It’s Giving Survival Mode: Immigration stress, trauma, and learning how to breathe again
By: Alexa Zapata, MSW, LSW | Pillars of Wellness
In therapy, we talk a lot about anxiety, depression, and trauma—but for many people, especially immigrants and those in mixed-status families, the stress isn’t just personal. It’s systemic. When immigration enforcement is part of the backdrop of daily life, your mind and body can slip into survival mode without you even realizing it. As if you are always on alert.
Even if you’ve never had direct contact with immigration authorities, the what ifs hit hard. What if they don’t come home today? What if everything changes from one day to the next? That constant uncertainty keeps your nervous system on edge. Over time, survival mode can look like anxiety that won’t turn off, trouble sleeping, zoning out, snapping more easily, or dealing with stomach issues and constant fatigue. That’s not weakness—it’s your body trying to protect you.
For kids and teens, this stress shows up too—sometimes without words. When caregivers are carrying fear, young people feel it, even if no one talks about it directly. Survival mode might look like trouble focusing in school, big emotional reactions, or always feeling “on guard.” Little by little, it can shape how safe the world feels.
For those who have experienced detention or aggressive enforcement, survival mode can run even deeper. Being in environments with isolation, loss of control, and uncertainty can leave lasting marks. Hypervigilance, intrusive memories, emotional numbness, or mistrust of systems are common trauma responses—not character flaws. You are not exaggerating.
From a therapeutic lens, we don’t ask people to “push through” or minimize their fear. Healing starts with naming what’s happening, feeling safe enough to exhale, and moving at your own pace. Trauma-informed, culturally responsive care recognizes that your reactions make sense given everything you’ve been carrying.
At our practice, we know mental health doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Social and political realities matter. Our goal is to offer a space where you don’t have to explain or justify your fear—where you can come out of survival mode, reconnect with yourself, and slowly find more calm and control.
If immigration-related stress is affecting your mental health, help is available. You don’t have to carry everything alone—and you don’t have to stay in survival mode forever.