Gut Instinct/Intuition and Your Comfort Zone

What is intuition? It is "knowing" something without being able to explain how you came to that conclusion rationally. It's that mysterious "gut feeling" or "instinct" that often turns out to be right, in retrospect. It is that feeling you get like an inner guide telling you which is the right decision for you. You can ignore your inner intuition, your gut feeling, only to later say "I knew I should have done that."

Your subconscious mind “archives” lots of different information that you might not remember on a conscious level. Often you pick up on things subconsciously without even realising, such as someone’s body language or an advert you walk by. Your subconscious registers it as a certain“feeling” that you can’t articulate at that moment but could very well be valid.

Without this intuition, we are no different to a computer. We would only make decisions based on facts, but we don’t always have all the facts. Even some of the world’s great scientists, the most logical thinkers of all time, have made their greatest discoveries based on a flashes of intuition.

Our inner intuition is an extremely powerful tool for us to listen to, but how do you know if your feeling is your inner intuition or nerves as you push yourself out of your comfort zone?

Stepping out of your comfort zone can often feel the same as your gut saying no. Even though it is the right step to take it can feel like your gut is saying no. This is where we need to work with our logical mind and understand if it is our gut speaking or just nervousness as we push the boundaries of our comfort zone.

You can learn to work with your intuition. Here are a few simple ways that you can start to grow your natural ability to judge how you are feeling.

Ask yourself a question and listen to the first answer that pops into your mind. This can be easier said than done as we tend to have several thoughts flooding into our mind at once. There are often lots of different things trying to get your attention. So ask the question and see what is the first thing that comes back - focus on that.

Listen to your gut. There's a reason it's called a "gut feeling": Many times, a decision that you "know" is wrong makes you feel discomfort in your stomach area.

Meditation– Mindfulness. Clearing your mind of thoughts and worries will make it easier for you to listen to your intuition and to think clearly.

Keep an intuition journal. Every day, use your intuition to make a guess about someone or something. Don't act on it, though. Just write it down. Focus on statements like "I have a feeling that..." or "My intuition tells me that..." If there are any sensations associated with your intuition, such as a vision, or physical discomfort, be sure to record it. Looking back in your journal, see how often you are right. As you learn more about how to recognise your intuition, and you see it leading you in the right direction, your confidence will grow and so will your intuitive power.

Hypnotherapy, CBT & NLP can help you to understand your intuition, it can help you to start to work with your gut and to understand when you need to push yourself as your comfort zone grows, and the times when you need to listen to what your gut is telling you.

Try it today and start to realise that more often than not the answer to what you need is within yourself.

© EKTherapies