What is a Survivor?
“It’s not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.”-Charles Darwin
I’ve never thought much of myself as a survivor. However, in my book I talk about survival. It’s easy now to look back and say, “Wow, I can’t believe I made it through all that!”
Having to constantly adapt to a new way of life before even becoming adjusted to the new life I had put my mind into something called fight or flight mode. The fight or flight response is an automatic physiological reaction to an event that is perceived as stressful or frightening. It activates our nervous response system and triggers a stress response to prepare our bodies to fight or flee.
I have lived a big chunk of my life wondering upon entering a new situation or relationship with the question, “Am I going to have to fight this or flee this?” My palms began to sweat, and my heart began to race with a thousand contradictive thoughts running through my mind at the same time. It got to a point where that fight or flight mindset brought me a strange sense of comfort like a longtime friend. Almost like I needed to depend on it for survival.
I think an important aspect on dealing with trauma and fear is to first accept it. As much as I have always longed for a sense of love, family, and stability I have learned to accept my past for what it was. I mean if it wasn’t for my past, I would have never written a book.
I have found that the word survivor has several meanings. Oxford Languages defines survivor as a “person who survives, especially a person remaining alive after an event in which others have died.” Dictionary.com details a survivor as “a person who continues to function or prosper in spite of opposition, hardship, or setbacks.”
To me a survivor is someone who despite being a target for traumatic events does not die in the physical sense, but instead experiences a kind of rebirth that leads to a life of prosperity.
I would love to hear from you – what is your definition of a survivor?
