Research shows that our intuition is controlled by our unconscious mind. This is how HSPs can tap into it.
I entered my office at 6:30 in the morning. The sun was barely on the horizon, but I was already at work—and I had left this room less than 12 hours earlier.
I was a little dizzy from lack of sleep and a little sick from the donuts I ate in the car. But I had to work a few hours without a client’s trauma story pouring in from the next room, or a knock from a co-worker wanting to talk about issues with the agency. And that’s why I was late.
Although I had my “dream job” as a community organizer in a victim advocacy office, I knew it wasn’t sustainable. Running a department and running the agency’s crisis line meant extremely long hours in addition to being on call regularly.
The agency culture severely undervalued self-care, so I struggled to fit therapy and mediation into my schedule. Moreover, my position required daily public speaking and addressing the community, where I had to “switch on” for a long time.
All of this was challenging, especially as a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP). In addition, despite the fact that deep listening and acceptance of other people’s emotions were very characteristic of me – especially in the field of my work -, I felt mentally and emotionally overwhelmed. I was exhausted, exhausted and burned out.
But having ignored my intuition all my life, I barely recognized the need to stop. Instead, I tried to protect myself from pain by building a people-pleasing protective shell. I unwittingly silenced my intuition in exchange for external validation.
Months later, when I found myself screaming on the kitchen floor in the fetal position, I knew I had reached my limit. This time I had to listen to my intuition.
I quit my job and moved home. The relief I felt from trusting my inner voice was so strong that I decided to never go back that feeling of burnout.
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What exactly is “intuition”?
Do you know when you have to make a decision and of course you know what to do? This is your intuition at work, your intuition that you should choose At rather than Bt (or vice versa). Or perhaps B chooses—say, a higher-paying job—despite knowing that A—a lower-paying job—would make him happier in terms of the work involved.
Research indicates that our intuition is guided by our unconscious mind; we “just know” that something is good or bad for us.
And when we bring our highly sensitive selves into the picture, we don’t have to listen to our intuition, do we? After all, we HSPs already tend to process things more deeply and have the ability to pay attention every little detailwhich can be interpreted as a strength if we listen to our inner voice.
But when we choose to deny or discard this intuitive filter, we lose confidence in our perceptions and devalue our experiences. This can cause a pervasive sense of instability and confusion, leading to a cycle of overachievement, people-pleasing and perfectionism – which can eventually lead to burnoutas in my case.
Why is listening to intuition so beneficial for HSPs?
Our intuition is a key guidance system, and it’s especially helpful for HSPs to listen to what it’s telling us.
The more I connect with my intuition, for example, the more it acts as an emotional anchor for me. It allows me to recognize emotions and impulses that are not my own and sense when I reach out and trying to fix others instead of holding space for their pain.
I also felt a profound sense of safety and peace – trusting my intuition to find a calm place beneath the chatter of my easily overwhelmed HSP mind.
By trusting the filter of my intuition, my life gained a new clarity and stability that wasn’t available when I lived in a people-pleasing frenzy and felt like I lived in the office 24/7. Through trial and error, the five exercises below allowed me to regroup my intuition, and they can do the same for you.
5 simple ways to strengthen your intuition
1. Get more rest than you think and let go of the productivity mindset.
HSPs generally need more sleep like non-HSPs, and reconnecting with your intuition is the process of learning to honor your energy rhythm and bodily needs instead of wanting to cross things off your to-do list.
In order to allow yourself to rest, you must overcome society’s obsession with productivity; the liberation of this mentality involves the separation of self-esteem and production.
Every time you feel the urge to take on more, say, “I’m not meant to be overwhelmed.” And when your body tells you to stop – stop.
For me, it took months of constant rest, like taking naps (several times a day) to reconnect with my inner compass. I am constantly amazed to find that the less I push myself to overload myself with the tasks I think I “need” to do in order to be productive, the more I accomplish.
2. Stop feeling guilty about putting your own needs before the needs of others.
As you step out of the usual frenzy, you’ll most likely feel like you’re letting people down. HSPs tend to be sensitive to the needs of others and expectations; feeling like you’re not meeting them can cause a lot of guilt.
When this feeling of guilt arises, look at the fear behind the guilt. This process Releasing the guilt (and the fear behind it) requires the patience to sit lovingly with the young aspects of yourself, afraid of letting others down by trusting your intuition.
But when you can acknowledge the fear and sit with it, the grip of guilt will naturally begin to loosen.
3. Take time to be alone and let your mind wander – especially in nature.
It’s no secret that many Highly sensitive people need solitudeand this is key to rebuilding that connection with your intuition. It is necessary to remove time and space from other people’s perception of the world in order to feel our own.
Especially since we HSPs tend to pick up on other people’s thoughts and feelings, we need time to ourselves disconnect from them and to join with ourselves.
And the best place to be alone? Outdoors. Research it shows that time spent in nature is extremely beneficial – there is something about time spent among trees, water and mountains that resonates with your innate rhythm and helps you reconnect with deeper parts of yourself.
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4. Connect with your body with a self-care tool, such as embodied meditation.
Connecting with your body is essential to distinguishing between your intuition and wanting to please. When you live in a sea of people-pleasers, you often disconnect from your body in order to meet expectations without interrupting your own needs.
One thing to try embodied meditationthe art to consciously reconnect with your body. Your body holds unexplored emotions and deeper understandings, as well as feelings about people and situations.
There are a number of available embodiment practices, including yoga, breathing, body examination, and self-massage. Although these exercises may seem strange and intimidating at first, their benefits, especially if you do them regularly, will change your life.
5. Take advantage of introspective exercises such as journaling.
What HSPs tend to be big thinkersso doing something introspective can help us process our thoughts and emotions better. One way to do this is through journaling, which is a powerful way to connect with your intuition.
HSPs are sometimes prone to self-criticism, and this critical inner voice from your “rational” side can inhibit incredible intuitive insights or creative exploration.
However, writing can open you up to realizations that you wouldn’t otherwise touch. There is something about writing anything that allows you to express your feelings without questioning your “rational”, more critical side.
You will soon find that seeing your intuitive answers in writing makes it easier for you to connect with your inner guide.
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A version of this article was previously published on the author’s blog, Reshoot with intuition.
