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When we’re faced with a difficult, weighty decision, we may spend days, weeks, or even months wrestling with the question,
“What do I do?”
Nights spent tossing and turning, a stomach consistently full of dread, a persisting headache, and even a loss of focus throughout the day are some of the symptoms of a decision left unmade.
We may seek out the help and advice of our friends. Our family. Or even the professional help of a therapist.
But what if there was another way we could connect with ourselves to shed light on the choice we need to make, and the path we need to take?
You know what I’m talking about. You’ve felt that feeling.
It’s our intuition.
Our intuition is an intelligent, powerful, and even life-changing tool that has the complete capability of guiding us to where we need to go.
But our intuition is easy to forget about.
Every day, our lives are weighed down with layers of distracting complications that shift our attention away from our very own, very capable faculties.
Smart phones, the Web, and social media are all quick to tell us what we should and shouldn’t do with our lives, making it easy to ignore our own internal compasses, and our intuitions.
So if you’re still struggling with making a decision, or trying to decide what path you should take, don’t look to these distractions any more for guidance.
Instead, look to your intuition.
Or better yet, tap into your intuition.
Follow these steps to listen to and understand your own intuition for the ultimate guidance.
8 Steps to Connect with Your Intuition for the Ultimate Guidance
1. Go to your place of solace. While your intuition is always with you wherever you go, it’s often easier to tap into it if you’re in a quiet place. Where do you typically go to disconnect? Go on a walk, or head to your favorite park. Ideally, immerse yourself in nature. Leave your phone behind to disconnect completely. Mentally and physically remove yourself from the situation at hand.
2. Quiet your mind. Once you’ve found a comfortable, quiet place of solace, take a few moments to quiet your mind. Your inner dialogue chatters away at all hours of the day, voicing your worries, fears, and frustrations. Calm your inner dialogue by taking deep breaths, and focusing on the here and now. As you take deep, calming breaths, listen to the sounds of nature around you, and feel the tension slowly begin to leave your body with every exhale.
3. Acknowledge your fears. Once you’ve quieted your mind, shift your thoughts to what has been holding you back. We often turn to our intuition when we feel fear or insecure. Take a step closer in connecting to your intuition by acknowledging your fears. Are you scared of what could happen if you choose to take this unknown path? Are you worried about what others will think? Or who you’ll let down if you don’t succeed? Recognize all your fears that are keeping you from moving forward.
4. Use your journal as a guide to your thoughts. Once you’ve brought attention to your fears, write them all down. Elaborate as much as you need to. As you commit your thoughts to paper, you’ll find that it’s not only an alleviating process, but also that it helps to sort through your emotions. Use your journal as a guide in understanding your own thoughts and feelings.
5. Detach from the excess weight. Once you’ve identified all your fears, frustrations and doubts by writing them down, let yourself detach from the excess weight. Let go of these worries and misgivings about yourself, about the decisions you need to make. Your fears are nothing but mental roadblocks on your path to personal fulfillment. Let go them, and all that does not serve you.
6. Pay attention to your senses. Access your intuition by tuning into your senses. Is your stomach filled with dread? Or do you feel a shiver of excitement when you imagine the outcome of what you really desire? Your intuition is a powerful tool that may not always deliver a visible answer. What is your body telling you? Look for the subtle signals. When something is right, you’ll feel an almost comforting sense of relief. If something requires more time or is a no-go for you, you may feel an aching, uncomfortable sense of anxiety.
7. Trust your gut feeling. Your emotions and intuition have a close relationship, specifically in the gut. The gut is lined with an intricate network of neurons, and commonly referred to as the “second brain.” In fact, it has more neurons than the spinal cord and peripheral nervous system, but still less than the brain. Hence why much of the weight of our decisions seems to sink to our bellies. Listen to your gut. What is it telling you?
8. Move forward. Once you’ve ascertained what your gut is telling you, move forward. Whether you’re going to take a leap of faith and head down a new path, or if you’ve decided a move is too risky at this point, embrace your decision and allow yourself to look ahead. Don’t dwell on the past or let yourself be weighed down by doubts anymore. Trust your intuition, and let it guide you forward.
