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The only times I’ve ever had regrets in my life happened because I ignored my intuition.
When you know deep down something isn’t right for you – whether that’s a relationship or a medical treatment – you don’t always have a logical foundation to follow that feeling. In fact, there might even be rational reasons why you should be doing that thing that feels like the wrong move.
And yet, your intuition can be a helpful guidance system to make good decisions.
We’ve all heard the advice to “follow your guts”, but that’s not as easy as it sounds. First of all, how do you notice that inner voice? And when you do, how can you tell if it’s your intuition talking or your fears, prejudices or other emotions and unconscious biases blindsiding you?
What exactly is intuition?
Intuition is the ability to tap into your inner wisdom without conscious reasoning. For some people, intuition means picking up on spiritual signs from God, Allah or the Universe. But intuitive knowing can (also) be explained in a psychological way.
Every waking moment, your mind is bombarded with information coming in through your senses – all that you see, hear, smell, taste, touch all day long. But your working memory can only process and store a limited selection of that input – the sensations that seem most urgent and relevant to your wellbeing – into your longterm memory.
However, you did notice some of the sensory stimuli that you were unable to store, and those pieces of information may not be explicitly recalled, but they can give you that gut feeling urging you to act. For example, have you ever suddenly had goosebumps or a pit in your stomach when walking home alone at night? Maybe you caught a quick glimpse of a potentially dangerous situation and now your instincts are telling you to take a different route.
What’s more, your brain may be picking up very subtle bodily signals like a change in your heart beat, skin response or muscle tone, that we unconsciously associate with positive or negative outcomes. We literally “trust our gut instincts” when our minds link nausea with disgust and butterflies in our stomach with excitement.
How do you know if you can trust your intuition?
Let’s be clear: following your gut does not mean you should throw all reason or caution from family and friends to the wind. Your intuition is just an extra piece of advice that can point you in the right direction, give you new insights or change your perspective on a situation.
It can be hard to distinguish between true intuition and your fears, traumas or automatic thought patterns talking to you. Especially if you’re currently dealing with anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive tendencies or PTSD, you should not blindly follow your feelings.
Luckily, there are ways you can strengthen your intuition. Start by making space for stillness in your life. You can’t hear your inner voice if it’s always drowned out by outside noise. Practice meditation and breathing exercises to quiet your mind, while mindfulness can help you to pay closer attention to all you see, hear and feel around you.
If you struggle to identify your feelings, you could browse ‘Atlas of the Heart’ by Brené Brown (affiliate link) to learn to recognize different emotions and how to put them into words. You should also try to listen to your body, and notice the signals it’s sending you.
Finally, you could start to follow your intuition by making small decisions on gut feelings. See how that makes you feel and if you can actually trust your instincts.
Please don’t discard common sense, science or years of professional knowledge and rely on vague feelings alone, but see your intuition as an additional resource of inner wisdom to help you navigate life.
No matter what trusting your instincts means to you, take inspiration from these 15 intuition quotes to encourage you to listen to your inner voice.
What does intuition mean to you? Do you rely on your gut feelings or do you prefer a more rational approach?
For more helpful tips, read ‘How Exactly Do You Listen to Your Body?’, look out for warning signs your body’s sending you or get inspired by these 16 quotes to embrace solitude and stillness.
