Hearing the Voice of Your Body
You know that feeling you get deep down in your soul – that feeling when you know something is right or wrong without having to think about it? That’s your intuition.
Learning to listen to your intuition can make you confident in your decisions – decisions about your life, relationships, job opportunities, eating patterns, or even how you spend and manage your money.
Intuition: What is it, and why should you trust it?
According to psychology today, intuition tends to arise holistically and quickly without awareness of mental processing. Scientists have repeatedly demonstrated how information can register in the brain without conscious awareness – and how that can positively influence decision-making and other behaviors.
You feel your intuition as a hunch or gut feeling – it’s based on combining your past experiences with what’s currently happening. Intuition is part of what makes you, you. The more you learn to listen to your body, the easier you can make decisions, big and small. So, yes, you can trust that intuition of yours – but it might take a little practice to understand what it’s telling you.
Intuition not only controls your survival instincts, but you can think of it like a built-in best friend who’s constantly looking out for you. If you’re ever feeling uneasy or disgusted about something, those unsettling feelings are signs from your built-in friend, so don’t ignore them!
The intuitive mind is a powerful human ability. It can feel like a sixth sense and often comes in images, thoughts, or feelings that feel obvious after the fact. However, they can be challenging to understand and articulate at the moment if you’re not practiced.
While intuitive feelings may sometimes be wrong (we’ll talk about that in a minute), they are like messengers – always providing essential information. And if you don’t listen to your body when threatened or uncomfortable – or on the opposite end, longing for something and excited – you may find yourself struggling with the consequences later on.
Listen to your conscious mind first
We all know how noisy our minds can be. A great start to listening to your intuition is to consciously listen to your body – pick through all the feelings, wants, and desires until it becomes second nature. So, here are a couple of ideas to help you get in touch with your inner self:
Pick one of the quiet, safe spaces in your home and sit with your eyes closed for 5 minutes (more, if possible). Use this time to think about being in the moment. What do you feel, taste, and smell? Which emotions are running through you? And, if you can specifically name them, ask yourself why you have these emotional reactions. Let them pour over you. Embrace the positive emotions and find constructive ways to release the negative ones.
Or, you can try writing. Think of this as a journal entry – what do you feel? Write it down. Why are you feeling that way? Write it down. Is there anything positive about those feelings? Make a note of that, too.
In the end, learning how to be more in-tune to your body and emotions can take time and patience, but the positive results are well worth the effort.
Think about the last time you had to make a tough decision while in a bad mood or having negative thoughts. Did you make the right choice? Was it difficult to concentrate? You want to make healthy decisions, so find the techniques that work for you to release that negativity – you can read our suggestions in this article about releasing negativity and toxic people. If you already have a method, do that!
Creating a healthy relationship with yourself is the start of a truly healthy life.
Becoming one with your subconscious mind
The best way to become one with your intuition is by learning how to communicate with your body. It’s about understanding what it’s trying to tell you – and also – understanding how you feel in the moment. When you experience sensations like hunger or anger, think about why you’re feeling that way – what sparked your hunger or anger, and what was the trigger? Do your best to dig deep into your depths and find genuine answers.
By understanding your intuition and gaining self-awareness of how it works for you, you’ll learn to trust what it tells you and have a much stronger hold on your emotional reactions. As we mentioned earlier, intuition is part of your survival instincts. Some people call intuition your ‘second brain’ – more on that in a second. However, just as it’s a good idea to think initial reactions through before acting using your ‘first brain’, it’s a good idea to do the same for your ‘second brain’. So, sometimes you’ll need to thank your body for speaking up, but also let yourself know that you’re going to be okay. It’s a two-way conversation.
Your intuition can help you discover your true feelings and desires. The more in-tune you are with it, the better off you’ll be. Learn to communicate with it, and you’ll feel more confident and comfortable with yourself than ever before.
Allowing inner wisdom to be your guide
Turning off your analytical mind and allowing your intuitive voice to take over can be a little unnerving at first. But, it’s good to understand that fighting or ignoring your intuition can do you more harm than good. Your body senses something familiar – good or bad – and gives a signal on how to react. You either choose to ignore the gut feeling or go with it. Which one is the right decision is dependent on the situation, of course, and can take practice to figure out quickly.
But did you know that the gut is often referred to as the ‘second brain’ because of how it processes information? It contains more than 100 million neurons! It’s at least over two times more than the spinal cord. This information processing power allows your gut to connect thoughts and emotions in a way that’s felt physically in your body. Think ‘gut wrenching’ or ‘butterflies’ – they’re both triggered by that wonderful gut of yours!
So, as you become more in tune with your conscious thoughts and feelings, you’ll find yourself becoming more in tune with the unconscious ones as well. This will result in better decisions in all areas of your life, and you’ll feel confident in listening to what your intuitive voice has to say.
Will you let your intuition help you?
We all have that inner voice talking to us – but not everyone listens. And if you don’t know how to listen to it, be sure to use and practice the techniques mentioned above. Once you get a grip of understanding your intuition and following it, you’ll find a whole new world of possibilities open up to you. Decisions won’t be as difficult. You’ll be more confident because you’ll understand yourself better and know why you want what you want. Because of that, you’ll be steps closer to living a better life and able to communicate better with those around you.
Let us and the other readers know how listening to your intuition has served you in the past. Feel free to share in the comments below. We can’t wait to find out where it’s taken you.
As always, peace & love.
Xoxo,
Vibrant Honey