Anxiety vs. Intuition?

I used to confuse my anxiety with intuition all the time. 

But anxiety and intuition are not the same.

It makes sense that I got them confused. It’s pretty common. 

Especially when the thing we are anxious about does happen, as it sometimes does when you have a lot of anxiety. (As a good friend of mine said once,  if you assume the worst often enough, it’s bound to happen.)

Which reinforces the mistaken belief that our anxiety is predictive and useful. 

So how do you know which one it is? To me:

Anxiety feels frantic, loud, and repetitive. Intuition feels slow, quiet, and calm.

Anxiety creates an urge to act quickly or escape. Intuition creates an urge to make slow grounded decisions and take slow grounded actions. 

Anxiety creates panic. Intuition relieves it. 

Anxiety focuses on the future and the unknown. Intuition focuses on the present and facts. 

Anxiety manifests as black-and-white thinking. Intuition manifests as curiosity. 

Anxiety silences intuition. Intuition quiets anxiety.  

Anxiety makes fear based decisions. Intuition makes grounded decisions.

Making decisions and showing up from our anxiety rarely serves us. But women are socialized not to trust themselves. Women also learn to be extremely hard on themselves. And when we don’t think we can trust ourselves and when we know we are going to beat ourselves up if we don’t make the “right” decision or we don’t show up in the “right” way, anxiety is going to prevail over intuition more often than not–even thought that deep knowing is there, hiding under the anxiety. 

Some questions to help you out next time you’re wondering whether it is anxiety or intuition:

▫️ What are the facts here?

▫️ What are my thoughts about those facts?

▫️ When I think those thoughts, how does it feel in my body?

▫️ Is there an urge to respond or act? If so, respond and act how?

▫️ Do I like that response?

▫️ If not, how do I want to think and feel instead? How do I want to respond instead?

▫️ What do I need to think to feel trusting? 

▫️ What would I do if I trusted myself to handle whatever comes next?

A ❤️ note to you: If you’re ready to start trusting yourself more, having your own back more often, and talking to yourself in a more supportive way, I can help. Sign up for a free call with me at jenndealcoaching.as.me/consult. On the call, we will (1) talk about the changes you want to see in your life, (2) I’ll tell you how coaching can help you make them, and (3) you’ll decide whether you’re ready to move forward with creating a better life.