaning, motivation returns, not as an urgency, but as a steadier sense of purpose that helps ground you to have renewed strength to continue to serve unaccompanied children.
As we enter 2026, CILA encourages you to keep cultivating your motivation by being kind to yourself, holding on to your wins and moments of joy, and remembering you are part of a strong and committed community of advocates working to protect and advance the rights of unaccompanied children.
By CILA social work team
[1] The London Psychiatry Centre, Am I In Survival Mode? How To Know And What To Do About It, last visited January 5, 2026, available at https://www.psychiatrycentre.co.uk/blog/am-i-in-survival-mode-how-to-know-and-what-to-do-about-it/.
[2] Jefferson Center, A “How – To” Guide for Surviving Survival Mode, last visited January 6, 2026, available at https://www.jcmh.org/a-how-to-guide-for-surviving-survival-mode/.