How to Follow Your Gut Instinct: Tried & True Methods to Follow

People always tell you to “go with your gut,” or “follow your instinct.” Though you know what it means, here’s actually how to follow your gut instinct.

Here’s the thing, understanding how to follow your gut instinct isn’t just something a selective few people have. Rather, everyone has instinct. We are all animals at the end of the day.

Intuition is a part of human evolution. It helps us avoid making bad decisions or making good decisions. In other words, it’s that little voice inside our heads that helps us evaluate a situation.

For decades, scientists brushed off intuition as some sort of pseudo-science, but now, everyone is onboard with intuition and want to know more about it.

[Read: How to listen to your gut and follow your inner voice]

How to follow your gut instinct

Whether you think you have it or not, you have it. Maybe you’re more analytical, so you don’t think you have intuition, but you do. Now, it could be that you think you don’t know how to follow your instinct, and if that’s the case, it’s about time you connected with it. But to be honest, I think you have been following your instinct. You just didn’t know you were.

It’s easy for overthinking and the advice of others to get in the way of following your Northern Star *gut instinct*. Everyone has it. Might as well learn how to follow your gut instinct.

#1 Slow things down. Everyone is busy today. We’re all running around with hundreds of different thoughts in our heads, and this causes a disconnection from yourself and your gut instinct. So, if you want to connect with your gut instinct, then slow things down and clear your mind. Make time for yourself to just be with yourself. [Read: Mantras to live by – 14 mantras that will change your life]

#2 Become more aware of your body. When your gut instinct is trying to tell you something, then you’ll feel it. But since you’re not connected with your gut instinct, those feelings are ignored. If you want to follow your gut instinct, learn to recognize your body’s sensations. For me, my stomach starts to turn, and that’s when I know my body is trying to tell me something.

#3 You may not like what your gut instinct is telling you. People don’t like to follow their gut instinct because it doesn’t always go with what we want. But our instinct isn’t acting on emotions; it’s telling us what we need to hear. [Read: How to welcome positive energy and vibes into your life] 

#4 It’s time to focus on yourself. You won’t be able to follow your gut instinct if you’re following the thoughts and opinions of other people. To follow your gut instinct, you need to focus on yourself. What do you want and need? Look at yourself and shift the attention back to you. 

#5 Step away from the situation. Sometimes, it can be hard to follow your intuition when you’re in an intense situation. But if you really want to connect with yourself, take a step out of the situation and try to listen to your gut. What is it telling you? Now, you can make a rational decision.

#6 Practice honesty with yourself. If you want to follow your gut instinct, you’re going to need to be honest with yourself. Like I said before, you may not always like what your gut is telling you. But being honest with yourself will help you pick the right path. The path may not be easy in the beginning, but if something isn’t right, your gut will give you the best option.

#7 Journal your feelings. Journaling can be a great way to connect back with yourself and help you follow your gut instinct. In a journal, you can write whatever you feel, all your emotions, and release yourself privately. If you’re struggling to make a decision, journal how you feel. The answer will come to you. [Read: Indecisive? Here’s why you struggle to make up your mind]

#8 Stop caring about other people’s opinions. We tend to follow the opinions of other people. When it comes to intuition, the only person you should listen to is yourself. So, if you want to connect with your intuition, stop listening and following other people’s opinions.

#9 Take action. It’s time you acted on these feelings. Connect with these feelings and trust yourself again. Make small steps. When you feel your intuition telling you something, try to listen to it. Making small steps is crucial to trust your intuition. 

#10 Self-reflect. After you follow your gut instinct, take some time to sit down with yourself. Think about what happened. Let your mind wander and be open with whatever comes to you, whether it’s thoughts or feelings. This is mindfulness, and it can help you develop your intuition. 

#11 Give yourself time to trust your instinct. You’re essentially just starting to let yourself trust yourself. How crazy is that? You will be scared and anxious in the beginning, but after trusting your instinct a couple of times, you’ll begin to see that your instinct is *usually* right. [Read: How to feel good about yourself and kick ass in life]

#12 It won’t always be right. Your instinct may be telling you one thing, but it’s always a good idea to think about the situation rationally before making a brash decision. That is if you can. If it’s an intense situation, you may just go with what feels right at that moment, and that’s okay too.

[Read: 8 daily habits to help you love yourself]

Learning how to follow your gut instinct is important. It helps you to develop self-confidence and self-identity. If you can’t trust yourself, who else are you going to trust?