to continue living in the face of adversity
Examples:
- It’s hard to keep your head above water when you don’t have a job.
- He spends so much money, how can he keep his head above water?
- We haven't taken a profit in months — the aim is just to keep our heads above water.
- With mounting debt, the company struggled to keep its head above water.
Synonyms: stay afloat, survive, make ends meet