These real-life scenarios of intuition and anxiety will help you determine if you should listen to that gut feeling.
Your intuition is always alert. It’s constantly informing you and guiding you onto the right path. However, recognizing this wise voice may be challenging since the intuitive gut feeling may be erroneously confused with emotional responses linked to anxiety. Moreover, if you’re constantly disregarding intuitive signs, anxiety may show up quickly after and therefore cloud your intuitive hunches. So how can you tell if it’s intuition or anxiety?
In this article, we will help you distinguish intuition from anxiety by illustrating specific examples of when it’s unmistakably intuition, when it’s distinctly anxiety, and when these two inner states overlap.
What is Intuition and How Does it Manifest?
Intuition
Intuition is an immediate understanding or insight that operates beyond conscious or analytical reasoning. Often described as a gut feeling or sixth sense, intuition taps into internal wisdom and unspoken information, providing a sense of clarity or guidance.
Understanding Intuition
Intuition can manifest through sudden, unexplained insights or realizations that seem to come out of nowhere. It can also manifest as a gut feeling — a sinking feeling that can guide you into avoiding certain situations or people.
Intuition may also present as subtle nudges or urges, gently prompting a particular course of action or decision. It may be a bad sensation from someone you’ve just met, or a rapid and unexplained trust, often without concrete evidence.
Your intuition can physically manifest through sensations like tingling, chills, or a feeling of warmth, offering subtle cues about a situation. It may also come unannounced through dreams or universal signs that convey messages or insights.
Examples of Intuitive Signs
Our intuition is adept at picking up subtle cues from the environment, allowing us to establish a connection with everything and everyone around us. This connection is strengthened by our profound affinity with the Universe. You can deepen your intuition by requesting asking for signs from the Universe. Here’s an example:
A few years ago I met my friend’s boyfriend for the first time. Upon meeting him, I felt a strong bad gut feeling. It was a sinking sensation in the pit of my stomach. Later that night, I had a vivid dream where he was controlling and manipulating my friend while isolating her from all her loved ones.
As soon as I woke up I asked for a sign from the Universe, “If this person is wrong for my friend, please send me a sign in the form of a red rose.” Strikingly, I began encountering red roses in unexpected places, seemingly answering my call for guidance.
The first sign came up during a casual stroll in my neighborhood, where in the form of graffiti, I saw a rose drawn on the wall. I then spotted a red rose in a random magazine I flipped through, and later, as I was watching a movie, the main character was given a bouquet of red roses by a secret admirer.
These occurrences reaffirmed the intuitive signals I received earlier. The red rose became a tangible manifestation of the Universe’s response to my plea for insight and guidance regarding my friend’s relationship. Subsequently, as time went on, I observed subtle behaviors and actions that echoed the dream: My friend was having a very difficult time in this relationship.
Looking Deeper Into Intuition
Your intuition comes from your Higher Self.
This concept is perceived differently among diverse theories. For some, it is synonymous with their soul or spirit, while others perceive it as a profound connection with the Universe or God. In more empirical terms, it might be referred to as the unconscious. Nevertheless, the semantics of its naming pale in comparison to the profound significance it carries: Intuition is the primary source of inner wisdom. It is knowing without having a logical explanation.
As in the words of the founder of Analytical Psychology:
“Intuition is perception via the unconscious that brings forth ideas, images, new possibilities and ways out of blocked situations.”
Carl Jung
Intuition is the voice of the unconscious. This hidden entity within our psyche has demonstrated superior knowledge compared to the conscious mind. The unconscious mind processes information in the blink of an eye and possesses a much more far-reaching and insightful perspective.
Now let’s explore what anxiety is and how it manifests.
What is Anxiety and how does it manifest?
Anxiety
According to the American Psychological Association, “Anxiety is an emotion characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts, and physical changes like increased blood pressure.” It is often seen as a type of fear, but fear and anxiety aren’t quite the same.
Fear is the emotional reaction to a real or perceived imminent threat. It is frequently linked to heightened autonomic arousal required for fight or flight, immediate thoughts of danger, and escape behaviors.
Anxiety, on the other hand, is the expectation of potential threats in the future. It is more commonly linked to muscle tension, vigilance in anticipation of future danger, and behaviors marked by caution or avoidance.
Understanding Anxiety
Anxiety can manifest through sudden, overwhelming waves of unease or apprehension, seemingly arising from nowhere. It often materializes as a knot in the stomach or a tightening sensation, signaling discomfort in specific situations or around certain people.
Anxiety is usually associated with negative thought patterns, avoidance behaviors, and in extreme cases, panic attacks.
Negative Thought Patterns
Negative thought patterns are habitual ways of thinking that are pessimistic, self-critical, and generally harmful to one’s well-being. These patterns of thinking can contribute to negative emotions, stress, anxiety, and even impact physical health.
Negative thought patterns are not intuitive.
Some common examples of negative thought patterns include:
1. Catastrophizing: Expecting the worst possible outcome in a situation, often blowing things out of proportion.
2. All-or-Nothing Thinking (Black-and-White Thinking): Seeing situations in extreme, either/or terms without considering middle-ground possibilities.
3. Overgeneralization: Drawing broad negative conclusions about oneself, others, or the future based on isolated incidents.
4. Mind Reading: Believing that one knows what others are thinking, usually assuming they hold negative opinions.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is a therapeutic approach often used to identify and challenge these patterns, replacing them with more balanced and positive ways of thinking. Developing awareness of negative thought patterns is a crucial step in fostering mental and emotional resilience.
Avoidance Behaviors
Avoidance behaviors refer to actions or strategies individuals employ to evade or steer clear of situations, activities, or thoughts that trigger distress, anxiety, fear, or discomfort. These behaviors are often driven by a desire to prevent or alleviate negative emotions. Common types of avoidance behaviors include: avoidance of places or situations, procrastination and substance abuse.
These are not intuitive behaviors.
While avoidance behaviors may provide temporary relief, they can contribute to the maintenance of anxiety disorders and hinder personal growth. Addressing avoidance often involves gradual exposure to feared stimuli or situations, along with the development of healthier coping mechanisms and strategies to manage anxiety.
Just like with negative thought patterns, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is a common therapeutic approach used to identify and modify avoidance behaviors in the treatment of anxiety disorders.
Panic Attacks
A panic attack is a sudden and intense episode of overwhelming fear or discomfort, accompanied by a range of physical and psychological symptoms. These episodes typically reach their peak within a few minutes and can occur unexpectedly or in response to a specific trigger. The symptoms can be severe and may mimic those of a heart attack, leading individuals to seek immediate medical attention.
Common Symptoms of a Panic Attack:
1. Rapid heart rate or palpitations
2. Shortness of breath or a feeling of being smothered
3. Trembling or shaking
4. Sweating
5. Chest pain or discomfort
6. Nausea or abdominal distress
7. Dizziness or lightheadedness
8. Chills or heat sensations
9. Fear of losing control or going crazy
10. Fear of dying
11. Numbness or tingling sensations
Looking Deeper into Anxiety
Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis, suggested that anxiety can be linked to the unconscious mind and hidden motives. According to Freud’s psychoanalytic theory, anxiety emerges from conflicts between the conscious mind and unconscious desires, fears, or unresolved issues.
“Unexpressed emotions will never die. They are buried alive and will come forth later in uglier ways.”
Sigmund Freud
So if you’re feeling anxiety for a particular situation, then it’s informing you of something deeper and you must look into it. Once uncovered, it can be treated.
For instance let’s consider these two anxiety disorders, agoraphobia and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD):
Agoraphobia
A person with agoraphobia experiences intense anxiety when confronted with open spaces or situations where escape might be difficult.
In order to eradicate this anxiety, a CBT professional would explore past traumatic experiences associated with public spaces. This would help, through therapy, address these traumas and teach coping mechanisms to navigate open spaces without debilitating anxiety.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
A person with PTSD may experience overwhelming anxiety when exposed to triggers associated with a traumatic event, such as loud noises or specific smells.
A CBT professional would explore the unresolved trauma and would use trauma-focused therapies like EMDR or exposure therapy, in order to process and desensitize the emotional charge associated with the triggers, and thereby reducing anxiety responses over time.
These are two clear examples of how anxiety has nothing to do with your intuition.
But it’s not always the case. Sometimes, intuition and anxiety can be closely intertwined. In the next section we will explore some ways in which these both can be closely related to each other, and therefore difficult to differentiate.
Distinguishing between Anxiety or Intuition: Real-Life Scenarios
You receive a job offer for a position you applied for, and even though everything looks good on the surface, you have a persistent gut feeling that something might not be right.
This gut feeling may be present for some reasons. Let’s explore them.
Scenario 1
You worked for a few years in a similar position. You were completely unhappy in this position, and moving forward in that similar direction will make you feel stagnated in the future. Your gut feeling is telling you to reject the job offer.
Let’s say you fail to listen to that gut feeling. You then start experiencing anxiety that night. You start having negative thought patterns and therefore a restless sleep accompanied with rapid breathing and excessive sweat.
So, intuition or anxiety?
Both, and you gotta’ listen.
Scenario 2
The person who interviewed you reminded you of someone who scammed you years ago. This person has similar mannerisms, similar way of talking and even dresses similarly. You can’t really tell this is the reason why you feel something is off; you just know something’s not quite right.
Should you listen to that gut feeling?
Most definitely. Your unconscious mind is detecting a pattern, and although not 100% accurate, in most cases, these patterns indicate a high probability of being true.
Scenario 3
Despite meeting all the criteria, you find yourself feeling extremely anxious about accepting the job offer. You start overthinking potential negative outcomes, worrying about not meeting expectations, and fearing the unknown aspects of the new job.
You then start thinking, “Is there really a reason why I should feel this insecure?”
Having a thorough inner exploration with your therapist, you discover that when growing up your parents were always dissatisfied with your achievements, and as so, you internalized the false belief of “not being good enough.”
So should you listen to that gut feeling? Most definitely not.
These examples portray the importance of becoming aware of your inner world and reflecting on your emotions. This can help you determine if your emotions stem from insecurities or past traumas, or if they align with a deeper, intuitive knowing about what is genuinely in your best interest.
Remember, if its intuition, you must listen to it. If it’s anxiety, no. But if they overlap, then most certainly, yes:
On a similar note, you should pay attention to how your body is reacting to some situations in the form of anxiety. These psychological responses are trying to inform you of something, and like with your intuition you’ve got to listen. Let me provide you with an example:
You feel anxious about the uncertainty in your romantic relationship.
The anxiety may reflect a need for clarity and communication in the relationship. Rather than ignoring the anxiety, you address it by having an open and honest conversation with your partner, fostering better understanding and connection.
Is this intuition or anxiety?
Well, both. This is a perfect example of how anxiety and intuition overlap.
This anxiety serves as a signal to pay attention to certain aspects of your life, prompting positive actions and adjustments. It’s essential to reflect on your emotions, considering whether they stem from an overactive anxious mind or if they align with a deeper, intuitive knowing about what is genuinely in your best interest. The following procedure will help you determine if you should listen to that gut feeling, whether it manifests as intuition or anxiety.
Step by Step Guide: Should You Listen to That Gut Feeling?
Intuition and anxiety both come from our unconscious mind. They can both provide valuable information that will guide your path.
Step 1. Uncover your Hidden Traumas
The most important thing is to understand the underlying reasons behind your emotions. Look into your triggers. Think about where these triggers come from. Can you detect a pattern?
Step 2. Identify Your Negative Though Patterns
Have a feelings journal where you document negative thought patterns. By actively detecting and recording your habitual thinking patterns, you can proactively prevent unrealistic thoughts and perceptions from obstructing accurate intuitive hunches.
Step 3 Listen to Your Intuition
Once you can discern between distorted perceptions stemming from trauma and authentic intuitive hunches, it’s time to embrace and heed your intuition. Listening to it consistently is essential; the more attentively you do so, the stronger it becomes.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the journey of distinguishing between intuition and anxiety involves deep self-reflection, understanding hidden traumas, and identifying negative thought patterns. By actively listening to your intuition and acknowledging its cues, you empower yourself to make choices that align with your authentic self. It’s a continuous process of self-discovery and growth, guided by the profound wisdom emanating from your unconscious mind.
For more insights about intuition, download our eBook, The Psychology of Intuition. Within these pages, we delve into the scientific underpinnings behind the gut feeling, providing valuable insights on how you can nurture and trust this powerful aspect within your psyche.
Sneak Peek of the book!: The Psychology of Intuition: The Human Mind and Intuition
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