How to Tell the Difference Between Intuition and Anxiety

Anxiety vs intuition: How can we tell the difference?

Trusting your intuition can be challenging for all of us – especially those of us who suffer from anxiety. An anxious mind can make it tough to distinguish your intuitive feelings from the loud, fearful voice of anxiety. However, it is possible to learn to separate your gut instinct from anxiety and this can be an important first step in anxiety management. Once you know how to tune in to your inner voice, it becomes easier to develop self-trust and confidence.

Jump To:

• What is intuition?
• The challenge of trusting your intuition
• The difference between intuitive feelings and anxiety
• Examples of anxious thoughts
• Symptoms of anxious thoughts
• Examples of intuitive thoughts
• Symptoms of intuitive thoughts
• The importance of having good intuition
• Separating anxiety from intuition
• Final thoughts

WHAT IS INTUITION?

Intuition is the part of you that knows the answer to things before your mind consciously reasons through it. It’s an instinctive sense that arises from deep within. When we say we had a “gut feeling,” or “just knew” about something, we’re referring to our intuition.

Intuition draws from your past experiences, collective consciousness, and present-moment awareness to provide a deep knowing. Even if you can’t fully explain the reasoning behind an intuitive hunch using your rational mind, your intuition synthesizes subtle cues your conscious mind may overlook. By learning to discern the voice of your intuition and trust it, you can make better decisions that honor your higher self.

Your intuition may pick up on subtle signals your conscious mind misses, synthesizing information from your:

Personal preferences and values

Lived experiences

Biological responses

Unconscious memories

Subconscious cues from your surroundings

THE CHALLENGE OF TRUSTING YOUR INTUITION

One challenge that comes with rebuilding your relationship with your intuition is that anxiety sometimes “speaks” to us in a similar way – as a subconscious voice with a strong opinion.

Anxiety vs intuition: Unlike the gentle nudge of our intuition, the warning voice of anxiety stems from the nervous system being in a state of high alert. When we are in a state of fight or flight, we are biologically programmed to avoid, attack, or run away from any potential threats. It can be hard to sift through this noise and hear the subtler voice of our intuition – especially before we learn to recognize which voice is speaking to us. 

Everyone has an intuition. However, through conditioning, trauma, etc., many of us have lost touch with our inner sense of knowing and need to learn how to hear that small voice again. It may take practice to rebuild your ability to hear and trust your intuition, but it can be done.

Read Also Why Is My Intuition Cloudy? How To Build Trust With Your Higher Self:

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN INTUITIVE FEELINGS AND ANXIETY

Both anxiety and intuition can create strong, visceral reactions, but when you’re really tuned in, you’ll notice they don’t feel the same in your mind or body. Anxiety is usually accompanied by swirling thoughts and physical symptoms of stress. On the other hand, intuition is. usually a clear, straightforward sense of knowing, accompanied by a sense of peace and confidence.

Examples of Anxious Thoughts

Anxious thoughts tend to catastrophize minor issues, jumping to worst-case scenarios and ruminating endlessly.

“I’m going to mess up and get fired.”

“They didn’t reply, they must hate me.”

“I can’t stop thinking about all the potential threats.”

These kinds of anxious thoughts are fear-based. When we feel apprehensive about something because it is scary, that’s often stemming from anxiety. Anxiety says, “don’t do that – you might get hurt.”

Symptoms of Anxious Thoughts

When we are experiencing apprehension due to anxiety, these thoughts are often accompanied by other symptoms of anxiety like:

Accelerated heart rate

Sweaty palms

Disorientation

Hyperventilation

Dissociation

Dread

Fear

Examples of Intuitive Thoughts

In contrast, your intuition speaks to you in a clear, concise way and provides a sense of calm certainty. Intuitive thoughts may sound like this:

“I don’t know why, but taking that job doesn’t feel right.”

“Something seems off, I need to listen to my gut here.”

“I just feel like moving to a new city is the right move for me.”

Symptoms of Intuitive Thoughts

When your intuition is guiding you in a certain direction, even when it may be a scary decision, the sense of knowing is usually accompanied by a sense of calm clarity. You may feel:

Peace

Resolve

Excitement

Confidence

Clarity

Anxiety leaves you caught in obsessive worry loops, while intuition brings an ineffable sense of knowing and comfort. Even if your intuition is driving you away from some-thing/one/where, the decision usually feels straightforward and obvious rather than muddy and panic-inducing. (Important note: just because intuition may make something obvious, that doesn’t necessarily mean it will seem easy.)

THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING GOOD INTUITION

Intuition is like a “sixth sense” that helps us to make fast, accurate decisions in a pinch without using our conscious mind to reason through the “why.”

While the exact internal mechanism of intuition is debated, one thing is clear: Our intuition picks up on cues that we aren’t consciously aware of.

For example, your intuition may steer you away from an aggressive dog based on missed visual cues of their body language, sounds too high-pitched for conscious awareness, or other environmental factors your brain rapidly processes without you realizing it.

When you experience a strong intuitive pull about a person or situation, there are usually many small details subconsciously adding up to that gut feeling, even if you can’t articulate each factor individually.

If you can pick up on your body’s subtle cues that tell you when your intuition is speaking to you, it can help you avoid dangerous situations and attract positive ones. Our intuition is incredibly helpful when it comes to creating new relationships, stumbling into “right place, right time” situations, and making important decisions. Here are some of the ways that being in alignment with your higher self and listening to your intuition can improve your life:

Improved decision-making, especially around important life choices

Ability to identify potential threats and protect yourself

Living with more authenticity and confidence

Less second-guessing and improved mental health

Greater wisdom and self-trust

SEPARATING ANXIETY FROM INTUITION

If you’re ready to rebuild your relationship with your intuition and stop mistaking that inner voice of knowing for anxiety symptoms, you’re in the right place. Let’s look at some effective ways to discern your intuition from anxious thoughts.

Meditate

If you’re having a hard time discerning your voice of intuition from your anxious thoughts, meditation is a great way to relax into the present moment and let go of outside influences that may be triggering your anxiety. The practice of relaxing your mind and body can help quiet anxious chatter in your brain and interrupt your fear pattern. Deep breathing is a good tool to help calm your nervous system to reach calm clarity.

During your meditation, try to focus on your breath or the feeling of your body. Let go of any thoughts – anxious or otherwise. If you can reach a state of calmness and you receive a message about your question that arrives with a feeling of deep knowing, peace, clarity, and resolve, you’ll know it came from your intuition rather than your anxiety.

Read More: Meditation 101 For Beginners (+3 Easy Techniques To Try!)

Observe Your Body 

Our bodies carry a lot more information than we give them credit for. If you pay close attention, your body gives you clues about your emotions all the time! Do you feel tension in your shoulders, chest, or head? Is your heart rate elevated? Are you shaking or sweaty? Notice the physical symptoms you’re feeling in different scenarios and during different though patterns. If you’re feeling uncomfortable or tense when thinking about something, it may be a clue that you’re experiencing fear and anxiety.

On the flip side, intuitive hunches may manifest as subtle physical sensations like a feeling of “lightness” or “vitality.”

Sleep On It 

Anxious thoughts can be all-consuming in the moment. The longer we think about what could happen, the scarier and more intense it becomes. Oftentimes, after a little time and space, it’s easier to regain some perspective on a problem. Sleep is also a time for our subconscious minds to “speak” a little louder. Pay attention to your dreams and to how you feel about your problem in the first few moments you’re awake. If you go to sleep and wake up with the same thought day after day, perhaps it’s something you should listen to.

Write in a Journal

Journaling allows you to process all of your thoughts and to look at the inner workings of your mind in black in white. If you have a tough decision to make, consider writing about your dilemma for a few days and then read over what you wrote. Wherever you use words like “scared,” “fear,” “worry,” etc, dig deeper into those feelings. Are you leaning one way or the other because you’re anxious about what could go wrong? Where is that fear coming from? Are those fears founded? Is your heart and your gut telling you something different?

Identify Fear 

When trying to determine whether your knee-jerk reaction is anxiety-based or truly your intuition, ask yourself: Is this a legitimate potential threat, or am I catastrophizing? A good indicator of intuition is if the instinct or answer arises without an exaggerated emotional reaction. When you follow the thread of your response, it is coming from a place of fear? If so, are you worried the alternative will lead to rejection, imperfection, embarrassment, etc? Or is legitimately dangerous in some way? Be honest with yourself about why may be jumping to a given conclusion and be honest with yourself about where your fears stem from.

(Related: 21 Powerful Ways To Overcome Your Perfectionism)

Talk to a Trusted Friend 

Sometimes the best way to sort through your thoughts is to talk them through out loud. Try talking to a trusted friend or family member and tell them what you’re considering and why. Hearing someone else reflect your idea back to you may help you clarify the thought process and identify whether it came from a place of peace or fear. When you talk to a friend, does your gut reaction continue to sound like a better and better idea or does it become more confusing and cloudy? This could be a good indicator of whether it was your intuition or your anxiety speaking through you.

Build Self-Trust 

Obviously, it takes time to build self-trust and gain more confidence in your decision so this is the more long-term approach to discerning your anxiety from your sixth sense of intuition. The reality of anxiety is that it’s a feedback loop with low self-esteem. The more times you can prove to yourself that you’re capable of making good choices, the more you will trust yourself to make more good choices in the future. Remind yourself of times in the past that you’ve made good choices and things turned out well. This can help you to become more trusting of the little voice in your head when it arises. Some people can go their entire lives without truly learning to trust their intuition. This doesn’t have to be the case! Take time to invest in your relationship with yourself so that you can recognize and trust your feelings of intuition when they arise.

When In Doubt, Play It Safe

There will be some situations when you don’t have time to meditate or call a friend to sort through your gut reaction and determine its source. In the example of meeting an aggressive dog, if your gut says “Don’t pet the dog, it might bite you!” you’re much better off choosing not to pet the dog. You can always sort through your feelings later to help prepare for a similar situation in the future. Of course, none of us want to live in fear, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. Learning to identify and trust your intuition is an ongoing process and doesn’t need to be rushed – especially if that decision might have dangerous consequences.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Of course, intuition shouldn’t completely override rational thought – it works best when balanced with conscious reasoning. But learning to heed those gut instincts, especially with personal matters your rational mind may overthink, can be very valuable.

If you frequently experience anxiety attacks or a panic disorder that overrides your inner voice, professional help from a therapist experienced in treating anxiety may be recommended as part of your anxiety management strategy. Learning to distinguish the voice of fear from your intuitive wisdom takes time, but trusting your gut feelings can help you live with more confidence, peace of mind, and excitement.

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