How does Intuition work, and how can I use my Intuition?

Intuition is this silent knowing that sits inside each of us. How we access it may be different for each one of us. We all have this magical ability inside of us, all of us, male, female, non-binary. All of us. 

I have found that my intuitive abilities increase as I take care of myself, and I listen to and follow my inner guidance. If you have spent years ignoring your inner voice, it may feel like Intuition is some fancy thing. That is either hocus pocus or something only a few people have. The reality is we all have an intuitive voice.

I remember when I had been at a job I didn’t like for a long time. I was new in my career, and I needed to be at a career for a few years to gain experience to be able to move into a new position. I worked in education. I remember my Mom had come to visit, and it was early September, and I had taken a few days off to spend time with her. When she left, I had this realization that I was finished living for the breaks. I worked hard and only lived a life outside of work when I was on holiday. I had this inner knowing that my time for living my life for summer break or winter break was over. 

My Intuition told me time to look for a new job. You may be wondering, well, how did your Intuition tell you this? I remember that day perfectly. I was sitting at my desk, sensing into my body. I felt this stillness, and this knowing inside me that I was done living for the breaks. That summer, I had gone to China and taught a summer camp, and I remember when I was there teaching, my heart felt tight, and my stomach hurt. I thought isn’t this interesting here I am just “teaching for fun” and having this great experience, and my body is sending me messages that this is not it. I noted that for this period in my life, it was teaching in a school that I felt done with. I listened to and took note of my feelings. A few weeks later, when I was paying attention to my body, I realized I felt OK when I was on breaks. I was done feeling OK only when I was not working. That was no way to live. 

When that feeling came through that, I was done living for breaks. I took some time in contemplation/meditation. I was still and allowed there to be silence, and in the quiet and stillness, I posed the question of what else I could do if not being a school counselor? The answer I heard within myself was to work for an agency doing community counseling. This scared me as I wasn’t sure if I would be able to go from school counseling to community counseling.

I trusted the answer I got. I wasn’t sure if it would work out. I started to take the steps necessary to find a new job. I worked a busy job, and it was vital for me to continue giving all that I had to my job. I devoted 1 hour a week to build my resume. I didn’t have a lot of time, but I found a small amount of time to work on my goal of finding a new job each week. 

I started improving my resume in September and continued through December. I asked friends for help in polishing up my resume and cover letter. In January, I began to apply for jobs. 

Overall I interviewed for three positions. Each time I would tune in to my body and listen to the answers I was being given. I remember when I was on my way to one interview, I got behind a license plate that said too far. When I tuned into my body, something didn’t feel right. I went to the second interview, and after the second interview, I called and asked for my name to be removed for consideration. I also interviewed for two different positions. One was for a hospital and the other for a local agency. I was excited about the hospital job, so excited I was going through the motions with the other interview. 

The interesting thing was my interview with the local agency went smoothly. I went in for the first interview, and they shared we are going to have you come in for the second interview next week. I went in for the second interview and was told I was being recommended for hire.

When I interviewed for the hospital, they were very interested in me, and I was interested in them. Due to how it looked on paper, I thought this would be the perfect job for me. I had heard negative things about the local agency, so I was hesitant to want to work for that company. 

What I learned about Intuition from this experience is I had my heart set on the outcome due to what I thought would be best. In the end, I didn’t get the hospital job. They shared that I was their number one candidate, but they were going with someone who could speak two languages. I was crushed. After the experience was over, I learned when you are following your Intuition, things often flow. Yes, you have to put work into what you are trying to accomplish. The process at the local agency was so smooth. In the end, the local agency was an incredible blessing to my life. 

 I loved my job, which was my number one goal in finding my new job. I earned more than I could ever dream of making as a therapist. I worked with amazing people. My Intuition led me to my ideal outcome. 

Tips to hearing your Intuition:

Tip One: Start to recognize and pay attention to the messages your body is sending you. Your body sends you messages through your feelings, body sensations, and thoughts. Remember, fear is a considerable preventer of being able to hear your Intuition. Can you start to recognize the difference between fear and Intuition? 

Tip Two: Take time for meditation/silence every day. Start slow, set a time for two minutes, and work your way up to 20 minutes. Give yourself ten months if you need to. Increasing the time you spend in silence by two minutes every month. You will have thoughts and sometimes unpleasant feelings; this is OK. Imagine a front door and a back door. Allow the thoughts to go through the front door and out the back door. Just don’t give your unhelpful cognitions a couch to sit on. 

Tip Three: Exercise every day if you can. Exercise completes the stress cycle allowing your body to naturally relieve stress, which enables you to distinguish between fear and Intuition. 

Tip Four: When you are letting your intuition guide you, you are willing to change your mind as you get new information. 

Tip Five: What messages do you see in your daily life? Did you have an extraordinary experience in an everyday moment- listen to that. Write that down. Keep track of those moments. What meaning can you make from them? 

Tip Six: When you are listening to your Intuition, life often flows. When you are listening to fear and anxiety, you usually are pushing against something or towards something that is not healthy for you.