Getting Back Into the Swing of Things: How to Reset After Survival Mode

Life isn’t linear. It’s full of ebbs, flows, curveballs, and seasons that pull us off our rhythm. Maybe your kids were sick for a week. Maybe you’ve been traveling. Navigating a break up or a loss. Maybe you’ve just been surviving, doing whatever it takes to get through the day. No matter the reason, it’s normal to feel like you’ve lost your flow—and equally normal to wonder how to get back into it.

Here’s the reminder you most definitely need: survival comes first. If you’ve been in survival mode, you did what you had to do. If that meant extra screen time for your kids, chicken nuggets on repeat, or skipping non-essentials, that’s not failure—it’s resourcefulness. You kept things afloat. And that’s worth celebrating!!

The dust eventually settles and when it does, here’s how to gently get back into the swing of things and find your flow again:

1. Start With Priorities

Ask yourself daily: What actually matters most right now? A phrase I always remind myself of is:
“If no one is going to die if this doesn’t get done today, it’s not an urgent matter.”

This takes the pressure down a notch and helps you focus on the task or responsibility that actually deserves your energy. Everything else can wait. Utilize your top priorities as your anchors, as you get back to a baseline.

2. Allow the Reset to Be Slow

Getting back on track doesn’t mean jumping into overdrive. We are trying to move through life with a regulated nervous system, not push ourselves closer to burn out. Slowly, your time, energy, and mental space will return. Give yourself permission to ease back into routines instead of “catching up” all at once. Flow comes back gradually—it doesn’t need to be forced.

3. Remember Life Is Never Constant

Hardship will always be part of life. Incredibly difficult and challenging seasons are inevitable. That, we most definitely do not have control of. But, what you can do is practice flexibility and learn how to ground yourself in the midst of the storm. When you make nervous system regulation part of your daily self-care—through taking some deep breaths, joyful movement, journaling, or just taking time to rest—you’ll find that you bounce back so much faster when life throws you off track.

4. Drop the Perfectionism

The mental load of being an adult, a mother, a business owner (or however you identify) is already a lot. Adding perfectionism and self-criticism only makes the load you carry every day heavier. Self-criticism is not a form of motivation. The more you hold yourself to unrealistic standards, the harder it is to move forward with grace.

5. Play a Supportive Role—For Yourself

We often focus on being dependable for everyone else—our families, our work, our responsibilities. But ask yourself: Can I depend on me?
Be the steady, supportive, peaceful presence you need. Remind yourself you can trust yourself to get back up, reset, and rebuild when things wobble. That self-trust is what makes life’s ups and downs easier to navigate.

Final Reminder

Getting back into the swing of things isn’t about hustling harder—it’s about returning to your flow in a way that honors your energy and your humanity. Survival mode is part of life. So are resets, restarts, and renewals. The more you practice grace, flexibility, and nervous system grounding, the quicker you’ll find your footing every time life knocks you off balance.

You’ve already proven you can survive. Now it’s time to trust yourself to thrive.