Can you always trust your gut instinct?

Our intuition can be a powerful tool - but it can also have wonky programming, like a Sat Nav that will lead us to the wrong place...

There is a LOT of breathless adulation and spiritualisation of our humble gut instinct/intuition. When we were little zygotes in the womb, our brains and our bowels fermented and flourished side by side, and became inseparable friends.

Intuition, that sense of ‘knowing’ which we innately possess, is a powerful sense that we are right to recognise, revere and listen to. If you ever are walking somewhere, or feeling slightly vulnerable, do you find yourself quickening your pace, and your senses becoming hyper vigilant? ALWAYS LISTEN to your gut instinct in these situations. Get your little ole legs walking as fast as they darn well can.

Back in the days before salad cream, solar panels and social media, intuition kept us safe from tigers, mammoths, marauding invaders: so always pay it the respect it’s due.

We are each of us the most intuitive and ‘knowing’ person about ourself and some of us have a deeper stronger sense of knowing and intuition than others. . (Slightly incidental personal pet hate announcement: when someone says: “I know you better than you know yourself” it actually makes me want to poke my eyes out.).

Your intuition is ALWAYS right. BUT it’s also occasionally (often!) wrong simply because of how you interpret it.

Gut instinct can be surprisingly influential in our relationships, offering whispers of warning or surges of certainty. But while intuition can be a good friend, it’s important to remember that our interpretation of what it’s saying it isn’t always reliable. This is especially true in the complex realm of relationships, where emotions run high and biases can cloud our judgment.

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Imagine meeting someone new. There’s an immediate spark, and your intuition screams, “This is the one! I can FEEL it in my bones!” It’s thrilling and you dive in headfirst, buoyed by this strong internal conviction. Sometimes, your intuition is spot-on. Other times it transpires that your hormones have lead you into a preposterous polka. Fuelled by excitement, chemistry and desire, you have interpreted the flashing disco lights of your ‘gut instinct’ and turned it into a malfunctioning Sat Nav that has lead you astray, glossing over red flags that, in hindsight, were glaringly obvious.

Although I believe intuition is always correct, our intuitive sense is shaped by past experiences, biases, and even our current emotional state. (NOTE TO SELF: Do Not Make Big Decisions When One Is Pre-Menstrual…)

Intuition is not purely an internal compass pointing true north but a reflection of our personal history and mindset. For example, if you’ve been hurt before, your intuition might flag up a warning, and you interpret this as a sign to become overly cautious, making you wary of new relationships. Or if you’re feeling particularly lonely and desperate for attention and love, you may add a layer of interpretation on top of an intuitive feeling, seeing a green light to head towards someone who isn’t a good fit, simply because you’re desperate to fill a void.

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With love,

Naomi x