Trust Your Gut
In today’s times where we are constantly exposed to various; sometimes conflicting schools of thoughts, opinions and perspectives, trusting our gut instinct in decision making has become even more challenging. What I find my clients and myself struggle with more so, is the consequences of not listening to ourselves, and then living with the ‘I knew it! I should have trusted myself’ thoughts and feelings.
There is no doubt that our gut instinct is a valuable tool that often combines intuition, emotion, and subconscious reasoning. Listening to it can guide us in quick decisions, protect you from danger, and keep us aligned with our true values. However, the uncertainty and emotional risk involved in following your gut can make it difficult for people to trust. Practicing mindfulness, reflecting on past experiences, and allowing ourselves to experiment with decisions in lower-stakes situations can help us reconnect with and trust our intuition more fully.
What is a Gut Instinct?
A gut instinct (also referred to as a "gut feeling," "intuition," or "hunch") is a form of knowing or understanding something without the need for conscious reasoning. It's that internal feeling or sense that you get when making a decision or assessing a situation. This intuitive sense is often described as a "gut reaction" because people frequently feel it physically—like a "knot in the stomach" or a sense of unease in the pit of your stomach.
Gut instincts are often shaped by your experiences, emotions, and subconscious processing of information that you may not even be aware of. When faced with a decision or uncertainty, your brain can quickly process past experiences and knowledge, leading to an automatic and intuitive conclusion that can guide your choices.
Why is it Important to Listen to Your Gut?
Quick Decision-Making: Gut instincts are particularly helpful in situations that require rapid decisions, especially when there’s not enough time to weigh all options. It's like tapping into your brain’s subconscious expertise in the blink of an eye.
Emotional Intelligence: Your gut feeling is often tied to emotional intelligence. It reflects your ability to read people or situations without relying on logic or analytical thinking, which can be valuable in navigating complex interpersonal dynamics.
Self-Preservation: Gut instincts are sometimes tied to an evolutionary survival mechanism. When you feel uncomfortable in a situation, it might be your body's way of alerting you to potential danger, even if you can’t pinpoint why.
Unconscious Knowledge: Your subconscious mind collects an enormous amount of information that your conscious mind might not process. Gut instincts tap into this knowledge. For instance, you might have had a past experience that shapes your feelings about a situation, even if you don't consciously recall it.
Alignment with Core Values: Your gut feelings often align with your true values and desires, even when logic and external factors may point in a different direction. Listening to your gut can help you make decisions that feel authentic to who you are.
How to Try Listening to Your Gut
Slow Down and Breathe: Often, your gut instinct will be drowned out by overthinking or external noise. Try to slow down, take deep breaths, and clear your mind to become more aware of your feelings.
Tune Into Your Body: Pay attention to the physical sensations that arise. Does your stomach tighten? Do you feel uneasy or excited? These are often physical manifestations of your gut instincts.
Notice Patterns: Reflect on past situations where you've followed your gut and how it turned out. Do you tend to make good decisions when you listen to your intuition? Recognizing positive patterns can help you trust it more.
Practice Mindfulness: Engaging in mindfulness practices like meditation, journaling, or spending quiet time alone can enhance your connection to your intuition. The more you practice being aware of your inner thoughts, the better you can distinguish between fear and intuition.
Give Yourself Permission to Trust It: Start small—on less critical decisions like what to eat or what movie to watch. As you successfully follow your gut in these lower-stakes scenarios, you may gain more confidence in trusting it for bigger decisions.
Why Do People Not Trust Their Gut Instincts?
Fear of Making Mistakes: People often doubt their gut feelings because they fear being wrong or making a mistake. The desire to make a “rational” choice can sometimes override intuition.
Over-Reliance on Logic: Modern culture often prioritizes logic and analysis over emotions or feelings, especially in decision-making. Many people are conditioned to trust data, facts, and pros-and-cons lists instead of intangible feelings.
Past Experiences of Failure: If a person has followed their gut instinct and it led to a poor outcome in the past, they might become hesitant to trust it again. They may start doubting themselves or feeling like their instincts are unreliable.
External Pressure: When other people are involved in the decision-making process, they may not share your intuitive sense, or they may offer different advice. This can cause confusion and lead you to dismiss your gut in favor of external validation.
Cognitive Biases: Cognitive biases, like confirmation bias (looking for information that supports a specific viewpoint), can cloud judgment. These biases can make it difficult for people to differentiate between their gut feeling and a feeling influenced by their own beliefs or emotional state.
Not Recognizing It: Sometimes people confuse gut feelings with fear, anxiety, or wishful thinking. They might not recognize the difference between instinct and other emotional states, making them unsure of when to trust it.
Lack of Self-Awareness: If someone has not developed a strong sense of self-awareness, they may not even be in tune with their gut instincts. They may mistake those feelings for vague discomfort or disregard them as "irrational."