Using intuition to make a decision can be tricky for analytical people. In rational decision-making, the need for practical and logical arguments and careful analysis come high in priority. But intuitive decision making relies on unconscious intelligence created from past experiences and learning which makes it the key component of effective and smart decisions.
As an intuitive psychiatrist, I worship my high octane intuitions. I owe the blessing of becoming a physician to one. However, at twenty, when an unwavering inner voice told me I was going to medical school, it was theย last thing I thought I wanted.
This gut-centered voice committed to your happiness, health, and survival, is, with practice, accessible to everyone. But when you deviate even a nano-fraction from your innerย voice, energy wanes, whether a subtle seepage or radical bottoming out. The more ferociously faithful you are to this truth the more energized youโll be.
Intuition offers a direct line to your life force, and also, as I experience it, to divine intelligence. We canโt afford to remain deaf to intuitionโs messages. Its expertise is energy; its job is to know every nuance of what makes you tick.
A master at reading vibes, intuition is constantly tallying: what gives positive energy, what dissipates it. Who you meet, where you go, your job, your family, current events, are all evaluatedโcrucial data that you can learn to interpret and apply.
Hereโs a formula from my book,ย Positive Energyย to help you get started. First, listen to your body: there are positive and negative intuitions about relationships that highlight compatible matches. Second, act on this information, which is often the hardest part. Let me walk you through the process.
Recognize Your Bodyโs Intuitions About Vibes
A people skill most of our parents didnโt know or teach us is intuitively reading vibes. Weโve learned to draw conclusions from surface data: how nice someone seems, looks, education, or if a situation adds up on paper.
But intuition goes deeper; to make it work for you other ingredients must be considered such as what positive vibes feel like, for instance, a sense of heart, compassion, and nurturance. In contrast, negative people project prickly, draining vibes that put you on guard.
Here is a general guideline of body-based intuitions. Use this checklist at a first meeting, to troubleshoot problems if youโre already involved, or to weigh โopportunities.โ Also, feel free to add to it.
Being intuitive, I know that signature energy always accompanies situations or people. Remember the Lilโ Abner jinxed cartoon character who always had a black cloud hanging over his head? Not a vibe that bodes well for auspicious outcomes. Instead, learn to gravitate towards brightness, a positive intuition your bodyโs responses will affirm.
Read: How Your Intuitive Abilities Can Help You Find Your Spiritual Side
When tuning into vibes take a few quiet moments to go into sensing mode, not intellectual analysis. Look for these signs to determine attraction.
Positive Intuitions About Relationships or Situations
- A feeling of comforting familiarity or brightness; you may sense youโve known the person before, as with the experience of Deja-vu
- You breathe easier, chest and shoulders are relaxed, the gut is calm
- You find yourself leaning forward, not defensively crossing your arms or edging away to keep a distance
- Your heart opens; you feel safe, peaceful, energized, expansive, or alive
- Youโre at ease with a personโs touch whether a handshake, hug, or during intimacy.
Negative Intuitions About Relationships or Situations
- A sick feeling in the pit of your stomach or increased stomach acid may prompt an unpalatable deja-vu
- Your skin starts crawling, youโre jumpy, instinctively withdraw if touched
- Shoulder muscles are in knots, chest area or throat constricts; you notice aggravated aches or pains
- The hair on the back of your neck creepily stands on end
- A sense of malaise, darkness, pressure, agitation, or being drained
Intuition helps you act from instinct, not impulseโa look before you leap wisdom that points you to positive energy. When it comes to who you love, where your work, or any important decision, the last thing you want to be is vague. Tuning in keeps you specific. Practice the next exercise to get this down.
With Intuition Learn How to Pin Down and Act on Your Vibes
Now youโre going to tune in, trust your body, and make choices based on the vibes you sense.
Tune In:ย
Choose a relationship or situation that needs clarification about whether or not to go forward. Perhaps a friendship, vacation, or move. Begin with an easier target before you take on higher stakes.
Run it by this sectionโs criteria for positive and negative intuitionsโor others you find reliable. Itโs helpful to make a top-five list of the most killer indicators of positive attraction. For one of my patients, it includes feeling energized and safe. Another must register an increased aliveness and peaceful sense. Write your top five in a journal so they donโt get hazy. See how they add up here.
Read: The Four Levels of Intuition โ Recognizing the Voice of your Highest Wisdom
Act-On Vibes:ย
This is where we must be warriors. I know personally and from patients how much easier it is to tune into than to act on vibes. Insecurity, ego, lust, stubbornness can obscure better judgment.
Sometimes it takes succumbing to them all to realize you wonโt tolerate such battering again. But if you donโt have to take such a bumpy route, try these options. If the vibes feel overall positive, go for it; explore possibilities. If the vibes are mixed or youโre unsure, take a pass or at least wait.
If thereโs just a negative, have the courage to walk away, no matter how tempting the option seems. Then observe how listening to energy in this way leads you to the juiciest opportunities.
Now I want you to start listening. Really listening. I guarantee youโll start making smarter choices. Why? Youโll be operating from a spot inside thatโs juicy, core-felt, authenticโnot from an impulse to conform or disown your strength. You wonโt be seduced by what may look good, but betrays your gut. Intuition is a truth detector.
Adapted from Dr. Judith Orloffโsย โPositive Energy: 10 Extraordinary Prescriptions for Transforming Fatigue, Stress, and Fear into Vibrance, Strength, and Loveย โ
Written By: Judith Orloff, MDย
Originally Appeared On: Dr. Judith Orloff
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