Trusting your intuition

Photography by Danielle Ann Rose @bydanielleannrose

There are two ways that I know when I am living in alignment; intuition and intention

In this post, I’ll be sharing about intuition so keep an eye out for a future post about intention

It is so important to me that I can trust my intuition, and stand confident in the things I *know.* Intuition is that feeling in your gut when you can sense something bad is going to happen before it does, when you see someone and can immediately tell they’re upset before they show any indication that could be the case, or even when you’re making a decision and you just know what to choose without conscious reasoning

Everyone is intuitive, but not everyone has the ability to use or understand their intuition to its full potential, this is why I’ve spent my whole life listening to mine, to practise actually hearing what it’s saying, and being able to trust it instinctively

This is a widely studied psychological concept, and yet it seems so simple, it’s just like listening to your heart, and choosing what feels right for you. No one knows what’s best for you, better than you do, so learn to listen and trust in your inner knowing

Ways to strengthen your intuition:

Become more present. Avoid going into autopilot, even when you’re eating, driving, working or doing anything considered “mundane,” when we have these periods of time alone during our day to day lives, we tend to switch off, think about what we need to get done later or even just distract ourselves with social media but when we do that, we’re limiting ourselves from hearing the wisdom of our intuition, it’s in moments of stillness and silence that we can receive our greatest epiphanies. We can practise presence through meditation, by quieting the mind and sitting with what is. When we do, we create the opportunity to actually hear what our intuition is communicating

Build self-trust. By being your word and doing the things you say you’ll do (or not do) you’re proving to yourself that you have your own back. By doing this you are also building confidence in your inner knowing, when we constantly listen, trust and follow through with what it’s telling us, we come to realise the strength in its wisdom. When you have faith in yourself it becomes easier to trust that intuitive voice or gut feeling. Being able to hear it is one thing but when you can respect and follow its guidance without fear or doubt, knowing it’s the right thing for you, that’s where the true magic lives

Self-reflection. When we regularly check in with ourselves to see how we are feeling, we can begin to see patterns and have awareness around which areas of our lives we are thriving in and which areas could use some change. It can be so easy for us to get caught up in repeating the same habits every day, getting through life but not actually enjoying it, that’s why it’s so important to reflect, question and become curious about how we truly feel and why. After some practise it’ll become easier to intuitively know what changes need to be made and what new habits need to be prioritised

Test your intuition. Whether you ask it a specific question or for general guidance, listen for the answer and look for signs, you may feel it somewhere in your body, like your gut or your heart, I personally feel my intuition coming from my sternum/solar plexus. You may not feel any physical sensations at all, you could just *know* the answer or hear it in your mind, everyone is different so learn what it feels like for you and allow it to show you it’s worth listening to and trusting in

Society teaches us that someone else always knows better than we do, whether it be our parents, teachers, governments or any other figure of authority, we’re led to believe that we don’t know what’s best for our own lives and that we should blindly trust someone else’s opinions and decisions. Too many people get caught up in the words being spoken over their lives, the opinions and stories others have made up in their minds, but how could they possibly know more about you than you do

Fear of judgement can cause us to suppress and ignore our intuition because we’re worried we might be making the wrong decision based on what someone else thinks is right, but the thing is, this is your life and you get to choose what’s best for you, regardless of what others believe. If you’re following your intuition, then it is not a rash or wrong decision, because you know it’s the right thing for you and that’s all that matters

Others may misunderstand you and your motivations, and sometimes you might even second guess things you “know” because you don’t quite understand where those thoughts and ideas are coming from, but that is when the strong trust you have created within yourself comes in, it’s in these moments you’ll be able to stand up for yourself and what you believe in even if it’s scary

I know I am living in alignment when I can clearly hear and wholeheartedly trust my intuition because when I hear that inner voice keeping me safe or nudging me towards my greater potential, it lights me up. I feel like I am on the path to becoming the person I was born to be, and that is honestly so fulfilling

If you’re someone who feels lost or unsure of your direction in life, I highly recommend building a stronger relationship with your inner knowing, this connection will guide you, stretch you and protect you. You have what it takes to create the life you’ve always dreamed for yourself and your time is now