Trust your Gut Intution!
All great achievements of science must start from intuitive knowledge. I believe in intuition and inspiration… At times I feel certain I am right while not knowing the reason.
– Albert Einstein
It seems as though we repeatedly hear the phrase, “Just trust your gut”. What does it actually mean and more importantly, how do you do it?
In the age of social media, trusting one’s gut can feel like a challenge. Intuition — the term used to refer to gut feelings — is frequently dismissed as mystical or unreliable. Intuition, or “gut instinct” is one’s most immediate understanding of something. You don’t think it over or solicit another opinion—you just know. It arises as a feeling within your body that only you experience. Because this feeling is so personal, no one else can weigh in to tell you if you’re in touch with your gut instinct or not. You alone must make the call. Because of this, trusting your intuition is the ultimate act of believing and knowing yourself.
Your intuition can serve as a guide to help you avoid unhealthy relationships and situations. Throughout your life, many people will have ideas about what’s best for you – some held with good intentions and some not. It’s sometimes hard to tell which category advice falls into, but if you put aside all those external opinions and instead listen to the advice of your own intuition, it will guide you to what is truly best for you.
The process of trusting your gut is not as simple as the phrase implies, though especially, when certain habits and circumstances pull us strongly and often unconsciously in the opposite direction. Luckily, our intuition is so deeply instinctual that even if we’ve been out of touch with it for our entire lives, it’s still there inside of us, waiting for us to summon its wisdom.
Some ways to determine if you are tuning out your intuition include the following:
- Not knowing yourself
- Making decisions you regret
- Feeling disconnected from yourself
- Being prone to overthinking
- Feeling self-doubt
Our brains and our bellies are joined, and work together. Recent research has shown that we have in our stomachs the same kinds of cells that transfer signals in our brains – neurons. It is likely that your gut is communicating with your brain daily. It’s trying to tell you what it knows, the decisions you should make, the direction you should go, and the things you need to attend to. If you are busy asking other people, doubting yourself, and overthinking, you are likely not tuning into this valuable information from your deepest, wisest self. Here are some ways to reconnect with your gut:
1. Recognize your gut as a source of valuable information: Becoming aware of this part of your body and realizing it holds answers that can get you on the right track.
2. Consult your gut when you need guidance: Tune into your gut and pay attention to the physical sensations you have there. They are feelings, and they will tell you much. Asking your gut and then listening are excellent ways to start. Then honor its message. “Honor” means to sit with it and take it seriously.
3. Slow Down & Clear Your Mind: When you’re rushing from place to place and consumed with multiple tasks, you miss information since your brain is clouded. Slowing down helps you better recognize and process the information you receive, not only in your mind but also in your body. To do so, you must mentally and physically clear away the clutter. This may look like pushing back a deadline to remove urgency from a decision or canceling plans. It could also mean stepping away from a situation in order to gain further clarity, for instance, taking a vacation before making a career change or spending some time apart from a significant other to determine if you’re right for each other.
4. Notice Sensations in Your Body: Intuition is grounded within the sensations inside of the body, so learning to recognize what is going on within your body—i.e. what you’re feeling—is key to developing your intuition. While we might use the terms “feelings” and “sensations” interchangeably to describe intuition, note the slight distinction here: specifically, we’re more interested in understanding how our bodies feel in response to an emotion—for example, anger feels tight, sore, hot, and tingly—rather than simply naming an emotion like sad, angry, or frustrated, and stopping there. A great way to practice is to label the emotion in the moment when you experience it—e.g. anger—and then feel what sensations arise within your body that are associated with that emotion—e.g., your jaw is tight, and shoulders are raised and tense.
5. Ask yourself, “What do I really need here? What’s important for me?”: This is one of those times when it should be all about you, so give yourself full permission to do so. If you find your focus shifting to other people and their needs, notice and purposefully return your attention back to being curious about what you need and want.
6. Discern gut feeling from fear. Fear tends to be accompanied by bodily sensations of constricting or minimizing. You may feel tense, panicky, or desperate. Fear has a pushing energy, as if you’re trying to force something, or selecting an option because you want to avoid a threat, rejection, or punishment. Fear also tends to be dominated by self-critical thoughts that urges you to hide, conform, or compromise yourself. Intuition on the other hand has pulling energy, as if your choice is moving you toward your best interest, even if that means pursuing a risk or moving more slowly than others. This is usually accompanied by feelings of excitement and anticipation or ease and contentment. Physically, gut feelings tend to cause your body to relax. With intuition, your inner voice is more grounded and wise, like a good mentor.
7. Start by making minor decisions: Choose an outfit that calls to you without weighing too many variables. Raise your hand and speak up in a class or meeting without censoring yourself. Taking quick, decisive actions with small consequences gets you comfortable using your intuition. By starting small, you mitigate feelings of overwhelm and can gradually step your way up to larger, higher pressure decisions with greater self-trust. This approach is effective because it builds your distress tolerance, or your ability to emotionally regulate in the face of discomfort.
“Don’t be afraid to go with your gut. It’s there for a reason, and it’s usually right.”
– Anonymous
