Creating Sustainable Practices to Strengthen Your Intuition

We’ve all heard the phrase “a mother’s intuition” but what exactly does intuition mean? The Merriam-Webster dictionary explains intuition as direct knowledge or cognition without evident rational thought and inference, as well as quick and ready insight. If you’ve ever experienced a persistent, unrelenting, and sometimes nagging feeling in the pit of your stomach or a deep inner knowing in your heart space without being able to explain where it’s coming from, you’re probably well acquainted with intuition.

You might also be familiar with dismissing these feelings and sensations, whether it’s because your logical brain takes over and tells you that you’re being paranoid or other people’s opinions sound better than your own. In many cases, regret can often follow when you sooner or later realize that your intuition was right all along. We then wonder why we do this. After so many experiences that prove our intuition to be right, we still second guess ourselves, ignore our gut instincts, reason our feelings away, or look for other opinions to help inform our decisions.

One reason could be the fact that we live in a hyper-masculine society. While I can’t speak for cultural norms outside of the U.S., society tends to prioritize the analytical mind over connection to our body, doing over being, aggression over softness, discipline over devotion, intelligence over wisdom, and success over fulfillment. To be clear, I believe all of these masculine traits are important to have, but not to the detriment of our more feminine traits. When we begin to suppress certain traits to prioritize others, we slowly start the descent into disconnection from our body as a whole.

So how do we make space for our intuition, and learn how to not only listen when it’s speaking to us, but to trust the message it’s trying to send?

Here are 5 ways to create sustainable practices to help strengthen your intuition over time:

1. Limit distractions

We hear this one all the time, and it can feel overwhelming to implement because distractions are quite literally everywhere; however, you don’t have to limit every distraction around you. Pick one that feels the most doable and the least daunting. Put your phone on ‘Do Not Disturb’ for 10 minutes, 30 minutes, an hour. Put a time-limit on your social media apps for 30 minutes less than you would usually scroll. Turn off notifications for your work email on your phone or remove your work email from your phone entirely so that you have to look on your computer. Keep your devices in another room starting at a specific time of day/night so that in order to check them you have to go to that space.

You also don’t have to do this cold turkey. Every time you find yourself wanting to pick up your phone, scroll social media, turn on a Netflix show, or listen to a podcast, take a moment to pause and listen to your body. What does it need? A drink of water? Something to eat? Does it need to move or want to go outside? Does it want to put away the laundry that’s been piling up in the corner and gives you a little anxiety every time you walk past it? How does it want to express itself?

Every time you choose to check in with your body before engaging in something, even if it’s just for 30 seconds, you’re strengthening your intuition.

2. Create a ritual for yourself

Many of us already have routines, and many of us try to create routines but feel like we can never stick to them. While routines are helpful for organization, structure, lessening decision fatigue, and accomplishing tasks, they don’t leave much space for intuition. Routines allow us to do things habitually and on auto-pilot, meaning that we get to check out while doing the thing we just want to get done.

Rather than trying to add another routine to your day, try creating a ritual for yourself. Instead of jumping straight out of bed in the morning and immediately getting ready for the day, what if you gave yourself an extra 10 minutes to slowly wake up or an extra 30 minutes before the kids to make yourself the breakfast you love but never have time to eat? If you’re not a morning person and would rather prioritize sleep, try creating an evening ritual to help you wind down for the day. Take a lavish bath before you go to sleep, make your favorite tea or warm beverage, do a puzzle, or read a chapter from a book.

If this season of life feels too busy and overwhelming, consider how can you create pockets of rituals throughout the day even if it looks like arriving somewhere 10 minutes early so you can relax in your car. Rituals are more intentional and meaningful. They have a specific purpose behind them, like creating more mindfulness in your daily life, restoring balance, or connecting to your body, which helps to create a sense of groundedness so you can strengthen your intuition.

3. Spend time in nature

As humans, we are deeply connected to the earth, but we’re so often running from place to place that we don’t take much time to notice what’s around us. What I’m about to share might feel a bit silly, but it can be incredibly nourishing and healing, and you might even find yourself craving it.

If you live near a park or have yard space, trying walking barefoot in the grass. If you live in a city or a more urban area, try sitting somewhere where you can feel the sun directly hitting your face for a few minutes. Open your windows and let the fresh air in, especially before it starts to get too cold (though doing this occasionally during winter can be beneficial too). Sit on your porch and listen to the birds, or get a bird feeder that you can watch through the window. If you don’t have a green thumb already, get a low maintenance plant such as the snake plant, and take time to water it, talk to it, and take care of it.

Pay attention to what thoughts, feelings, and sensations are coming up for you while connecting with nature. What are your experiences like?

All of these can help with connecting to your intuition, as well as something outside of yourself.

4. Identify small ways to practice following your intuition that don’t feel too risky

One reason that we might not follow our intuition is because it happens during a situation that’s somewhat threatening or unsafe, whether that be physically or emotionally. This can create a cycle where we only notice our intuition when something bad is about to happen but acting on our intuition feels too risky, which leads to dismissing and invalidating it.

To help build trust and confidence in yourself, try practicing in low risk situations. When you’re at the store and choosing between two items notice which item you feel drawn to first. When someone asks you where you want to eat for dinner, what is the first place that pops into your head? What food is your body needing or craving? If you’re still having trouble with a decision, take a moment to pause, take a deep breath and follow your awareness down into your body. Sit with each decision until one becomes a little clearer.

Practice identifying the feelings associated with decisions that you deem “right” or “wrong” to help you get more in tune with what your body is telling you.

5. Find ways to process your thoughts, feelings, and experiences in a way that doesn’t include other people and feels sacred to you

This isn’t to say that we have to keep everything to ourselves and can’t share our life experiences with other people. It’s more about identifying what purpose it serves. Are you wanting to connect with other people? Do you want their opinion because you respect them as a person and care about what they think? Are you unsure of yourself and lack trust in yourself to make the best decision for you?

If it’s the latter, what would it look like to process your thoughts and feelings with just yourself? Journaling can be great for internal processors while recording video journals or voice memos can be a good option for external processors. If you’re more creative, you can try painting, expressive arts, or writing song lyrics. Taking a walk by yourself can be helpful to move your body while also reflecting internally.

Make these practices sacred, knowing that it’s time set aside for yourself and your own well-being. Quietening the distractions and opinions of others for just a little while can help you get more comfortable with identifying and hearing your inner voice and knowing, eventually improving confidence and trust in yourself and intuition.