Ignoring our gut feelings is a common experience for humans, influenced by our thoughts, emotions, and outside factors. Even though our instincts are usually reliable, we may overlook them, leading to negative outcomes. In this blog, we'll discuss why we distrust our intuition and share techniques to better recognise and honour it.
Understanding Gut Feelings
Our natural ability to just know things without thinking too hard is called gut feelings, intuition, or instincts. These feelings pop up on their own because our brain is quietly putting together memories, emotions, and what's happening around us. Even though they might not always make sense or be easy to explain, gut instincts can be really helpful when we need to make decisions.
(A) Reasons for Denial
1. Rationalisation:
When our gut feelings don't match what we think or what others say is right, we might try to explain them away and trust our logical thinking instead.
2. Fear of Consequences:
We might ignore what our gut tells us because we don't want to feel uncomfortable or have problems with others. We might be scared of not knowing what will happen or what might go wrong.
3. External Influence:
Sometimes, we might not trust our inner feelings because we feel pressure from friends, what society expects, or what's considered normal. This can make us ignore what our gut tells us.
4. Cognitive Dissonance:
Sometimes, we feel confused when what we believe or want doesn't match with our gut feelings. This confusion can make us ignore or try to explain away what our instincts are telling us.
(B) Consequences of Denial:
Disregarding our instincts can lead to a number of issues, such as:
1. Missed Opportunities:
Not listening to our gut feelings can make us miss out on important opportunities that could have helped us do better or learn something new.
When we try to mix our intuition with thinking too much, ignoring our instincts can make us feel more tense, worried, and conflicted inside.
2. Bad Decision-Making:
Not paying attention to our instincts could lead us to make decisions that go against what we really believe or want. This might leave us feeling unhappy or full of regret.
(C) Ways to overcome Denial:
1. Self-Reflection:
Think about times when you didn't listen to your gut feelings and things didn't go well. Try to understand why you ignored them and what situations led to it.
2. Acknowledge Your Emotions:
Pay attention to your feelings and trust that they're important, even if they don't seem to make sense at first.
3.Tune Into Your Body:
Notice any physical signs your body gives you when you have gut feelings, like feeling tight or uneasy in your chest.
4. Practice Mindfulness
Try activities like meditation or deep breathing to help you relax and become more aware of your instincts.
5. Seek Support:
Spend time with supportive people who understand and encourage you to trust your gut feelings.
Conclusion
Although it's natural to struggle with denial of our gut instincts, we may develop a stronger sense of self-awareness and make more genuine, satisfying decisions in life by comprehending the underlying causes of our denial and putting tactics in place to overcome it. Although it's not always simple, following our intuition can help us become more clear-headed, self-assured, and content.