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Sometimes it’s about surviving, not thriving. If you feel overwhelmed at the thought of long checklists and daily wellness routines, you are not alone. Sometimes we just need something small and in the moment that can bring us back to center. In this blog post I am going to show you what bridging habits are, how they help moms stay grounded when they find themselves in survival mode, and how to create your own. These tiny habits are gentle, supportive, and completely doable even when life feels stressful and loud, and they fit right into intentional motherhood and Glow wellness rhythms.
In this post…
A Mom Living in Survival Mode
Not too long ago, my family faced some news that had the potential to change everything. Our lives were being turned upside down and it was completely out of our control. My control. And instead of doing how I would expect to react, like leaning into my wellness habits, I let them all sit abandoned while I focused on things I thought I could control.
My nervous system went into overdrive. I didn’t even notice it happening at first. I just knew that my routines, rhythms, and all the things that usually help me feel grounded suddenly felt out of reach.
I thought I was getting ahead of a crisis. Instead, I pushed myself into survival mode.
The more I tried to control, the more I felt lost inside my own life. Can you relate?
A few weeks went by, and I had a moment of clarity. I realized where I veered off. I remembered who I was before the noise. How good I felt before the noise.
This has happened to me before, and usually these grounding habits like in this post about resetting daily wellness habits can get me back on track… but this time, it didn’t.
The thought of sitting down with my journal was completely overwhelming.
The thought of choosing an oil and turning on my diffuser was completely overwhelming.
The thought of choosing a playlist to listen to was completely overwhelming.
The thought of making a loaf of bread was completely overwhelming.
And then something clicked.
I didn’t need to get back to all of my routines.
I needed something smaller. Tiny. Doable.
I needed something I could actually reach for when I felt overwhelmed. Something that didn’t force my brain to slow down and feel vulnerable and unsafe. Something that met me where I was at and allowed me to ground myself, even for a just a few seconds.
I needed what I now call “bridging habits”.
Why Do We Go Into Survival Mode After Stress?
I’m not sharing this as medical information or a diagnosis, just as a lens that helped me understand my own patterns. Please read my full disclaimer here.
Many researchers discuss how when something triggers uncertainty in your life, your brain can interpret that as a threat… and flip to a different state of mind. In that state, your brain cannot access the things that normally make you feel good. Executive function, curiosity, pleasure, and creativity drop or even disappear.
You have probably heard of the two main states of our nervous systems: sympathetic (fight or flight) and parasympathetic (rest and digest).
When you feel safe and in control, your nervous system is parasympathetic. It is open to habits, routines, creativity, connection, and emotional regulation. You can smoothly move from one task to the next without getting stuck in defence mechanisms.
The Polyvagal Theory
Learning about this made something click for me — it gave me some kind of explanation to what I might be experiencing. The Polyvagal Theory suggests that when you feel unsafe and out of control, your nervous system is hijacked by your sympathetic system. This mobilizes energy for perceived threats (anxiety, hyperfocusing, trying to control what you can, staying in constant movement) and/or activates dorsal vagal state, which immobilizes (feeling numb, shutting down, disassociating) if the threat is chronic or overwhelming.
When you feel safe again, your nervous system should shift back into ventral vagal state, allowing your parasympathetic system to take over again.
According to Khiron Clinics:
“Once a threat has passed, a well-regulated nervous system will activate the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS), which activates the rest and digest response. This is a state of homeostasis and safety, producing calm by steadying respiratory function, lowering heart rate, and releasing the stored energy from the muscles and the body. This process should happen twenty to thirty minutes after the danger has passed; however, if the PNS is not effectively activated, the traumatic energy becomes stored in the body. This stored traumatic energy can cause significant mental and physical distress as it leads to an exaggerated stress response within the individual. As a result, reactions to threat are likely to become exaggerated, with the SNS [sympathetic nervous system] becoming overstimulated. In turn, the PNS can further decrease functionality, resulting in an individual becoming unable to respond to triggers appropriately and remaining in a perpetual mode of fight or flight and unable to return to their natural, harmonious state.”
This is literally hardwired into our nervous systems. If you were alive thousands of years ago, and you perceived a threat, staying in one place would almost certainly mean… a bad ending. Movement meant surviving. There was no time to stop and smell the flowers.
So What Are Bridging Habits for Moms in Survival Mode?
If you might not feel well regulated, like me, you don’t have to wait until you naturally shift back into that calm, safe state. Usually this takes me several weeks. So the more I am exposed to those things, the more I am forcing myself to stay activated and flip around in the sympathetic state (fight, flight, or shut down) — going from mobilize to immobilize and back and around again, feeling like a crazy person.
But there is a way to manipulate this process and bring your body back to (or at least closer to) calm, faster: Bridging Habits.
Bridging habits are tiny, low pressure grounding actions that help me stay connected when I am overwhelmed and my familiar routines and rhythms feel out of reach. They can bring you close to calm without forcing yourself into stillness. They are not a full routine or a deep wellness practice (but they aren’t meant to replace them, either — they are more like a temporary solution for when you’re in the busiest seasons).
They are like micro moments that bridge the gap between survival mode and intentional living.
A bridging habit is something you can still access when you feel unsafe, overstimulated, or pulled into hyperfocus. It is a small, tiny, version of something grounding. It keeps you from disconnecting completely, and it makes it easier to return to your routines when life settles again.
Bridging habits work because they do not require emotional openness, time, quiet, or stillness. They only require a tiny moment of connection.
These habits can help support you in a physical way. They give you a mini signal that says “You are here. You are safe enough. You do not need to shut down completely.” This helps you return to motherhood, homemaking, and wellness rhythms without needing a full reset.
5 Tiny Bridging Habits to Keep You Connected When You’re In Survival Mode
These are 5 bridging habits to reach for when your brain seems like it has locked away your high-level wellness habits. These are doable and tactile, even in survival mode. They require almost zero emotional bandwidth or stillness — which is what we need when our brains feel movement as safety and stillness as vulnerability. Use them as inspiration and create your own versions.
1. Touching something tangible and meaningful
Instead of sitting down and doing a full devotional, or a full prayer or meditation, carry something tangible, like prayer beads in your pocket or a necklace with a meaningful pendant on it. Touch it, move it between your fingers, press it into your fingertips, and take one deep breath. Not a full prayer or meditation session. Not a devotional or journalling. Whisper or think a few words to keep you connected.
“Help me let go of the things I cannot control.”
“Be still and know I am God.”
Spend just a few seconds doing this as many times as you are able.
2. Use essential oil rollers
Essential oils are a major part of my wellness routine. Aromatherapy is a very common grounding tool many people use and say that it can promote calmness. Scent is also deeply grounding for me. My diffuser might feel like too much on stressful days, but rolling on my wrists is doable. I use amber rollers like these from Amazon to make my own with my favourite essential oils. (Just make sure you use a carrier oil — never put essential oils directly on your skin.)
3. Turning on one lamp
Choose soft, dim, and warm lighting to be gentle on your senses and promote a sense of calm. I personally use these dimmable smart bulbs that adjust the warmth and brightness of your lighting right from your phone. It’s one of the best investments ever!
4. Humming
Some researchers discuss how humming or chanting a gentle, deep “ommmm” can activate the vagus nerve and can help create calm. Some women say that even doing this for a few seconds feels grounding.
5. Physical cue for safety
Taking a few seconds to help your body physically know it is safe can make a big difference. Unclench your jaw, stretch out your neck and back, hold a hot coffee mug, splash cold water on your face, run your hands under hot or cold water. I carry a guasha stone in my pocket to massage tense areas of my face, neck and body, particularly my jaw, temples, neck and shoulders. I found one here on Amazon that also comes with a cold roller for your face — perfect for grounding.
How To Create Your Own Bridging Habits In Survival Mode
It’s so much easier than we think and it makes all the difference.
- Imagine your perfect wellness routine and figure out the smallest possible version of it.
- Make it portable and effortless. A necklace, a roller, music with headphones.
- Do them quick but consistently.
Example: You dream of a 12 step skincare routine. The smallest possible version might be splashing cold water on your face or using a wipe infused with skincare ingredients.
Small = Doable.
How Bridging Habits Support Wellness, and Intentional Living
Let’s Glow is all about intentional living. But that is not possible when you are in survival mode. Bridging habits fit perfectly into Glow because they honour the moment you are in without forcing you to be someone you are not ready to be.
When you use bridging habits, you shorten the distance between who you are under stress and who you are when you are grounded and thriving.
They help you:
- return to yourself faster
- stay connected to your home and motherhood, even if just for a moment
- maintain your wellness habits
- stay rooted in faith
They help you create an intentional life with fewer emotional crashes.
A Glow Encouragement
You are not failing if you disconnect when life feels loud. You are human. You are a mom with a sensitive, beautiful nervous system and a soft heart. You deserve rhythms that support you, not pressure you. Bridging habits are tiny reminders that you can return to yourself anytime. That that version of yourself is still there. You do not need a perfect morning routine to begin again. You only need one small spark.
You are glowing, even on your messy days. ❤️
If you liked this post, you may also like more of my mental health posts:
- Grounding Music for Moms: 5 Spotify Playlists To Help You Stay Calm and Connected At Home or On the Go
- Five Daily Wellness Habits for Moms: Simple Rhythms That Keep Me Grounded All Year Round
- How to Reset Your Wellness Habits: 3 Simple Daily Rhythms for Busy Moms
- Unplugged: How Going Off-Grid Reset My ADHD, Anxiety, and My Life
You can also subscribe to Let’s Glow for exclusive discount codes, Amazon finds, wellness favourites, new blog posts, and simple wellness tips. I love making motherhood easier and more peaceful, and I share everything I am learning in real time.
If this post helped you, share it with another mom or leave a comment below. What is your favourite way to stay grounded on busy days? I would love to hear from you.
