How to unlock your intuition

Some of the most common messages I get on social media sound like this:

I can’t hear my gut feeling! What’s wrong with me? Is my intuition simply not there?!

First of all – nothing is wrong with you. You’re wonderful.  

And second of all, you may be unknowingly blocking your intuition! Yup – this can happen!

That’s why I wanted to talk more about what’s blocking your intuition and tell you more what are the five most common reasons you can’t hear your gut instinct. Pay attention to your experience and the feeling that comes along with it. Listen to that soft inner voice and learn how to distinguish between fear and intuition.

Here’s a question for you.     

Do you feel confident when making decisions?

I used to struggle with doubt every single time I had to make a decision. It didn’t matter how big or small – I’d toss and turn at night, questioning myself about my life until finally falling asleep from exhaustion.

It wasn’t until I learn to work on removing my blockages that I was finally able to feel okay with each decision. I still have my fears but the process of trying to find answers to my life is no longer burdening me and clouding my mind because I use pay attention to my intuitive feelings that guide me.

Imagine yourself doing the same – how effortless it’d all be!

Here are the five most common reasons why you have a hard time listening to your gut feeling.

1. Your rational mind is too strong

Has this happened to you?

You KNOW you’re right about something but it feels just too wild to be true – and you decide to go with logic instead. 

If you want your intuition to work, sometimes you’ve got to trust what you feel – and not what you see. Listening to your gut means believing without seeing. Let go – and trust yourself to take you on the path where you belong.

 2. Your ego gets in the way

Nothing good happens when the ego gets in the driving seat in your life and letting the ego find answers to everything in your life. Your ego may easily block everything on its way - the voice of reason and intuition included. 

The thing is, your ego wants you to think you know everything there is to know. It can easily trick you to rely and believe only on what you see - and not on what you feel. (the completely opposite of intuition!) 

The ego is loud and demanding and wants you to be scared. That’s why ego-driven people are always closed-minded - they’re simply scared.

3. You’re feeling too anxious or depressed

Have you noticed that whenever you’re anxious or depressed there’s always this question at the back of your mind: What do I do?

It’s as if you feel this urge to do something to get better, even though you don’t even know what that something is. That’s just your mind being overwhelmed – and your body having a normal reaction to stress.

If you want to help yourself, slow down. Stress is blocking your intuition and clouding your judgment. Your intuition doesn’t work on demand – you can’t force it and you can’t look for it.  

4. You don’t trust yourself

Do you feel scared each time you have to make a decision?

There isn’t anything coherently bad about fear. After all, fear is what kept our ancestors alive. Unfortunately, fear can be one of the biggest reasons why you can’t hear your gut!

See, the thing is that plenty of people experience fear in the same part of the body where intuition shows up – in the stomach. Naturally, you later doubt – is it fear or is it my gut talking?

One of the best ways to trust yourself more is to build your self-esteem. Encourage yourself each time when you make a good decision. Spend time on your own personal development.

All of that will do wonders for your inner voice!

 

5. You feel disconnected from yourself

Talking about working on yourself… Do you regularly take the time out to work on yourself?

Everyone has an intuition. But you won’t be able to hear it if you don’t work on connecting with your true self.  

Start by tending to your emotional needs – nurture yourself. Be your own best friend. 

You’ll soon start noticing just how much more you’re able to rely on your gut.

 

Sometimes, this happens:

You ignore what your gut is telling you to do – and it’s the best decision ever!

But do you want me to tell you a secret?

That wasn’t your intuition you ignored. It was fear!

Yeah, I know it’s confusing, so let me explain. Notice how I said gut over there – I didn’t 

say intuition. Intuition is never wrong – but fear often is.

However, the tricky part is that both intuition and fear are felt in the stomach!

That is one of the most common reasons why people are afraid to use their gut more – they let fear guide them. (and we all know what happens when fear takes over)

When I was first tapping into spirituality, this was one of my biggest struggles.

Intuition vs. fear – how do you know which one is talking to you? How do you make the 

difference between your inner voice – and your worst fears?

Well, keep reading on to find out more!  

 

Intuition vs. fear – here’s how to tell the difference:

·   Intuition is always about the present

Fear often drives you to act based on past trauma or future anxieties. On the other side, your intuition is always offering guidance about a present moment.

For example – this is an extreme example so you get the point – imagine you’re walking back home.

You suddenly decide to make a turn and grab a warm latte in the Starbucks you’re passing by. And you don’t even drink latte to begin with! Five minutes later, a car comes crashing on the sidewalk – exactly on the same spot where you were moments ago!

 

·   Intuition is never limiting

Fear is conditional – if you don’t do that, then this happens.

However, intuition is never restricting. It’s more like a sensation, an idea – some sudden knowledge about something you can’t yet see.

Intuition won’t say to you – if you don’t move, a car will come crashing onto you! You simply get an impulse that you act upon – and it may even save your life.

 

·   Intuition is always kind

Fear is cruel – and has a way of making you judge yourself. Intuition never judges – it simply guides you.

Intuitive feelings are kind and reassuring, making you feel safe. The message you get is always clear but never loud and nagging.  

 

·   Intuition never feels heavy

People often describe fear as heavy and demanding.

On the other side, intuition feels… definite but liberating. Most of the time, intuition won’t even have a specific emotion tied to it. 

It’ll show up as a sensation of knowing and understanding – even if you rationally can’t explain what that knowledge is. 

What can you do about it?

Here’s how to avoid mixing intuition and fear in your everyday life.

Know your triggers

Fear can be triggered by old wounds, past trauma or even your weak spots.

Make a list of all your fears and triggers – and keep it close to you. Next time when you’re experiencing a strong reaction and can’t decide whether that’s fear or your gut instinct talking, check that list.

Remember: gut instinct is never triggered nor can be requested – it simply shows up!

Empaths – beware of other people’s fears

Do you know that other people’s fears can send you mixed signals about your own intuition?

Empaths – and overly-sensitive people in general – are the most affected group. They can easily get overwhelmed by other people’s fears and confuse them with their own!

If you know that you’re sensitive, before you make any major decision, take the time to be on your own. Restore your energy. Let your own gut feeling rise up to the surface – and guide you to the right place.

Spend time meditating

Get to know yourself better when meditating. Become more aware of the thoughts in your head.

Breathe deeply. Allow yourself to feel and listen – and experience both positive and negative emotions. Get down to the core of your emotions including the sensations your feel in your body.

What happens when you’re scared? What happens when you’re happy? What sensations do you experience in sadness? And what do you do when you’re excited? 

Get to know how you respond to each of those emotions. Next time you’re in doubt, you may be able to recognize fear more easily and give room for intuition to enter and let your ego take a back seat to find the answer your need.