We’ve all had those moments where we’ve had a gut feeling about something, gone against it and later thought, “Oh man, I wish I would’ve listened to my gut on that one.”

So, how do you tell the difference between intuition and fear?

There are a few ways that you can tell.

1. Intuition will give you a calm, neutral knowing, whereas fear will be highly emotionally charged.

Your intuition will give you a calm neutral knowing, like you just know – this is the way I should go, this is what I should eat, maybe I won’t tell this person about this part of my life…whatever it is. Whereas fear is super emotionally charged. It will make you feel anxious, paranoid or just give you a heavy feeling. You might feel confused, like you just don’t know what to do; you might feel flighty and just run away or even just be way in your head about things. You might get brain fog too if there’s fear in you about a certain situation. So, that’s one way to know.

2. Intuition will have you focused in the present moment.

Your intuition will have you focused in the present moment, whereas fear will have you focused either in the past or in the future. Fear takes you out of the present moment, and your intuition brings you in to the present moment. You get that calm, neutral knowing because you’re in the present moment…here, right now…focused on what’s happening in front of you. You’re not in the past, and you’re not in the future. 

3. Your intuition is neutral, whereas fear will have you reacting from a past wound of some sort.

If you’re in a fear place, your reactions will most likely be coming from a past wound of some sort, whether it be psychological, emotional, etc. For example, “The last time I got in this situation, this happened and I don’t want that to happen again.” Fear will have you go back into your memories and try to have you make decisions based off of past wounds rather than your intuition.

Your intuition does not take into account your past wounds. Your intuition is here, focused on the present moment and is emotionally detached. So, you might be in a situation where, in the past, this kind of circumstance didn’t go well for you. Your intuition knows where you are going on your path and is not concerned with all of the emotions that are brought up from the past. Intuition comes from your higher self, and your higher self has an eagle eye view of your path, purpose and even of the situation that you’re in right now. So, your higher self knows where you ultimately want to end up and your higher self will speak to you through your intuition in a calm, neutral manner that’s focused on the present. Your higher self knows that this situation is going to go differently for you this time. 

4. Intuition feels expansive in the body, whereas fear feels constrictive.

Another way to tell between intuition and fear is to feel into your body and what’s happening during your decision-making process. If you’re coming from a fearful place, you will feel constricted in your body. Check in with yourself. Do you have a knot in your throat? Is your stomach upset? Is your posture slouching? 

Conversely, when your intuition is speaking to you, that will feel expansive in your body. You will feel safe. Your shoulders will move back, you’ll sit up straighter, even your forehead will probably smooth out because your intuition knows how to keep you safe and knows how to direct you in a way that you want to go anyway.

It’s so important to check in with yourself. You can do a bit of a muscle test when you’re deciding between two options. Put your hand on your heart, tune in to your breathing and check for tension in your body. Then ask yourself about this situation. How does option 1 feel to me? Say option 1 out loud and see how that feels in your body. Does it feel restrictive or does it feel expansive? Feel into that. How about option 2? Feel how each option resonates in your body, and go with the one that feels expansive, particularly in the heart space.

So, to wrap this up, the best way to tap into your intuition and make decisions based on your intuition and not fear is to take a moment to breathe and check in.

Sometimes we can get so caught up in the frenzy of thoughts and stimuli coming at us constantly throughout the day. Remember to come back inside, check in with yourself, feel into your body and slow it down. Slow down enough that you can hear the still, small voice within you.

You might be surprised by what comes up when you really start tapping into your intuition. Sometimes your intuition will put you in a direction that can make your mind uncomfortable. This is why it’s important to distinguish between intuition and fear. They’re both living in your mind, simultaneously, but you’ve got to check the body’s reaction to what’s going on and really tune in to the truth (which is your intuition) which is coming from your higher self. And remember, just because an option might put you outside of your comfort zone doesn’t mean, necessarily, that it’s driven by fear.

I can honestly tell you that my intuition has put me on paths that have taken me out of my comfort zone and I’m so glad that listened, because those were my biggest learning experiences. 

We don’t grow where we’re comfortable. We don’t flourish in stagnant water. We grow when we get out of our comfort zone. We grow when we push our limits and our edges. We grow when we can see what we’re made of.

Let me know what you think in the comments and if you have any questions, let me know.

Sending you tons and tons of looooooooove! 🙌🏼🦉💜✨

xo V