2 Ways to Learn to Trust Your Intuition

There was a time in my life when I didn’t trust my intuition at all. My discernment has been questioned by weak leaders in my life who were intimidated by my intuition. My ability to trust my gut and my instincts got more and more dull the more I kept myself in traumatic situations. I thought I couldn’t trust my intuition anymore. I was told I was wrong, when I knew I was right. I was told my feelings were used to manipulate and couldn’t be trusted.

If you have a hard time trusting yourself and your intuition because of past experiences, or you simply have never really leaned into developing this essential quality of good leaders, then let me encourage you to try these two steps to help you not only HEAR that still small voice- but also to trust it.

Step #1- Slow Your Brain Down

We are programed by the society that we live in that busy is best. The problem is when our brain is always “On” it can never pause long enough to tune into what we are feeling. 

One of the best ways to slow your brain down and lean into your intuition is through exercises like yoga and meditation. When we slow our brains down and focus on our movement and our breath (like in Yoga) or on a single thought like meditation we have a change to hear what our heart is really feeling.

Step #2- Ask Yourself the RIGHT Questions

It might sound crazy but asking yourself questions is a great way to learn to trust your intuition. Once you quiet your mind you can start to explore what you are really feeling. 

For the trauma survivors listening, The ability to disconnect from our own thoughts, feelings, and identity is involuntary and strong. Because of this, asking yourself the right question is crucial. That ability to disconnect is called dissociation and it is a learned coping mechanism to survive you need to ask yourself questions to keep the mind-body connection strong. But you can relearn this critical skill. 

As I was researching how to ask yourself questions that your intuition can give answers to, I learned that quieting you mind is crucial. (innerself.com) You must be able to be still and quiet and not emotional to ask the right question. Some people do better with asking yes/no questions. But many do not. You will come up with a logical answer and not what your gut feels. Try open ended questions that are not emotionally charged, like “What can I do to get more customers for my business?” or “What can I do to improve my next relationship?”

And then pay attention to the first thought you have. It could be a feeling, a sensation, a picture, or even a word that rises in you. Whatever you experience is your intuition telling you how you feel.

The ability to hear your intuition and trust it is a quality that separates good leaders from great leaders. Your instincts matter. Your discernment matters. Let today be THE day that you choose to activate these steps and trust your intuition!

With grace & grit,

~Coach Raychel