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Chances are good that someone has told you to trust your gut. The phrase is probably overused, but it’s good advice. Trusting your gut means tuning into your intuition.
What’s intuition, and how do you recognize it?
Intuition is the voice of our inner knowingness. It doesn’t usually come loudly, announcing itself in majestic bursts of revelation. It comes in the “still small voice,” the one we often overlook because we’re not listening.
Intuition is often “heard” in the body more so than in the mind. You might feel like your body is leaning away from or leaning toward something. You might feel a sense of unease or a feeling of peace. “It just feels right,” or “I don’t like his vibe*,” are ways people might describe an intuitive hit.
Why does intuition matter in addiction recovery?
Intuition is clarity. If you’re in active addiction, it will be very, very hard to access your intuition and make good choices. Detox and addiction treatment can bring clarity. In fact, this is one reason people avoid addiction treatment: fear of clarity.
Of course, even if you’re in recovery, trusting your gut can feel dangerous. You might have been told that you’re broken, that your ability to take care of and trust yourself is damaged. On top of that, cravings can feel very much like they’re coming from the deepest part of your gut. And the brain can come up with all kinds of great reasons to give in to those cravings.
Even so, we would argue two things:
- Despite your struggles with addiction, you can learn to trust yourself again.
- At your most quiet and calm place, you know what’s best for you.
How might your intuition come into play in recovery?
As someone in recovery, you have all kinds of people helping you manage your health, routine, and relapse prevention plan: doctors, therapists, sponsors, parents, spouses, and more. And these people have a lot of information and ideas that can be truly helpful. You can take the advice, follow the plans, do what you’re told. But still, when it comes right down to it, only you know what’s best for you.
For example, you might experience an “off” feeling when a doctor suggests a particular medication or when you meet with a new therapist. Or you might feel drawn to asking a particular person to be your sponsor. You might feel an inexplicable resistance to a specific AA group but a spark or flutter inside when you hear about a different group.
It may be the hardest thing in the world to go against “expert” advice when everyone around you is scared you’ll relapse, but take your gut feelings seriously.
If you don’t know how to discern gut from brain from cravings from nerves, well…you’re not alone. But if you’re feeling especially sad, angry, fearful, or confused, or if you’re experiencing illness, injury, or tension, chances are good that you’re ignoring a gut feeling.
The good news: you can improve your intuitive abilities. Here are some ideas:
On a regular basis, get quiet. Stay quiet for a while.
- On a regular basis, move your body how it wants to to move. Notice how it feels, where it aches or resists, where it seems hungry for more stretching or movement. Notice when it wants to rest.
- On a regular basis, check in with your emotions. Allow them to exist, even if they seem unreasonable.
- Practice intuition on insignificant choices. Let your body decide what to have for breakfast, or which way to go when you’re out for a walk.
- Don’t ask for advice, at least not right away. Give yourself a chance to pause and listen before you ask. Then, pause and listen again after someone gives you advice.
It’s easy to confuse fear with intuition and to make choices in the height of anxiety. Remember that fear and anxiety are noisy. They fill your mind with frantic thoughts and “what-ifs”; they make you feel like a situation is urgent.
Intuition is quiet. It doesn’t shout at you, trying to urge toward one thing or another. It doesn’t bring frantic emotions into play.
If you’re facing a big decision and your thoughts and emotions are yelling at you to go one way, wait a day or two to give yourself a chance to calm down. Then, tune in to what you’re feeling and go from there.
*A word on gossip and judgment: Remember that your intuitive feelings are intended for you alone. Too often, we use our intuition to make judgmental statements and to gossip. Just because a person or situation doesn’t “feel right” to you doesn’t mean that the person or situation is bad: it just means that they’re not fitting with your needs at the moment. In short, keep your intuition to yourself.