Podcast Summary:

Take Out Therapy: End Overthinking & Overwhelm for Empathic High Achievers
Host: Rebecca Hunter, MSW
Episode: Get Out Of Survival Mode! Two Therapy Based Steps To Stop Overwhelm, Burnout And Overthinking
Date: October 6, 2025

Episode Overview

In this bite-sized “mini session,” therapist and anxiety expert Rebecca Hunter dives into how to recognize when you’re not just “stuck” but actually in survival mode—a distinction many empathic high-achievers miss. She offers two therapy-rooted steps to break free from overwhelm, burnout, and persistent overthinking. The episode is friendly, reassuring, and full of practical wisdom for those seeking real-life, low-fluff mental health support.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Difference (or Non-Difference) Between Feeling “Stuck” and Survival Mode

• Stuck = Survival Mode: Rebecca emphasizes that the terms are often used interchangeably because they really represent the same psychological state.

  "We use the word stuck when we're in survival mode and not enough people actually understand what survival mode actually means." (01:07)

• How It Feels: Both states are marked by overwhelm, too much on your plate, and physical cues from your body that “something isn’t okay.”
• Brain & Body’s Response: The nervous system reacts as if you’re in danger—even if it’s just modern burnout.

  "Our body and our brain don't understand the difference between modern day burnout...and danger because we weren't really built for all this stuff." (02:02)

• Fight, Flight, Freeze: Feeling frozen, wound up, or shut down are all signs you’re in a classic stress response pattern.

2. Step One: Start with the Body – Somatic Work

• Definition: Somatic work means addressing overwhelm “through the body,” not the mind.
• Relax & Nurture the Nervous System:

  "Calm and nurture your nervous system. Do you know what your nervous system is? I didn't for a really long time.” (03:00)

• Resource Mentioned:
  • Rebecca suggests her "Nervous System 101" episode as a primer for listeners unfamiliar with the concept. (03:15)

3. Step Two: Train the Brain – Cognitive Work

• Mind Discipline: Once the nervous system calms, focus on “disciplining” your mind.

  "We have to disallow rumination and obsessing over things and worrying about things that may or may not ever happen. There's a lot of discipline that has to happen with the brain and that is totally possible too." (03:32)

• Break the Cycle: By practicing both steps, you teach your brain and body that you’re not in actual danger—just facing a busy, modern life.

4. Take It Slow and Stay Consistent

• The Power of Slowing Down:

  "Slowly, slowly, go as slow as you possibly can through your life and see what changes." (04:44)

• Lifelong Work: This isn’t a one-and-done fix. Life’s treadmill continues, so practicing these steps regularly is how you build resilience and prevent relapse into survival mode.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "When you're feeling stuck or overwhelmed or like you just have way too much on your plate and your body is kind of kicking up in a way that you understand you're not okay…Likely your body and your brain have been made to think…that there's something unsafe about your environment and all they're really doing is performing on your behalf for your survival."
  — Rebecca Hunter (01:24)

• "Starting with somatic work, calming the nervous system down, then moving on to some cognitive or brain work, that's the way we begin to teach our body and our mind that we're not in survival mode. We've just got too much stuff going on."
  — Rebecca Hunter (03:58)

• "If you continue sort of running on the treadmill in your life, you will continue to have to do this work. And so you may as well just get going."
  — Rebecca Hunter (04:25)

Important Timestamps

• 00:00–01:07 — Introduction; defining “stuck” vs. “survival mode”
• 01:08–02:42 — How survival mode manifests physiologically
• 02:43–03:31 — Why starting with the body matters (Somatic work explained)
• 03:32–03:57 — Calming and disciplining the mind (Cognitive strategies)
• 03:58–04:44 — Integrating both steps, pace, and encouragement to start slow
• 04:44–End — Wrap-up, resources, and Rebecca’s ongoing support for listeners

Tone & Takeaway

Rebecca Hunter delivers her advice with warmth, understanding, and a dash of humor. The episode is short, practical, and highly relatable—ideal for listeners wanting actionable steps to reduce overwhelm and escape survival mode. Her core message: You’re not broken; you’re just overloaded, and a two-step approach (start with the body, then train the mind) can help you move forward with greater ease and resilience.