Intuition: 5 Simple Ways to Use Your Superpower

Intuition: the ability to understand something immediately, without the need for conscious reasoning; a thing that one knows or considers likely from instinctive feeling rather than conscious reasoning.

by Amy B. Scher

Many people do not think they have good intuition, but everyone has it. There are so many things we do to either nurture it or block it. Intuition is far from logical. It calculates answers and delivers them unapologetically, with no explanation, and is usually right. So while tuning into our intuition may be scary at first, here are four simple ways to harness this awesome superpower.

If we considered the awesomeness of intuition more often, we would be better friends, spouses, parents, children, and career people. But the fact is, with the information overload we are constantly exposed to, we have learned to check with ourselves…well…last.

Coming from a place of greater balance, we will be more able to connect to this amazing tool inside our very own body that is far more accurate than guessing and analyzing or worse—listening to everyone else is guessing and analyzing.

Here are top tips to reconnect with yourselves and thus, our intuition:

1. Focus on feeling safe.

Not feeling safe is the basis of much that keeps us stuck emotionally. This includes feeling safe enough to speak up for ourselves, safe enough to trust life and let go of trying control everything, safe enough around loved ones to let them be their true selves and more. The practice of learning that we can be okay no matter what happens in life will allow us to feel safe enough to trust our intuition. When we are constantly in fear mode, it is nearly impossible to hear anything but doubts. Simply repeating, “I am safe” as we fall asleep at night or find ourselves full of doubt, can be very helpful.

2. Stop asking for other people’s opinions.

Talking things over with a friend can be helpful, but asking opinions can be a dangerous addiction—one that will never lead to what is right for us. Make a conscious decision to stop seeking opinions, at least before we ask ourselves what we think. This includes online reviews and message forums too. When we invite so many opinions, we get confused about what it is that we actually think about ourselves. It is too easy, especially for those of us who like to keep everyone happy, to let our family’s and friend’s opinions drown out our own intuition. It is so easy in this society of information overload to talk ourselves into or out of anything based on facts. But remember, intuition is not fact; it is what we feel.

3. Ditch the pro and con list.

The reason? Intuitive decisions have nothing to do with logic. Logic interferes. So many of us talk ourselves out of listening to our intuition because it “doesn’t make sense.” Accepting that intuition is that raw gut feeling will help us start separating from the need for things to make sense. What makes sense on paper won’t necessarily make sense intuitively. In fact, it probably will not. The problems with pro and cons lists are that they do not take everything into consideration. Imagine a list of whether or not we should stay at a specific job. Perhaps the salary is good and it is close to work, but it is not fulfilling. Each pro and con on that list is treated equally when we look at it as a whole, but it is likely that being in an unfulfilling job is more detrimental to our health and happiness than a longer commute would be. One con may be more important than 10 pros and vice versa. Again, pro and cons lists are logical and the best decisions are often made with intuition.

4. Consider the true feeling of “I don’t know.”

Typically intuition feels like a knowing about something. Not being sure can be a good indicator that it is a no. We will know a strong yes when we feel one. They are the ones that keep us in line with our hearts. While we are practicing tuning in to intuition, we may feel like we just do not know. This is okay and part of how we will make progress. As we start making intuitive decisions and see the consequences of them (positive or negative), we will begin to understand and fine-tune our own intuitive process more. We cannot go wrong.

5. Finally, intuition about something does not usually come with a lot of emotion.

The more we feel something is right or wrong without strong emotion or physical sensations, the more likely it is our intuition speaking and not our fear or conditioned logic. An intuitive hit feels strong and clear. If we are really wavering it, we can be pretty sure that our conditioned brain is getting involved. Again, just keep practicing.

Now you know a few powerful secrets to unlock the answers that have been trying to call out to you. Start small, practice often, and allow yourself to see what happens when your intuition guides you.

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About the Author

Amy B. Scher is the author of How To Heal Yourself When No One Else Can (Llewellyn Worldwide, Jan. 2016), and a leading voice in the field of mind-body-spirit healing. Amy uses energy therapy to help those in need of emotional or physical healing. She has been featured in CNN, Curve magazine, Elephant Journal, and the San Francisco Book Review. She can be found at www.AmyBScher.com.