How to Use Your Intuition: Complete Guide and Steps
Science wants to make sense out of intuition, our ability to make decisions for ourselves based on our inner wisdom.
One thing that science agrees with is that intuition comes from a subconscious place. And it is often based on past experiences and stored memories.
And while there’s research that simply equates intuition to past experience, there’s also research that clearly indicates human beings have instincts.
However, knowing to trust your intuition can be confusing when you have yet to learn how to tap into your intuition, understand its language, and strengthen your ability to understand it.
While intuition may seem elusive and intangible, it is a faculty we can nurture and develop.
Being in tune with your intuition is also part of remaining sustainably happy.
Going beyond conventional methods like meditation and mindfulness, there are numerous other techniques to cultivate your intuitive abilities.
This article will explore some of these less-discussed yet equally powerful approaches.
7 Powerful Ways to Connect with Your Intuition
In an age defined by algorithms and data-driven choices, our innate ability to tap into intuitive wisdom offers a refreshing human touch to decision-making.
There’s a magical quality to it—a mysterious force driving us in the right direction, almost like a sixth sense.
Think of intuitive decision-making as your inner guidance system, one that legends like Steve Jobs and Oprah Winfrey swear by.
Joel Pearson, from the University of New South Wales, shed light on how the human brain can process information unconsciously, influencing our decisions in powerful ways.
Here are seven ways to harness this intuitive power:
1. Trust Your Inner Feeling
Albert Einstein once remarked, “The only real valuable thing is intuition.”
Have you ever been in a situation where the right answer appeared before you, clear as day, without any logical breakdown? It’s your gut instinct taking the lead.
It’s that tiny voice nudging you toward the best choice, ensuring that you make better decisions.
Treating this as a daily practice ensures that you tap into it every single time you face a tough decision.
2. Embrace Sudden Insights and Ideas
While we often attribute creative insights to the rational mind, Steve Jobs believed that intuition is more powerful than intellect.
When flashes of inspiration strike you—whether for the first time or after a long time—it’s your intuitive mind at work.
Jot these down.
Such moments are goldmines, shaping your best decisions.
3. Listen to Your Body Signals
The word ‘intuition’ often evokes notions of ‘gut feelings.’
Your body language and internal reactions—like an accelerated heartbeat or goosebumps—are powerful indicators of your intuitive sense in action.
As Erik Dane, a researcher, suggests, intuitive thinking comes from the unconscious mind processing cues from our surroundings and drawing on our reservoir of experiences.
4. Tune into Emotions and Intuitive Hunches
The next time you’re facing an important decision, pause and check in with your emotions.
Do you feel unease or perhaps elation? Intuitive people often rely on these emotional barometers to guide their path.
A first impression might not always be accurate, but it often carries more weight than we might initially believe.
5. Embrace Immediate Knowing
Intuitive decisions can feel like a jigsaw puzzle suddenly coming together.
You see the full picture without having pieced it together, piece by piece.
It might sound like a contradiction, but the best way to nurture this is through regular practice—like a muscle, your intuitive gifts become stronger with use.
6. Acknowledge Subconscious Processing
The good news is you don’t always have to actively seek answers.
Sometimes, they find you.
Spiritual teachers emphasize the importance of quietening the mind, allowing the subconscious to do its magic.
New experiences offer fuel to this process.
Think of it as storing tools in a toolbox. The more tools (or experiences) you have, the better equipped you are for intuitive decision-making.
7. Leverage Past Experiences and Expertise
A series of experiments conducted by researchers highlighted the role of intuition in decisions, especially when drawing from past experiences.
When faced with a card deck game, participants often made intuitive decisions that benefited them, even before they realized the deck was rigged. It’s a testament to how our past can shape our intuitive decisions.
The journey of connecting with your own intuition isn’t linear.
As Oprah Winfrey insightfully observed, “Follow your instincts. That’s where true wisdom manifests itself.”
Embrace it as your trusted ally in your decision-making process.
The real question isn’t whether or not we have intuition but whether we have the courage to trust it and incorporate it into our life decisions.
As you take this path, remember that every time you rely on your intuition, you’re walking in the footsteps of giants who have leveraged this powerful way to manifest their visions.
Signs You Are Ignoring Your Intuition
Are you having a hard time being able to listen to your intuition? Then, it’s time to pay attention and reconnect with your inner wisdom.
- Ignoring Gut Feelings: Do you often brush off those strong gut feelings that arise in certain situations? Don’t dismiss them—listen to your intuition when it speaks.
- Overanalyzing and Second-Guessing: If you constantly overthink decisions and seek approval from others instead of trusting your instincts, it’s a sign that you’re not fully tuned in to your intuition.
- Prioritizing Logical Reasoning: While logic has its place, relying solely on rationality and disregarding your intuitive insights and emotions can lead to ignoring your intuition.
- Repeatedly Ignoring Regret or Disappointment: Pay attention to feelings of regret or disappointment after making choices that go against your initial instincts. Ignoring these signals may mean you must give more weight to your intuition.
- Seeking External Approval: Are you constantly seeking validation and relying heavily on others’ opinions instead of tuning in to your inner voice? It’s time to trust yourself and reconnect with your intuition.
- Difficulty Making Decisions: If you often struggle with decision-making, feeling stuck or indecisive, and relying on external factors rather than trusting your intuition, it’s a sign that you need to reestablish a connection with your inner wisdom.
- Feeling Disconnected and Unfulfilled: Experiencing a sense of emptiness, dissatisfaction, or a lack of purpose in life could result from neglecting your intuition. Take the time to listen and realign your actions with your inner desires.
Recognizing these signs is the first step toward reconnecting with your intuition.
Then, trust yourself, embrace your inner wisdom, and start living a more fulfilling life.
Your intuition is there to guide you—make sure you’re listening.
The Origins of Your Intuition
Regarding the origins of intuition, scientific research offers intriguing insights into your mind’s inner workings.
In particular, I pulled from the study, “Measuring Intuition: Unconscious Emotional Information Boost Decision-Making Accuracy and Confidence,” Donkin, Pearson, et al. l, 2014″ which was presented at the 18th Association for the Scientific Study of Consciousness Conference: Brisbane, Australia.
This study concluded that our emotional information is how our intuition speaks to us when making decisions.
When using intuition to make decisions, it’s essential to consider how emotions are connected to the specific choice.
Emotional information that is relevant and fits the decision can guide our intuitive feelings.
Let’s take the example of choosing a job. If you have a strong positive sense or excitement about working at Company A, it may be a sign from your intuition that it’s the right choice.
On the other hand, if you feel uneasy or uncomfortable about the job offer from Company B, even if it seems good on paper, your intuition may tell you it’s not the best fit.
By paying attention to your emotions and how they align with your decision, you can use your intuition to guide us toward the right choices.
Subconscious Processing: Your brain processes extensive information beneath your conscious awareness. It integrates sensory inputs, memories, emotions, and learned associations. Your intuition emerges as a result of this complex subconscious analysis.
Pattern Recognition: Your brain possesses remarkable pattern recognition capabilities. It excels at detecting regularities and identifying familiar patterns based on your past experiences and acquired knowledge. Your intuition is your brain’s ability to swiftly identify and evaluate practices, even without your conscious involvement.
Emotional and Affective Signals: Emotions play a significant role in guiding your decision-making. Specific brain regions involved in emotional processing, like the amygdala and insula, interact with cognitive processes to inform your intuitive judgments. These emotional signals influence your instinctive responses, helping you navigate toward favorable or potentially threatening situations.
Expertise and Experience: Your intuition is often heightened in areas where you have extensive knowledge or experience. Through dedicated practice and exposure, you develop intuitive insights within specific domains. This expertise allows you to make quick and accurate judgments in those areas.
Remember that while your intuition provides valuable insights, it is not infallible. Its accuracy can be influenced by biases, personal beliefs, and external factors. I find that the more aligned I am spiritually, the better attuned to my intuition I am.
Therefore, you must complement your intuition with critical thinking and conscious reasoning to make well-informed decisions.
9 Tips on How to Strengthen Your Intuition
Intuition often called our innate “gut feeling” or “inner voice,” possesses the incredible potential to guide us in decision-making, problem-solving, and personal fulfillment.
You can tap into this profound ability and enhance your intuitive senses.
In this section, I’ll explore evidence-based methods to help unlock your intuition’s power, strengthen your inner wisdom, and make more informed choices.
1. Cultivate Clarity and Mindfulness through Meditation
Meditation cultivates clarity, focus, and mindfulness, empowering you to develop heightened self-awareness.
Dedicate each day to quiet your mind and observe your thoughts and emotions. By doing so, you can discern the subtle signals of intuition amidst the noise of daily life.
Make meditation a part of your daily routine and experience its positive impact on your intuitive abilities.
2. Unlock Subconscious Insights through Engaging in Creative Activities
Engage in creative activities such as painting, writing, or playing an instrument to stimulate your subconscious mind.
Allow yourself the freedom to immerse in the creative process and experience the state of “flow” where ideas and insights effortlessly emerge.
Nurturing your creative side enhances your capacity to access and interpret intuitive messages, empowering you to make more aligned choices.
3. Balance Mind and Body through Physical Exercise
Incorporate physical exercise into your routine to improve overall well-being and positively influence your mental and intuitive faculties.
Regular physical activity increases blood flow to the brain, enhances cognitive function, and improves mental clarity.
Embrace an active lifestyle to create a harmonious balance between your mind and body, fostering better intuition and decision-making.
4. Connect with Inner Wisdom through Seeking Solitude in Nature
Spend time in natural environments to detach from the distractions of modern life, quiet your mind, and connect with your intuitive wisdom.
Nature has restorative effects, including reduced stress, improved attention, and increased capacity for reflection.
So immerse yourself in nature regularly, whether taking walks in the park or hiking in the mountains and witness the deepening of your intuitive connections.
5. Unveil Insights and Patterns through Journaling
Maintain a journal to develop the habit of introspection and self-reflection.
Regular journaling helps uncover recurring patterns, emotions, and insights. Enhance your ability to identify connections and correlations, honing your capacity to discern intuitive messages and make more informed decisions.
Set aside time each day to write freely, allowing your intuition to guide the pen and reveal the wisdom within.
6. Enhance Your Intuitive Signals by Developing Emotional Intelligence
Cultivate emotional intelligence to deepen your ability to recognize and interpret intuitive signals.
Understand and manage your own emotions and empathize with others. This expanded awareness enhances your intuitive abilities, allowing you to make decisions that consider both your well-being and the impact on others.
7. Deepen Intuitive Connections through Practicing Empathy and Compassion
Practice empathy to better understand others’ perspectives, emotions, and needs. This expanded awareness enhances your intuitive abilities, allowing you to make decisions that consider both your well-being and the impact on others.
Cultivating empathy and compassion positively influences intuitive discernment.
8. Trust Your Instincts: Honor Your Inner Wisdom
Learn to trust your instincts and acknowledge your inner wisdom. Pay attention to those “gut feelings” or intuitive nudges that arise in different situations.
Cultivate self-trust and listen to your intuition confidently, knowing it can guide you toward making choices aligned with your true self.
9. Embrace Your Intuitive Journey
Embrace strengthening your intuition as a personal journey of growth and self-discovery.
Remain open and curious, allowing your intuition to guide you toward self-awareness and empowered decision-making.
Intuition is a powerful tool that can guide you toward better decision-making and personal fulfillment, which leads you to sustainable happiness.
Trust in the power of your intuition and embark on a transformative journey of self-discovery.
