How To Tune Into Intuition
What is intuition? What is your gut feeling all about?
You have one hundred million neurons (also called nerve cells or brain cells) in your intestines. The gut is now being referred to by many scientists as the gut-brain. Your heart, in addition to its other functions, also acts as a heart-brain. It’s made up of about 40,000 neurons, all of which can sense, feel, learn and remember.
We have three brains communicating together at any one point in time. Each organ has complex neuro-networks and is able to store and process information, and each has the capacity for neuroplasticity.
Many ancient wisdom teachings have put great emphasis on checking into one’s own innate intelligence, speaking about following the wisdom of the heart and gut feelings. In recent years technology and neuroscience have finally advanced enough to prove these wisdom teachings to be correct so we now know for sure… our bodies have not one, but three brains. Each of which have different ways of ‘knowing’.
We make a lot of decisions every day and these decisions are what determine the direction and quality of our lives. Some are little. Some are completely life-altering. All of them matter as you steer the course of your life at each juncture.
Strategy 1:
Take a slow moment and be with yourself. Allow yourself to say things to the self that you have been ignoring or been taught to ignore.
Maybe you feel something is not okay (your gut-brain speaking). You are afraid or unsure of which way to go.
Ask yourself the what-if question -- both the positive and negative. What if I knew the truth for sure what would it mean for me? I.e. what if I knew that I would lose my job or be promoted, that my partner is ready to commit to me, that the move abroad will bring me opportunities, that my new business will be successful...
Listen to what each answer means to you. What are you relieved about? What are you happy to let go of? What do you still want? What are you still unsatisfied with? Thinking about an absolute yes or no gives you space to see what is underlying your desire, want or fear. You have a chance to really question if you want what you have been chasing, or only chasing something because you felt you couldn’t have it.
By asking yourself the question and allowing a complete unequivocal answer to come, you allow yourself the chance to get back to your gut feeling of what you really want. We so often get answers that straddle the middle ground. By breaking down the options into something tangible, you have the chance to judge what you really want, putting fear aside.
Strategy 2:
When we get stuck with a decision that needs to be made, checking in with where that stuck feeling is coming from is an incredibly powerful way of enhancing our decisions. Because where you feel that sense of unease determines what you should do with it.
The easiest way to practice Head, Heart, Gut thinking is to take a problem and spend a few seconds concentrating on where you physically feel the problem. Where do you feel it? Because where you feel a problem informs how to process it and what you do with it. When you get into the habit of using three brains decision making becomes quicker and more decisive.
The basic principle is that if you feel the problem in:
Your Head: You need more information or need to spend time calculating a decision
Your Heart: Your emotions are involved, so spend time with your feelings, hopes and dreams
Your Gut: Your fight or flight system has kicked in so you need time to address your fears.
It may be that you are feeling uncertain and you need to get more information or get someone else’s opinion. You could be feeling really tired and actually need some rest before making a decision. Or you may be feeling fearful because the decision might lead to you getting hurt. The more practiced you become at figuring out what type of problem you are facing the better you will become at using the right tools to solve it.
There are two ways when I really use Head, Heart, Gut thinking: when I’m not sure if I’m making the right decision and when something just doesn’t feel right.
I had to make a big decision recently around a new opportunity. On the surface, it seemed like a pretty straightforward ‘just go for it’ situation. But I had some unsettled feelings. Rather than just jumping in and seeing what happens, I spent a few days imagining I had made a decision either way and really sat with my head, heart and gut. I wrote some pros and cons, talked to friends, gathered more information. In the end, I made the decision to not go for it. What was most powerful for me was that in that process I spent that time thinking and feeling about what I really wanted. The answer was: what I already had.
Clarity comes when you tune into the brain, heart and gut….
Are you interested in working on your personal development? Are you looking for a life coach or a life consultant? Are you feeling stagnant? Do you want to jumpstart change?
My transformational approach is a process where awareness, alignment, and action work together as catalysts to create momentum for change.
*Awareness is knowing what you genuinely want and need.
*Alignment is the symmetry between our values and our actions. It means our inner and outer worlds match.
*Action is when you are conscious that what you say, do and think are in harmony with your values.
Together we build an understanding of what you want to accomplish, and delve deeply into building awareness around any thoughts and assumptions that you may already have. To truly transform your life, I will empower you to rethink what’s possible for you.
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Learn more about my approach to life consulting and relationship coaching here or get in touch for your free 30-minute consultation here! Don’t forget to follow along @LilyManne on social for more regular updates!
