Is It Fear Or Intuition?
Perhaps it’s an occupation hazard, but I tend to be asked a lot of questions. The occupational benefit of being psychic, of course, is that I can often provide answers. One of the most frequently asked questions I’m asked is how do I know if it’s really my intuition, or is it my fear? How do I tell the difference?
Let’s explore exactly how you can tell if you’re listening to your intuition or your fear in this article (or listen to the corresponding episode on The Guided Collective Podcast).
How can I tell if it’s intuition or fear?
The good news is, there are often some really positive signs and intuitive experiences when we begin working with our intuition. At first, it’s exciting when we realise we have this kind of superpower — and we do! In the beginning, we may like to call on our intuition to help us with key decisions, or to reflect on past decisions. We begin to get a feel for things, or a sense of what is right for us.
Sooner or later, our intuition will prompt us to make changes and decisions, and this is where people begin to wonder if they’re doing it right. Perhaps following your intuition isn’t so fun and exciting anymore; we will certainly need to decide how much we really trust our intuition.
At this point, following our intuition may shift from something that started out as a kind of fun game to something that now requires us to do something. Sooner or later, our intuition begins asking us to turn inward, to make hard decisions and to move through change. That’s because our intuition will help us navigate what’s happening “out there” by working on what’s happening “in here”, in our inner world.
Once the guidance starts to ask us to do something, to make changes and decisions, the stakes get higher. And, it’s at this point, we may start to wonder if we’re really following our guidance, or if we are succumbing to our fears.
The difference between intuition and fear
Intuition: True intuition and guidance will feel like expansion and a nudge into growth. It will feel like evolution and possibly even excitement.
Fear: When fear is ruling, it is more likely to feel like a contraction. Fear wants to keep you safe, it doesn’t like the unknown and tries to minimise and mitigate risk.
Intuition leads us towards the lesson. Fear tries to avoid it.
How to tell the difference between intuition and fear
Practice! With trial and error you’ll soon notice the difference between what is true guidance and what is really fear.
Start small. When the stakes are lower you can take more risks in figuring out what is intuition and what is fear. Figure out if it’s intuition or fear on whether you should keep an appointment (for example), before you make a life altering decision.
Meditate. You can use formal meditation techniques to help you relax and become more familiar with the feelings underneath the surface, such as fear. You can also use a guided meditation designed to help you figure out if it’s your intuition or fear. For that, you might like my Head Versus Heart meditation (see below).
Do the inner work. Working through our limiting beliefs, healing past hurts, disappointments and traumas, clearing and balancing our energy, and even an understanding of our soul’s blueprints, all support us in more easily recognising our patterns of fear and limitations. When you are more aware of your subconscious beliefs, patterns and fears, you’ll more quickly spot fear over intuition.
Let go of the outcome. Following your intuition requires a huge surrender (again, why meditation is handy!). Intuition isn’t about guaranteeing an outcome, no matter what your fear would prefer. In trusting the next right step—and that you have the ability to take the next step— minimises your fear of an undesired outcome. For help with letting go, whether of the outcome, or your fear, or someone or something from your past, check out my Letting Go meditation.
Embody your feelings. Sit with the feelings long enough to truly acknowledge them and appropriately name them. Try asking the fear what it needs you to know. Be curious about what’s underneath the fear? Where has it come from? What is worried about? What is it trying to protect you from? With acknowledgement, you can feel the fear and act anyway.
Remember, fear (like all our emotions) is a very useful tool, when used wisely. The fear itself is an intuitive clue, if you change the way you look at it.
