TRUST YOUR GUT

We hear that all of the time, but what does it really mean?  And how do you trust it? How do you know if it is really guiding you towards what is best for you?

Oh yeah...I get it.  But let me tell you this:  don’t overthink it. Trusting your gut, is tapping into your intuition. 

WHAT IS INTUITION?

For me, it’s easier to describe when you feel it.  Here are some examples:

• You are walking down the street and you just get a sense of uneasiness and know you need to cross the street.

• You think of a good friend and you call them and they say, “I was JUST thinking of you!”

• You were asked a question that required you to make a decision (not which peanut butter to pick...go bigger my friend).  And you KNEW the answer without hesitation. And you felt excited, calm and peaceful.

• You walk by a store and feel drawn to walk in and discover the book you’ve been looking for.

Can you relate to any of these?  

HOW DO I TAP INTO IT?

I love this question. I’m certainly not an expert in intuition, but it is something that I pay attention to and rely on constantly. You know when I’m tapping into it because I’ll say, “it feels right.” or “it just doesn’t feel right.”  

I feel that as a younger (less jaded) soul it was easier for me to “trust” and as I get older (Hey 38!) I have to work harder to be sure it is what I want and not what is influencing me.  Like...everything around me (I know you can relate).

THREE THINGS I DO:

There are three things I do, that have helped me get back to trusting my gut:

#1. Meditate every morning for 15 minutes (still working up to 20min. You can read about what sparked this practice here.  Some mornings this is really hard, and other mornings it is a breath of fresh air.  How often do you sit, with yourself, and not THINK!? I’ll answer that for you...it's most likely a rare occasion. It is SO, SO RARE to not be thinking. And those thoughts my friend, are telling you a whole story that might not be what feels true to YOU.  This practice has given me more mindfulness throughout my day. If I have a negative thought or think something is going to go a certain way, I am mindful enough to say, “Hold up! Those are just thoughts Bri. Move along.”

#2. Journal every morning after I meditate for 10-20 minutes. I write whatever comes to my head. Sometimes I need to get things off of my chest, sometimes I simply need to write some dreams, mantras or...I write that I don’t want to write.  Yup, that happens too. Through this process, I FEEL more me. I FEEL that as I go throughout my day, I am being my true authentic self. Sometimes that means I don’t have a filter...working on that part!

#3. I let Pink Lady call the pace.  No, Pink Lady is not a pace car. She’s my dog.  My main lady. My squish face. My boo bear (okay, I’ll stop).  While walking her, I’ve found that I can feel extreme impatience when she wants to sniff around for a bit longer and all I can think of is the to do list that I need to get to.  OH HEY MINDFULNESS! So, I decided that I would practice patience and as she sniffed, I would observe and look around. I would NOTICE things. Um...I noticed a house the other day that I walk by all of the time and I never looked at it, like REALLY looked at it.  Part of intuition is paying attention. There are signs and signals all around us, but we miss so many of them.

TRUTH SPRINKLE:

Whether you trust it or not, YOU always know what is best for you and YOU always have the answers.

Have a kickass week!

Livin’ & Lovin’