Here are some of my experiences of the transits:
Pluto conjunct South Node: We both have the SN in the first house and Saturn squares the nodes. I don´t know how that has played out in your life, but I have issues with relationships. I meet ambivalent and difficult men. I am triggered by people who are not decisive, who are dishonest, lack morals etc. Pluto on the South Node has made me understand my relationship patterns better. I practice not assuming things about people, I try to ask them questions instead of observing them and making conclusions. I try to see things from many perspectives at once, instead of seeing things as black and white.
Pluto square Saturn: Saturn is a part of a Yod in both of our charts. Did you know that inconjunctions (aspects in our Yods) shows fragmentation? My Yod consists of Venus and Mercury/Chiron at the bottom and you have Mercury and Chiron at the bottom. I want to communicate knowledge to others in a professional setting. Yods makes it more difficult to move forward in life since the planets in it don´t connect. The apex of the Yod (Saturn) is interfering with the path of our nodes as well so I would imagine that you also have felt as if your life is not a straight forward path. Trying to create a stable foundation in life and then building your life stone by stone may be difficult. Pluto conjunct Saturn in the natal chart adds to the difficulties, but it also shows a person who is strong and able to keep trying. I read something about how you need to dig a deep hole in order to lay a foundation before you start to build a big skyscraper. See this transit, Pluto square Saturn, as a digging phase. Do not feel like a failure if you don´t manage to build something great now, this time will lay the foundation so you may not get immediate rewards. I realize that limiting fears are a HUGE issue in my life. I learn things quickly and I have a lot of potential but my fears are very limiting.
Transit Saturn conjunct the Ascendant and then conjunct Neptune: This year I have been more tired than ever before. I have also had a difficult solar return. Saturn conjunct Neptune is depressing, but I have taken steps to move forward professionally speaking. To make my dreams (Neptune) turn into reality in a practical way (Saturn). Transit Saturn on the ascendant also made me more critical about the way I look.
During the last years I have felt lost (it´s actually the story of my life). I have felt that I haven´t achieved anything in life and that I don´t know if I ever will. But I have evolved immensely internally and I also feel freer now. I feel that I have adapted myself to not having anything to hold on to in life, I have an inner strength to rely on. I know that I can rise up if I fall. If I manage to create something I will not be as afraid of losing what I have as other people are. I have also learnt to be more responsible with money. However, I have had Saturn square Venus as well (venus is in the second house) so I might have been more economically challenged than you.
I suffered a lot when the transits began about three years ago, Pluto is now about to move on this month, and this last passage of Pluto has been a lot easier.
If I am not mistaken your Pluto on the South node will last until January 2018, then you will have it from August –November next year. After that it ends. You will have Pluto square Saturn from January –Mars 2018 and from June to August and then from November 2017 –January 2018. After that you are done with the transit. That means that you are still in the middle of these difficulties while I am at the end of them.
You have transit Uranus in your fourth house. Mine is around the IC now. That means changes around the home/family/job situation. Uranus opposite Pluto affects everyone around our age, but we are affected in the fourth and tenth house.
In the beginning of 2018 our Yods will be activated as well by Pluto but those transits will be more pleasant. You have Chiron where I have Mercury/Chiron. Pluto will trine your Chiron and trine my Mercury and Chiron. I will also have Pluto sextile Venus.
I have Venus where you have Mercury. I believe that transit Chiron over my Venus has affected me a lot as well. I felt paranoid the first time it passed over and I felt unsafe. Transit Chiron on your Mercury has probably affected you as well. Something around communication/the mind/your thoughts might have been triggered.
I believe that these transits are helping us to balance the Yods and they are also helping us with our life paths (the nodes). They say that people often find a better balance between the nodes around our age and that we may be able to balance Yods around the age of 35-40. These transits are really pushing us to solve our issues. When we finally find our place in life, we will realize that the tricky road behind us gave us the knowledge and experience that we need in order to do what we want to do.
We both have another Yod as well with AC and Saturn at the base, yours is pointing at Chiron, my Yod points at Mercury/Chiron. Chiron is the wounded healer.
I also have to ask you, what was it like for you when transit Pluto passed over your Ascendant around the year 2002? When Pluto passed over my ascendant life literally forced me to own my power.
We both belong to the Pluto in Libra generation. Perhaps you feel like me, that you are tired of the power games in the world. I do not like it when for example people who feel powerless seek to have power over others, when people try to meet their needs by manipulating and using others, when people who dislike themselves take it out on others in order to feel better etc. Libra has to do with equality and balance.
On this page you can read about Chiron in the fifth house if you scroll down a bit.
https://fifthhousesun.net/chiron/
Here is some info about Pluto conjunct Saturn in the natal chart.
http://www.neptunecafe.com/donnaC1.html
To answer your question about how to survive these transits my advice is: If you feel that your life is not functioning or if you experience some sort of emotional breakdown, let it happen and try to not feel guilty about it. Don´t see yourself as a failure. Try to think that it is supposed to be this way now. There is a reason for everything.
I hope that you are able to make some sense of this confused post, feel free to ask me any question you might have