What Is Intuition?

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Many of us brush it aside when somebody says they ‘had a feeling’ or it was just their ‘intuition’. However, the sixth sense that comes into play in certain situations or when we need to make decisions could actually be very real and can help you to make better choices in the future.

Intuition: A Definition

Intuition is the inner voice in your head that tells you whether something is or isn’t a good idea. Some situations are clear, and you’re able to tell right away whether you should or shouldn’t do something – most people in your situation would make the same decision. However, there are other situations, where the outcome might seem perfectly reasonable or it doesn’t look like anything bad could possibly happen, but something just ‘tells you’ that you shouldn’t do it. It’s that type of situation where your intuition comes into play, and people can often become confused about what that is.

What Causes Intuition?

Some people who are spiritual or religious often believe that the voice which tells them to make certain decisions is from a god or a higher being. While there is no scientific evidence to suggest this, it’s certainly a popular idea which many people would agree with.

Other people believe that it’s just a natural thing that we’re born with, and many scientists would tend to go with this idea. However, one problem is that some people are good at using their intuition to make the right choices, while others aren’t and ignore this inner voice. This is mainly due to people being in denial about intuition being a real thing, so when they feel compelled to make a certain decision, they will make the opposite choice because they don’t believe their intuition is very important.

How to Use Your Intuition Better

The important thing when it comes to using your intuition is not to overthink it. Once you start overthinking, you’ll end up becoming confused by incoming information– from your intuition and from other thoughts and ideas in your head. Not every single situation requires you to use your intuition – only those which need that inner feeling will require it. If you get a gut feeling about a situation, go with it.

Four Reasons We Don’t Trust Our Intuition

Trusting your intuition can take courage, but unfortunately, we just don’t seem to trust our intuition and go with our gut. There are many reasons why you might feel blocked from trusting your own instincts, and here are some of the most common.

Previous Mistakes

If you’ve made mistakes in your past, you’ll be more hesitant about trusting your instincts in the future. This doesn’t mean that you won’t ever trust your intuition, but you’ll be more apprehensive about your initial reactions to situations and will try to overthink it before making a final decision. In order to reverse this, you should try not to think about any previous mistakes that you have made. Rather you should concentrate on the future and visualize a life where you make the correct choices. However, be careful not to raise your expectations too high, otherwise you may not meet them—and become discouraged.

Concern about Other People’s Opinions

In some circumstances, your gut feeling is different than everybody else seems to be thinking. Due to peer pressure, you might be worried about what people will think if you make a different choice. It’s important not to worry too much about what people think about you, since they’re going to form their own opinions and think whatever they want anyway.

Don’t Believe in Intuition

Another reason why people don’t trust their instincts is because they don’t believe it’s a real thing. However, this issue requires each individual person to make their own decisions about intuition and whether or not it should be trusted. The common belief that ‘it’s just a feeling’ can often be strong and can help you to make better decisions.

No Self-Trust

If you have a lot of self-doubt, you’ll be very tentative when it comes to going with your initial response. This might not necessarily be just for life changes and decisions, but  also when you’re taking tests or doing other things which require you to be a little more courageous. Building up your own courage and self-confidence is something which takes time and effort. However, once you’ve got self-confidence, there won’t be anything to stop you.

Stop Overthinking and Access Your Intuition

It’s a very common problem for a lot of people. Statistically, women tend to overthink situations more than men do. Whether it’s a job interview, going on a first date, saying yes to a marriage proposal, or deciding to go to a party during the weekend, we all may overthink the situation and turn it into something it isn’t.

Why Do We Overthink?

There are several reasons why you might start overthinking certain situations. One of the main reasons is worry and anxiety. If you get anxious easily, you’re more likely to start overthinking a situation, regardless of how important it really is. People who have the tendency to overthink a lot will start thinking about the potential bad outcomes of a situation. Then they sometimes may talk themselves out of doing certain things, such as going for a job interview or meeting a first date.

Another reason for overthinking concern about what might happen in the future. For example, if you’re dating somebody and thinks start getting more serious, many of us will overthink and start getting anxious about what could potentially happen in the situation.

Can You Stop Overthinking?

The best way to stop overthinking is to first start being more positive about situations. Rather than visualizing the bad things that might happen, visualize the good things and fill your mind with positive thoughts. Yes, you might get rejected at the interview, but you have as much chance as everybody else of getting the job and being successful.

Make a list of all the things that you’re worried about and write down the positive outcomes that could happen. Focus on this throughout the day, and whenever you start to worry, quickly change to one of your positive thoughts. You can also repeat positive affirmations to keep the right frame of mind.

Sometimes you just have to let yourself go with the flow and accept the situation – it could turn out great!

How Do You Access Your Intuition?

You don’t always need to have positive thoughts and go with everything that you’re faced with. Sometimes you will have a bad feeling about something, and it’s okay to reject it or make a different decision. Accessing your intuition is when you allow yourself to follow your instincts.

You won’t always have a strong gut feeling about everything. Unless you have your inner voice screaming at you not to do something, it’s probably fine to go ahead. And if you have a lot of information about a situation, use the reasoning side of your brain. Don’t ignore what is the obvious choice just because your gut tells you differently.

Intuition has gotten me through a lot of school, crazy situations, and led me to my beloved husband.

However, I have been a chronic overthinker – which was in evidence while I was in practice as a surgeon. I would repeatedly go over (and over) a surgery the night before until I was exhausted during the surgery! It wasn’t a good way to be and it wasn’t sustainable long-term.

I think I have gotten that part under control now (fingers crossed).

Have you ever been in a situation that turned out well because you listened to your intuition? Tell us about it in the comments.

Loving Life—The Reboot!

Dominique