Trust your intuition
Learning to trust your intuition in a busy, go-go-go world isn’t the easiest thing to do. Simply learning to hear yourself isn’t easy between work/school/cell phones/tv/and every other distraction available to us. But to truly live a fulfilling and meaningful life, you need to learn to listen to yourself. Connecting to what makes your eyes light up and your heart fill with joy. Becoming aware of your soul’s purpose and what matters most to you.
Soul’s purpose is a big one and maybe a little too ‘out there’ for you. The big existential question – Why am I here? Obviously not an easy one to answer, but so worth searching for. There are a million personality, core values, enneagram, and career tests available to help you narrow it down or at least give you some direction, a starting point, but they can’t give you the answer to the big question.
Listen to your body
Your body holds so much wisdom and if you learn to listen it can lead you in the direction of your soul’s purpose… your body will tell you if you’re on the wrong path or about to make the wrong decision – you’ll feel anxious, maybe sick to your stomach, or feel your heart sink. It will also let you know when you’re on the right track – feel exhilarated, spark of joy, excitement. Once you become aware of your feelings and develop a connection to them, your body can serve as an excellent compass.
First you have to learn to listen, become aware of how you are feeling. Check in with yourself, ask yourself ‘how does it feel when I do xxx’, ‘how does the thought of doing xxx feel’, ‘where am I struggling’. You’ll begin to notice what feels off when you start asking yourself questions and listening to how you feel.
A great way to do this is thru meditation… stillness, silence, no distractions. Take 10 minutes a day that you normally spend mindlessly scrolling thru social media (guilty) to check in with yourself instead of other people. Light a stick of incense, grab your meditation cushion, and take some deep breaths. Start with some gratitude and thankfulness for all the abundance currently in your life, then ask your question.
You have a voice inside of you, waiting to guide you, waiting for you to listen.
Journaling is another great way to connect with your thoughts and emotions. There are many techniques to journaling, some more elaborate than others (bullet journals, anyone?). But there is no right or wrong way to do it.
Journaling can help you process your thoughts and feelings. It offers you space to separate from them (you are not your thoughts if you haven’t heard), question them. And in the process of journaling, you may find the solutions you are seeking.
Journaling is also a great source of stress relief. It provides a release, an opportunity to work through certain thoughts and feelings that are bothering you.
One practice I find helpful is rage writing. When I’m super frustrated and angry about a certain situation I write it all out – all of my hateful, negative thoughts scribbled down (or typed VERY LOUDLY in all caps). And then I throw it out or delete it, but it serves as an excellent source of release for my anger.
So what’s causing your jaw to clench and heart sink? The first step is awareness – looking at the root of the problem, digging deeper and asking questions.
The second step is acceptance. Accepting the situation as it is in this moment. No looking back to what you should have done or could have done – this is it, here and now. Dwelling on past mistakes will not solve the problem, it will only cause you more stress. Being aware of past mistakes is information – ‘that didn’t work, what steps can I take now to improve my current situation?’ Maybe there is some action you’ve been avoiding – question why. What’s driving the avoidance?
The third step is action. Once you’ve established the root of the problem you can determine what steps you need to take to resolve it. Make them achievable and manageable goals.
Jaded has a number of products to support your mediation and journaling practices. Click the links above to see if we can help. But always remember, you don’t need any special items to begin your meditation practice or to listen to your intuition – only your time and attention.
Follow your heart, it knows the way.