In a world full of stimuli, our minds buzz with thoughts, plans and worries, making it difficult to hear the subtle whispers of our intuition. How do we quiet the mental chatter so we can hear what our intuition is trying to tell us?
To Hear Your Intuition, Lower the Volume on Your Thoughts
Intuition is a quiet but powerful force within all of us. It is that gut feeling that often defies logic but feels undeniably right. Learning to access your intuition can change your life.
Given the constant bombardment of ideas, images and conflicts in daily life and the practice of law, our minds are seldom quiet. Most likely, you’ve grown so used to noise that you’ve stopped noticing it. It may be as subtle as the sound of birds if you live near a forest or the waves if you live by the beach. But though it may seem like the usual background noise of life, it can obscure your intuitive insights.
Lowering the volume of your thoughts requires deliberate effort and practice. It involves cultivating mindfulness and finding moments of stillness. Here are some ways to accomplish that.
Use meditation to create mental space.
Meditation is one of the most effective tools for this purpose, but I know it may feel uncomfortable for some of you. I invite you to look at it slightly differently. Choose to carve out a small amount of time, during which your phone is turned off or far away from you. All you need to do is be still and be quiet. Through this simple act of sitting in silence and focusing on your breath, you can learn to observe your thoughts without getting entangled in them. Over time, this practice helps you create mental space and quiet the incessant commotion in your head. Eventually, you will create new neural pathways where your intuition can travel!
Do activities that naturally calm the mind.
Another way to tune into your intuition is through activities that naturally calm the mind. Do things that draw your focus away from the constant stream of thoughts and into the present moment where intuition resides.
- Getting out in nature is always a great way to listen to the natural world, which has wildly different rhythms from human-made structures.
- If you don’t have access to nature, try painting, freehand writing, doodling or anything creative.
The key is to find something that allows you to “zone out” and let your body and mind do their thing without constant feedback from the external world.
Intuition thrives in moments of spontaneity and serendipity.
Have you ever noticed how your best ideas come when you’re not actively thinking about them — when you are showering, walking or daydreaming? These are moments when your mind is relaxed and open. By engaging in activities that promote this state of flow, you develop a deeper connection with your intuitive self.
Be aware of the quality of your thoughts.
Negative, fear-based thoughts create a sense of urgency and anxiety that can easily drown out your intuitive voice. They’re sourced in your amygdala and can be like a loud barking dog that won’t calm down enough to realize there is no need for alarm. By practicing positive thinking and self-compassion, you can reduce negative thoughts and create a more conducive environment for your intuition to emerge.
Listening to Your Intuition Requires Trust
In a profession that often values logic and reason above all else, it can be difficult to trust the quiet nudges of intuition. However, intuition is an essential part of your decision-making process. It’s a form of inner wisdom that is informed by your experiences, emotions and subconscious mind. Once you learn to trust and act on your intuitive feelings, your ways of doing things may shift.
In a loud world, it is up to you to lower the volume of your thoughts and create the space needed to hear your intuition.
Often, it is a faint whisper amid the roaring chaos of our daily lives, but you can train yourself to access it more and more easily. It isn’t about suppression or control; it’s about unlearning and letting go. It involves embracing the messiness of your inner world. (We all have a complicated inner world!)
Try approaching it not as a skill to be honed, but as a natural state to be rediscovered. Remember, you were born with an innate sense of intuition, an inner compass that guides you. Observe how much children feel things, unfiltered, and how much they still believe in make-believe and play. Over time, societal norms, educational systems and the pressures of modern life drown out our individual inner voice with layers of doubt, fear and logical reasoning.
This journey toward more intuitive living is like tuning an old radio.
Initially, the static and noise are overwhelming. But with patience and some subtle adjustments, you can find the right frequency and hear the music clearly. Your mind works in similar ways. By cultivating awareness and accepting your mental chatter without judgment, you gradually tune into the frequency of your intuition.
I hope I’ve convinced you that your intuition needs more airtime. When I was younger, I could almost hear my intuition screaming at me for some of the poor choices I made over and over again. I ignored it for so long. But when I finally accepted that our culture and my own programmed mind did not have all the answers, my world opened in the most spectacular ways.
I wish this for you too.
Image © iStockPhoto.com.
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Three Hours to Finding Your Calm in the Chaos
By Jamie Jackson Spannhake
In this bestselling book written for lawyers, former Biglaw litigator Jamie Spannhake helps you clarify your desires and set priorities so you can reclaim your time and enjoy your life. Available in soft-cover and digital format.
