So many of us struggle to grasp is this my anxiety or my Intuition? How do I separate each one? How do I know which to listen to? A good way to differentiate is... Intuition begins with a feeling Intuition usually starts as a feeling in our body (usually in our gut or heart) that if we stop and pay attention, turns into a thought.
During my second pregnancy I was deeply attuned to my body, I did a lot of "mental work". By the time my pregnancy reached 41 weeks I knew inside myself that my baby was well and healthy. When I was offered increased surveillance at 41 weeks I chose for myself twice weekly CTG monitoring but declined my wellbeing scan at 41 weeks as I trusted my baby was active and healthy. That day we started what turned out to be 3 days of latent phase labour followed by the birth of a healthy 4.1kg baby girl 10 days past her due date.
"Intuition is a hunch, a sense that this is the right way to go", "it's knowing something clearly, without knowing how you came to know it", "Intuition is a gut feeling. It happens without any effort from me". Intuition is "I feel like I want to call this friend I haven't talked to in a while" or "I feel like I want to take the bus instead of drive today". Intuitive thoughts can sometimes be random, but its worth developing this sense and learning to trust the thoughts that grow from a quiet feeling in our bodies.
Anxiety begins with a thought
Our anxiety is the exact opposite experience. It will usually start with a thought (or outside event/influence) "Wow, you messed that up and everyone is going to be mad at you" or "You'll never figure this out, you are going to let everyone down". And then that thought will turn INTO a feeling in my body. The rolling of our stomach, tightening of our chest, a quickening of my heartbeat. Now, this is not for everyone but more experience of what the difference feels like for me. I can now ask myself, "Did this start as a feeling or a thought?" And even if my anxiety is present in a situation, I can also look to see if my intuition feels present as well. So often I find the best things in my life bring up anxiety. It can be scary to pursue my passions, build a relationship, and ask for what I want! And so my anxious mind often has a lot to say about it. But if I stop and drop into the feeling place in my body I may also detect the encouragement, even if it's small, to walk through the fear. To take the risk! It's not always easy, but I haven't ever regretted following my intuition. Can you stop and drop into the feeling place where your body and intuition talk to you? What do they have to say today?
Credit to https://www.rachellyle.com/journal/intuition-vs-anxiety-do-you-know-the-difference.
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