Is that feeling intuition or anxiety?

"How do I know if what I'm feeling is anxiety or intuition?"

This question comes up all the time. Because analytical people who overthink trust data more than what they feel.

When we work together, we spend a couple of weeks experimenting with the inner voice of their intuition in their head, heart, and gut.

If you don't yet know your intuition's voice, hit reply and send me "intuition". I'll email you the same guidance I give people I work with 1:1.

If you already know your intuition's distinctive voice, keep reading. You'll still find this valuable.

Anxiety vs. intuition: the short answer

Anxiety shouts. It's speedy, frantic, and urgent. It also changes over time, fading or getting louder, telling you one thing right now and something else in an hour. There's an implicit deadline: you have to act soon to avoid a future you don't want.

Intuition speaks. It's calm and clear and stays steady over time. The same message and the same tone of voice, tomorrow. Next month. Next year.

If I stopped there, you might get the impression that you can tell it's intuition if you feel calm. Certain. Maybe even comforted.

I didn't say that. What distinguishes intuition from anxiety isn't how it makes you feel.

Because it can scare the bejeebers out of you.

When intuition terrifies you

The calm, clear voice of your intuition can tell you something you don't want to hear.

Your immediate mental response can be NOPE.

(In fact, that's one of the ways to increase your awareness of your intuition. Notice when you immediately reject a thought, and pay attention to what you just tossed out.)

Your emotional response can be fear. Feeling shocked, your heart racing and tightness in your chest. Which is why distinguishing between anxiety and intuition can seem tricky.

The difference is in the character of the inner voice.

Is it speedy and yelling at you or calmly repeating the same message? If you're not sure, sleep on it.

In the morning, anxiety will have found something else to focus on or come up with a new strategy.

Intuition will just keep repeating itself.