A few years ago I visited an energy healer who told me to go for two weeks doing the exact opposite of what my intuition told me. I never realized the true importance of following your intuition until I stopped doing it. Those two weeks were absolutely terrible. I did so many things I didn’t want to do and made so many bad decisions, my inner voice started to get louder and louder with each passing day, by the end of the two weeks it was screaming at me to listen.
Intuition is especially important, when it comes to knowing what’s best for you and your health. Far too often, we fear trusting ourselves. We look to other for guidance, because we think we need an outsider’s objective opinion to make a good health decision. But in reality, you know yourself and your body better than anyone, and you know what works for you and what doesn’t. When I finally tapped into my own intuition it became so much more clear and easier to figure out the root cause of my health issues and what I needed to do to heal and thrive in my life.
The exercise I did with my energy healer may not have gone so well, but that was the point. We have instincts and intuition for a reason, so it’s time we really start tuning into them and simply listening to ourselves. Here are a few tricks to get you on your way to improving and recognizing your inner voice, because when it comes to your health, you and that voice really do know best.
Ways to improve your intuition
- Drown out the negative voices
This includes the little one inside of your head that creates negative emotions and fears where they don’t need to be. If there are outsiders in your life who are doing anything less than building you up and supporting you, it might be time to let them go. Building a support team of friendly faces who cheer you on and surround you with positive energy will help that little voice in your head become more encouraging. And on the days when your inner voice won’t stop piping in with negative thoughts, make a conscious decision to counter those thoughts with positive and uplifting ones.
- Follow the swing of the pendulum
This one might seem a little “out there” to some, but if I’m ever having trouble making a decision, I turn to my pendulum. The idea behind the pendulum is that it creates a physical form for your intuition. It helps to access the information that is subconscious AKA those decisions that you know are right deep down, but your wandering and cautious mind isn’t completely sure about. Once you establish the pendulum’s yes or no response, you can ask it a number of questions regarding any decisions you’re struggling with. It taps into your true intuition, and ultimately you wind up with the answer that is best for you.
- Trust your gut
Those “gut feelings” that people talk about can manifest themselves in different ways. A loss of breath, a tight chest, a sinking stomach––these are all ways your body tells you that something may be the wrong decision. But a feeling of lightness and excitement could mean that you’re doing exactly the right thing. In order to really notice these signs, you have to be in tune with your body and what it’s trying to tell you. Yoga, breath work, and meditation are great for that.
- Step outside
Ditch all the technology and anything that may be holding you back and just go outside and connect to nature and yourself. Find a quiet place––outside––and really just tune into yourself without all the typical noises and distractions to drown your intuition out. Being away from the craziness of the world allows me to step inside nature’s space, a space where to survive you must use your intuition to keep you safe. If I have a big decision to make, I like to spend time in nature to allow my intuition to speak to me. Whether it be a long hike or a day at the beach listening to the waves, this creates stillness in my mind, allowing my inner voice to be heard.
More then anything, intuition thrives on love. Loving yourself, living in you truth and living an authentic life will strengthen your intuition. You will find that your inner voice will become louder and louder when you take care of your body, nourish yourself with healthy whole foods, take time to relax and de-stress, and make choices that serve you and your values.