Intuition or anxiety? How to trust your intuition when you have anxiety

Is it your intuition or anxiety? Here’s some guidance to tell the two apart.

Do you ever feel like your intuition and anxiety are constantly fighting against each other? If so, you're not alone. 

So many of us have anxious minds that never seem to settle, yet deep within there's an inner knowing that desires to be heard. 

But how can we tap into the wisdom of our intuition when we've been conditioned to shut down those instincts in favor of listening to our doubts and worries?

How can we know whether we’re listening to our intuition or anxiety?

While it can be a challenge—especially when you’re also grappling with competing perspectives from stakeholders or loved ones—learning how to trust your intuition is possible.

In this post, I provide insight into developing discernment between these two states so that you can confidently connect with your intuition—without worrying that anxiety is secretly in the driver’s seat.

How to tell whether it’s intuition or anxiety

Learning to differentiate between intuition and anxiety can actually be easier than you might expect. It just takes some practice to find an approach that works for you and then make it a habit.

The first step is to get curious and listen to your fears and worries rather than avoiding them altogether.

Let your anxiety speak its mind, so you can figure out what it's really trying to tell you.

One way to do this is to turn the voices in your head into characters, with the anxious voice being a character that is driven by fear and caution. Keep in mind that this part of you is simply trying to protect you (whether you need protection or not).

This anxious part of us tends to be much louder than intuition.Let it have its say by asking questions like, "What are you afraid of?" and continuing to ask "What else?"

Keep questioning and getting clearer until you understand what your anxiety is trying to protect you from and what you need to feel safe.

Other questions to ask your anxiety can be:

• What do you need in order to feel safe?

• What are you trying to protect me from?

By adopting a kind curiosity towards your anxiety, you can begin to recognize that anxious voice for what it is. This paves the way for you to more easily tap into your intuition and make informed decisions.

How to trust your intuition when you have anxiety

In a world where anxiety seems to be the norm, it can be challenging to trust our intuition.

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by negative thoughts and emotions, and to struggle to hear your intuition through all of the noise.

However, learning to trust your intuition can be transformative.

It can help you make confident decisions, navigate difficult situations, and connect with your authentic self.

So, how do you trust your intuition when you're struggling with anxiety?

It starts with creating a calm, supportive environment to help you connect with your inner voice.

Practice mindfulness, meditation, or journaling to quiet your mind and become more aware of your feelings.

Once you can tune into your intuition, remember that it takes practice and patience.

Trusting your gut is a muscle that needs to be exercised regularly, but with time, it will become easier to hear and understand.

Struggling to trust your intuition?

One way to connect with your intuition is by visualizing your future self.

Imagine yourself getting on a Zoom call or sitting across from your future self in a quaint little cafe.

Choose a point in time that's far enough away to see a noticeable difference in yourself—maybe five or even thirty years from now.

What's different?

Take note of your future self’s clothes, hairstyle, facial expression, and overall vibe.

What is it like to be around them? How does it feel to be around them?

Then, ask your future self the hard questions that you're grappling with in the present.

• What do they think about your situation?

• Will you be okay?

• What should you do?

• How did they get to where they currently are now?

For some, this exercise will result in specific answers, while for others, it may be the overall vibe that's most telling.

But if you listen and reflect on the feelings that come, you can begin to tap into your intuition and understand how it’s different from your anxious feelings.

Common misconceptions about intuition can cause even more anxiety

Intuition is often seen as a tool to help navigate life's uncertainties.

However, there are many misconceptions out there that may cause more anxiety than relief.

One common misconception is that intuition is purely emotional. But in reality, it simply acts as a guide to point us in the direction of possibility—and then requires us to have the courage to follow.

When we listen to our intuition, we're really tapping into a place of self-love and asking ourselves, "What would I do if I trusted myself fully?"

It's not always easy, but the rewards of honoring our intuition and taking action toward our true desires are immeasurable. So you can trust that your intuitive voice has your best interests at heart.

Your intuition is a gift, a gentle nudge toward the path meant for you. However, its whispers can also bring forth anxiety as you worry about taking flying leaps, blowing up your life, or taking huge risks.

But know that you always have a choice – to act now or to wait until you feel more ready.

Just because your intuition points you in a certain direction, doesn’t mean you have to go in that direction right now.

Intuition also doesn't have to be seen as something at odds with reason, logic, research, or strategy. Rather, it's another source of valuable information that comes from within, accessible to you all the time.

Often, intuition can feel vague or incomplete. It doesn’t always come as a clear “a-ha” moment.

Sometimes our intuition is like a gentle nudge, pointing us in a direction that we may not have considered before.

And speaking of direction…sometimes it can be helpful to see your intuition as a GPS system.

Let me give you an example from my life: I had an intuition that I should move to Santa Fe several years ago—and I’d never even been there.

This ping from my intuition inspired me to get clear on what I wanted from where I live: What did I need and want from my environment and community?

And then I did some research to make sure Santa Fe fit my needs and wants. I realized it did – and here I am years later, feeling more at home in Santa Fe than anywhere else I’ve been.

But sometimes, your intuition may put something like “Santa Fe” into the GPS. Then after more research, you realize you really miss being near the water, but you do love being surrounded by artists and creativity.

By digging deeper into Santa Fe, you uncovered these two important pieces of information, which will then allow you to “reset your GPS” and find an even better fit.

And finally, one big misconception about intuition is that following it will make us happy. Rather than promising happiness, our intuition is here to help us learn and grow. And sometimes learning and growing can be a challenge!

The bottom line is that our intuition helps us gather enough information so we can reset our GPS to our next right step.

Need more help deciding whether it’s intuition or anxiety?

To assist in your practice, download my free intuition visualization today to get started accessing your inner wisdom.

Tap into your intuition

This guided exercise helps you clearly differentiate between what intuition and anxiety really look like for you—so you can confidently tap into your intuition and trust yourself fully.

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