If you’re like me, you may be someone who feels connected to their intuition. But what happens when you are someone who also experiences anxiety? How can you tell the difference?
What is intuition? Though some believe intuition to be unreliable, or not real, recent research has found that intuitions can actually be more accurate than someone’s logical assessment of a situation. This is a finding that does not surprise me, as someone’s emotional experience in the world is often not something that can be navigated and managed using logic (emotions are not always logical!).
So, what is your intuition? Many refer to this as their “gut” and have their own concept of what their intuition feels like. It can feel different for everyone, but your intuition typically comes from the unconscious processing that goes on in your mind behind the scenes. As you move through your life, your brain documents patterns through each of your experiences. When your intuition is sending you signals, it is often because it recognizes patterns in your environment or your body that may suggest how something is going to make you feel. How much you choose to take this into account is completely up to you (and may vary throughout your life as you make intentional changes to your patterns!).
What is anxiety? While anxiety also serves to “warn” you of incoming negative feelings or even danger, anxiety is very different from intuition. I saw someone describe anxiety as something that screams, while intuition is something that whispers(I wish I could remember where I saw this). Your anxiety may involve extremely distressing fear, rumination (a form of overthinking), or physical symptoms such as dizziness, a racing heart, sweatiness, etc. It may also lead you to sit with thoughts that have no connection to reality.
Knowing the Difference With the above thoughts in mind, it may be easier for you to differentiate between your anxiety and your intuition. Your intuition should typically feel calm, while your anxiety is likely to feel panicked and afraid. And if you’re not sure, talk it out with someone you trust! This can support you in understanding better what is going on in your mind and body — Wisdom or fear?