Survival Strategies at Work: How Trauma Shapes Our Professional Identities

How Unprocessed Trauma Shows Up in the Workplace and What We Can Do About It

Man looking at a map with a compass

You wouldn’t have known it by looking at me.

I was hitting every target, delivering ahead of schedule, managing dozens of moving parts across multiple departments. My calendar was packed. My posture was upright. I was praised for being a high performer respected, reliable, resilient. I even camped alone in the wilderness to...challenge myself. Twice.

But behind the spreadsheets and the structure and the camping, I was avoiding something big: grief.

When my father passed, I didn’t take time to feel it.

I overworked instead.

I stayed “busy” so I wouldn’t have to feel the pain.

That was my trauma response, Flight, masquerading as professional excellence.

Trauma Doesn’t Disappear at Work

In workplaces around the world, people are silently playing out Fight, Flight, Freeze, or Fawn not because they’re broken, but because they’ve adapted.

These survival strategies get disguised as personalities, work styles, or even leadership traits.

Here’s how each one shows up and what it might be trying to protect:

FIGHT RESPONSE

Workplace Identities: The Controller, The Perfectionist, The Workaholic

Behaviors: Micromanaging, dominating conversations, doing more to feel worthy.

What it’s hiding: A fear of being powerless, unsafe, or not enough

Reframe: I can lead with clarity and collaboration, not control.

I've witnessed this in team members who lash out when things don’t go to plan, or who carry the weight of the whole department alone.

Often, they grew up needing to be “the strong one.

FLIGHT RESPONSE

Workplace Identities: The Overachiever, The Analyzer

Behaviors: Constant motion, starting too many projects, avoiding conflict

What it’s hiding: A fear of stillness, failure, or confronting emotion

Reframe: I can slow down AND still be safe and effective.

This was me. Flight was a suit I wore well. As long as I kept moving, I didn’t have to feel the ache of loss. But no deadline ever healed my heart.

FREEZE RESPONSE

Workplace Identities: The Invisible One, The Passive Employee

Behaviors: Withdrawing in meetings, indecision, difficulty speaking up

What it’s hiding: Fear of rejection, abandonment, or being “too much

Reframe: My voice matters, even if it shakes.

I’ve seen brilliant minds hold back out of fear of saying the wrong thing. Silence often stems from early environments where speaking up wasn’t safe.

FAWN RESPONSE

Workplace Identities: The People Pleaser, The Rescuer

Behaviors: Saying yes too often, avoiding conflict, absorbing everyone else’s stress

What it’s hiding: A belief that love and safety are earned through self-sacrifice

Reframe: I can support others without losing myself.

Fawning can look like the most “helpful” person in the office until they burn out. These team members often struggle with boundaries and exhaustion.

What You Can Do

✔ Start with self compassion.

✔ Ask: “What’s this behavior protecting?” instead of “What’s wrong with them?”

✔ Reflect on your own patterns, are they survival strategies in disguise?

Healing begins when we name what’s happening without shame.

It doesn’t require a crisis to shift.

Sometimes, it just takes a moment of self-awareness.

Reflection Prompt

Which response do you notice most in yourself at work and what might it be trying to protect?

👇 I’d love to hear in the comments. Let’s normalize these conversations in professional spaces.