Moving From Overthinking to Intuition
The Rabbit Hole of “What-if”
The world is extremely noisy right now. Just thinking about daily life – the expectations society has for us, the endless to-do lists, the sheer volume of choices – is enough to make anyone want to hide. It’s “paralysis by analysis.” We feel like we can’t just act; we have to factor in every single possibility first.
You know that moment in the Simpsons movie when the dome is coming down and that poor man just gets squished because he can’t decide which way to run? That is exactly what overthinking feels like. We spend so much time second-guessing that the “dome” eventually just lands on us.
The Strategy of Being Stuck
Now, hear me out for a second. The older I get, the more I’m convinced that this feeling of being stuck isn’t an accident. Society, or maybe even our own trauma, almost wants us to stay in this rut. There are so many people with incredible potential who are kept small because they’re trapped in paralysis. If we are busy squandering our time stick in “what if,” we aren’t out there changing the world. We aren’t becoming more. We just accept our place and stay there.
Does that make sense? Because overthinking is exhausting. It runs on overdrive for women especially. We beat ourselves up for not finishing the ridiculous lists we made, and then we dive back into the rabbit hole. But what if we changed the default? What if, instead of overthinking, we focused on growing our intuition?
Intuition: Your Refined Internal Compass
Intuition is the soul’s way of whispering the truth before the mind has time to manufacture a life.
– unknown
It feels like magic, but it isn’t. It’s your brain processing patterns and signs at a much faster pace than your conscious mind can keep up with. Think about the contrast: a fear-based thought is loud, nerve-wracking, and frantic. But an intuitive thought has a calm to it. Even if the news is big, the feeling is steady.
Try one or all of these five strategies to help you grow your intuition.
Strategy 1: The Body Compass
Your body doesn’t know how to lie. When you’re faced with a choice, stop the mental chatter and just feel.
- The Expansion: When the answer is a “yes”, you can usually feel an expansion or a lightness in your chest.
- The Contraction: When the answer is “no”, you’ll feel a tightening or a “sinky” feeling in your stomach.
This is your body talking to you. Start listening to the physical hit before the logic starts screaming.
Strategy 2: The 24-Hour Rule For Big Hits
Sometimes intuition bubbles up with no warning during the most random times. Before you let your logical side tear the thought apart, make yourself wait. Give the “Big Hit” 24 hours to settle. If the calm confidence is still there the next morning, that’s your signal to move.
Strategy 3: The 5 Second Pattern Interrupt
The longer you sit on an intuitive hit, the more time your inner critic has to talk you out of it. The Action: When you get that spark – to send that email, to sign up for that class, or to pivot your brand – give yourself a 5-second countdown. 5-4-3-2-1. Move before the “what ifs” can catch up to you.
Strategy 4: Identifying the “Heavy vs. Light” Feeling
Logic loves to argue, but your body doesn’t know how to lie. When you’re facing a pivot, stop looking at the external “facts” for a second. Close your eyes and imagine yourself saying Yes to the path in front of you.
- The Sensation: Does your chest feel tight? Do your shoulders hunch? That’s “Heavy.” That’s your system signaling resistance.
- The Shift: Now imagine saying No. Does your breath come easier? Do you feel a sense of relief, even if it’s scary? That’s “Light”. That is your intuition telling you where the growth is.
Strategy 5: Break the Circuit of the “Rabbit Hole”
If you catch yourself falling into a “rabbit hole” phase – one of those illogical loops that makes you say, “What on earth am I thinking?” – you need to break the circuit. Action: Set a timer for 2 minutes (at minimum, a song or two is even better), put on a track from your Rage List, and let it out. Scribble, vent, or move. When the timer dings, the static is cleared, and you can hear the wheel turning again.
Call to Action: Let the First Instinct Win
Every time we act on our intuition, the signal gets stronger and more accurate. Tomorrow, pick one low-stakes decision – what to have for breakfast or which route to take to the store – and let your very first instinct win. Don’t think. Just do. That is you, finally trusting the wheel.
Don’t miss this weeks complimenting mini blogs!
The 5-Minute Morning Grounding
Signs and Syncs
Image for the graphic by Ayana Bula on Unsplash