Trusting our instincts, also known as intuition, can be crucial in helping us avoid harmful situations in our relationships with others. Our intuition is often based on a combination of past experiences, knowledge, and observations, which allows us to quickly and accurately assess a situation or person. When we meet someone new for example, our intuition may immediately pick up on certain behaviours or actions that seem off, concerning or not in tune with our own.
These red flags can be subtle and difficult to put into words, but our body can sense them through physical cues such as a knot in our stomach or a feeling of unease.
The real skill in dealing with red flags is learning to listen to – and trust ourselves.
We often have a tendency to ignore our intuition or to second-guess ourselves. We might rationalise away our gut feelings, or dismiss them as paranoia or anxiety. But when we do this, we risk putting ourselves in harm’s way.
So, how can we learn to trust our intuition more?
First, practice mindfulness. Mindfulness practices such as meditation, yoga, or journaling can help us become more aware of our thoughts and feelings, which can help us tune in to our intuition more easily.
Second, listen to your gut. Our gut reactions are often a sign of our intuition at work. If something feels “off” or “not quite right,” it’s important to pay attention to that feeling, even if we can’t put our finger on why.
Third, reflect on past experiences. Reflecting on past experiences when we ignored our intuition and regretted it can help us learn to trust it more in the future, as can reflecting on experiences where we trusted our intuition and it led to a positive outcome.
Fourth, seek out guidance. Sometimes it can be helpful to talk to someone we fully trust who might be to help us understand and trust our intuition better. The college Wellbeing Coaches can help with this – details below.
Lastly, trust yourself. Trusting yourself means being kind and compassionate with you! It entails allowing yourself to make mistakes and learn from them while remaining aware that you are doing the best you can with the information you have at the time.
In conclusion, our body does a pretty good job of picking up on red flags, but the real trick is learning to listen to and trust ourselves!
LISTEN TO THIS ARTICLE BELOW
