Intuition is often described as a ‘gut feeling’, an unexplained sense that tells you something is true even when you have no evidence or proof of it. This is our higher self-guiding us toward happiness and light. Our thoughts are much chattier, even noisy in our head and are usually an indicator of our anxiety or fear-based beliefs. Thoughts can intrude upon, mask, or even take over our intuition completely. Why? Because thoughts are loud. Our intuition is much less verbal and will present as a feeling or vibe, rather than a sentence we tell ourselves in our head. 

This analogy explains it beautifully: Intuition is not like the waves on the surface of the ocean, but more the tide beneath the waves. 

How can I tell the difference between thoughts and intuition?

Sometimes our intuition and thoughts can present themselves to us in the same way. It might be a sudden feeling or message. However, there is one clear way to assess whether you are focussing on your thoughts or your intuition: how you feel. Thoughts, especially intrusive thoughts, are more often than not an indicator of our anxieties, fears or biased beliefs. For example, you might have set a goal for yourself to lose weight, but your brain (your thoughts) might tell you it’s too hard. Your thoughts will say, ‘You’ll never reach that weight. Just eat the cake.’  We feel anxious, worried, or fearful when we are having these thoughts. Our intuition doesn’t make us feel that.

Your intuition is your connection to your higher self. It is your highest form guiding you toward love, happiness, and light. Your higher self always has your best interests at heart, and so any messages or feelings delivered to you in the form of intuition will always have a basis of warmth and caring. If you set a goal for yourself to get fitter, your intuition will always support your journey to health and flood you with good feelings about taking this action. Your intuition will say, ‘Health is happiness. The apple will make you feel better than the cake.’ 

How do I listen to my intuition, rather than my thoughts?

Lots of meditation. Quietening the mind is the best way to connect with our higher self and allow it to be heard. As a bonus, you will calm those general feelings of anxiety and fear too. If you have never practiced meditation before, you may find quietening down those chatty thoughts difficult at first, even frustrating. How can we connect to our higher self when thoughts about the shopping list keep popping in? Just gently bring yourself back to your meditation: focus on your breath, how it enters your lungs and leaves your body. Meditating and listening to our intuition are the most powerful tools we have in allowing happiness, health and abundance into our lives. 

The answers are always within us – we simply need to trust ourselves!