Take a moment to do an intake: how often do you prioritize quiet and solitude? Do you default to a state presence or distraction? Do you trust your gut instinct? In our hurried lives, our minds are constantly filled with chatter as we aspire to keep up, but the good news is we all hold the power to tune inward and counter what pulls us out of balance by tuning into our intuition.
The Importance of Turning Inward
There’s so much we can unlock when we turn inward; in fact, it is the deepest care and concern that you can express to the world around you. It’s the best natural remedy you have available to ground ourselves when you are experiencing stress or anxiety, and it begins by connecting to yourself and becoming attuned to what is going on inside of you. When we are in flow as healthy and joyful human beings with a sense of fulfillment, the energy within ripples out into our relationships and communities.
There’s so much we can unlock when we turn inward; in fact, it is the deepest care and concern that you can express to the world around you.
Listening to the Body’s Messages
Our bodies are always sending us subtle cues—emotions, images, sensations, impulses, and stimuli that arise from inside us—and we have a choice to either tune into these messages or tune them out. We’ve all had the experience of listening to our gut and things going as planned and conversely not listening to our gut and having a psychological response (headache, stomachache, etc) and/or learning a hard lesson.
Tuning into these messages means we are able to reorient our attention from external situations and trust ourselves to make decisions; it feels like balance, joy, fulfillment, and security instead of emotional highs and lows. The process of turning inward is about paying attention with all of your senses and learning how to listen – how does your body react to stress or fear – and how does your mind respond to your body’s messages?
Re-Establish Connection to Your Intuition
When we spend our time flooded with distractions—scrolling, messaging, working—we generally spend less time listening to ourselves and shut down our natural ability to listen to our instincts. Research even proves that people who are depressed lose their ability to trust their instinct, have difficulty making decisions, and tend to ruminate or overthink. The same goes for being overtired or overworked; when we are mentally drained, it’s harder to hear ourselves clearly. Try to make sure your basic needs are met (enough sleep, nourishing food, daily movement) so that your mind can function at its best.
While it’s impossible to avoid distractions altogether, it’s possible to be more intentional about being present. Building intuition requires sitting alone with oneself, getting quiet and allowing our minds space to wander. Cultivating time and space for yin activities: moving our bodies, meditating, walking barefoot on the earth, practicing yoga, writing, being still…all lead the way to hearing our intuition more fully and elevating how we show up in the world. Re-establish connection with your intuition by making space in your life to do so and you’ll be amazed by the ripple effect of a strong intuition on other areas of your life.
So, what does a strong intuition feel like?
- A sense of inner quiet and harmony that does not feel disrupted or shaken by external circumstances
- You embrace-rather than fear-change because you view yourself as adaptable and open to possibility
- You live authentically and in alignment, and take small yet meaningful steps to achieve your vision
- Creativity, love, joy, and pleasure are abundant. You know the thoughts, behaviors, and rituals that feed your spirit.
- Decisions flow easier and you assign less weight to every single decision
- Living in the present, with a deep sense of awareness of self
