Something’s Wrong, But You Don’t Know What? Here’s How to Get in Touch With Your Intuition

Have you ever felt unsettled… but can’t quite put your finger on why? We’ve all been there at some point.

With everything happening at the moment (we won’t list it, you know!), it’s completely normal to feel somewhat out of sorts. At best, most of us feel a bit ‘off’ in some way and at the worst, well, we can be really not okay.

However, with all the you-know-whats aside, nobody knows you better than yourself.

You know when that unsettled feeling is something more, something that requires attention. It’s like there’s a feeling or thought in your mind that you can’t quite reach. It’s subtle, quiet, background noise… kind of like a recognisable song playing in a café, but you can’t quite make out the words.

Annoyingly, it can feel like there’s a question you need to answer, but you don’t even know the question… helpful! This can understandably leave you feeling irritated and unfulfilled.

But look, there’s nothing “wrong” with you and actually, we don’t want you questioning yourself if it’s just passing, fleeting, life circumstances – that happens. However, if it’s been going on awhile, or it feels like something ‘more’, or maybe you’re even avoiding it… it might be time to get in touch with your gut instincts.

Or better put – your intuition.

Previously just a concept, the idea of intuition has been scientifically explored and evidenced by psychologists. Our brains organise information in different ways and the intuition part of our brains is the area that processes information based on past experiences and instincts. It’s really quick and happens without us really knowing this consciously. It’s the part of you that senses if you won’t like particular drink you’ve never tried before, or gets a good vibe from someone you’ve just met.

Intuition is that thing you can’t quite put your finger on and as we mentioned above… when your intuition is telling you something, it’s a nagging feeling that you might benefit from listening to. So, how do you tap into this and start listening?

Connect with your own thoughts

Okay, firstly – it can be really useful to consider how you’re spending your time.

For example, if you are spending lots of time with other people (even with your bubble in lockdown, or online) it can difficult to hear your own thoughts. They say that you’re apparently a combination of the 7 people you spend the most time with, and true or not, it’s fair to suggest our relationships and connections with others do influence us.

So… what’s your thought, feeling or opinion compared to somebody else’s?

If you are spending lots of time with other people and aren’t having much ‘you’ time, you’ll need to change this to get in touch with yourself. Alone time looks different for everyone but find some time for just you and your own thoughts for 10 minutes, an hour, a day or more. Hang out by yourself and shut out external influences such as social media. For the extroverts and social butterflies among us, this can feel daunting at first, but push through it… prioritising your own thoughts is the first step!

For those who are spending a lot of time alone, through personal preference or due to lockdown, consider engaging with others more however you can. In the same way spending too much time around others can make us lose touch with our intuition, too much alone time can too. If it’s just your and your thoughts all the time, you can get into unhelpful patterns of thinking, spiral and sometimes lack perspective. When this happens, connecting to other people or sources of information can introduce new ideas, challenge and help you cross-reference your thinking.

Pay more attention

When doing the above… you have to be paying attention to yourself. ‘But, I’m doing that obviously or I wouldn’t be reading this?!’ you proclaim. Well, we mean really paying attention which can take time and effort.

You need to tune in to your body and your feelings which will start giving you answers, you just have to listen to the signals. Notice when you feel tense and where this is in your body. Notice when you feel anxious, distracted or overwhelmed and consider what is happening around you at the time.

It can help to keep and diary and write this down. You could do it old school with a journal you carry around, or there’s some great apps for mood tracking. A couple of weeks of logging your every thought, feeling, sensation and activity is a bit time-consuming, yes, but when you’re able to reflect on it, you’ll start to see patterns.

Maybe there’s a trigger such as a certain person, place or situation? Maybe it’s at a particular time of day? You won’t know until you start paying attention.

Mind Mapping

Once you’ve been getting a bit more in touch with yourself, you might have a better idea of what some of the feelings, issues or patterns could be. Or, you might be one step ahead of the game and know that anyway, but the thoughts just all feel too jumbled… where do you start?!

Grab a piece of paper, different colours etc. (if you’re creatively inclined) and map it out. Write things down, draw bubbles, lines, connect things. This can be really useful for people who aren’t interested in writing their every running thought into a journal, because for this you only really need the headlines.

When you do this, write like nobody is watching. Assume you’ll be the only person who ever sees this so you’re not afraid to be honest. Make several as well if you have to, maybe for different feelings or issues or areas of your life. See how they connect, see how they don’t. It can really help you get those messy thoughts out there.

Doing something completely different

You know that old phrase – ‘do one thing every day that scares you’?

We also can benefit from doing something new or seeing something different every day. There’s a reason why people have huge realisations when they take time off work or come back refreshed with new ideas or revelations after a trip away, it’s good for us!

If you’re disconnected from your intuition and feel a bit stuck in a rut with your own thoughts or don’t know what to even put on a mind map, consider stepping out of your mental, and maybe even physical comfort zone. New experiences or influences can help us to challenge ourselves, give our brains something new to focus on instead of our muddled thoughts and help our cylinders start firing in different directions.

The best part is, you don’t need to climb a huge mountain or take an expensive holiday for this, it can be simple and small and have the same impact. For example – taking a different route to work, visiting a new park, getting coffee from a different café, watching a film or documentary that you wouldn’t usually, reading a book on a new topic, re-arranging your furniture… anything! As long as it’s something a bit different that sparks change.