We’re bombarded with immense amounts of stimuli every day. From our phones, social media and computers to the millions of thoughts streaming through our heads, there is a constant barrage of information coming at us. With all these things competing for our attention, how does intuition get through?
More often than not, it doesn’t. Instead, it goes by unnoticed. This is why you may find it difficult to tap into your intuition. It’s not because it isn’t functioning. It’s because it’s getting lost in the shuffle of everyday life.
You can, however, learn to sift through the noise.
Just as a radio picks up a particular station, you can tune in to the signal of your inner guidance. A shift in awareness is all it takes. A shift in awareness, a little practice, and a better understanding of your intuitive impressions.
INTUITIVE IMPRESSIONS
You’re probably already aware of your intuitive impressions. All those hunches, gut feelings, sparks of inspiration, and so forth. But let’s take a closer look.
What, exactly, are intuitive impressions?
Intuitive impressions are sensations that we pick up on. It’s as if your intuitive antenna is picking up signals of some kind and alerting you to pay attention to something. These aren’t just any and all sensations, however. They are the ones that your intuition uses to communicate with you. They are messages from your inner guidance system.
Intuitive impressions include things such as: The unexplainable urge to pick up the phone and call a particular person. A tight feeling in your stomach that makes you feel like something isn’t right. An image that comes to mind when you’re trying to make a decision about something. A sudden, and seemingly random, thought that pops into your mind out of nowhere.
Your intuition communicates with you through your senses. In fact, it’s often called the “sixth sense”, a sense all of its own. Whether it be through your sense of sight, hearing, touch, taste, or through your thoughts, feelings, or emotions, your intuition needs a way to get your attention and communicate with you. The key is to pay attention and notice when this happens.
NOTICE & RECORD YOUR INTUITIVE IMPRESSIONS
You can begin honing your intuition by making a conscious decision to pay closer attention to the intuitive impressions you receive.
Start noticing when your intuitive antenna is triggered. Don’t ignore it. Make a note of what you are sensing and record it somewhere. Write it down in a notebook or on your smartphone. Record a voice note. Whatever is easiest for you. The important thing is to capture it somehow. (If you have an iOS device, you can also use the Intuition Journal app.) ;-)
Like a detective, you are gathering clues.
So, pay attention and take notes. Even if it’s just a mental note, find a way to acknowledge that you are, in fact, receiving some sort of message / impression / sign / signal / clue – whatever you want to call it.
DON’T EDIT THINGS OUT
When recording your intuitive impressions, it’s important that you don’t consciously edit anything out. It is best to record anything and everything you pick up on as there could be valuable information in what your rational mind thinks is irrelevant.
We often dismiss intuitive information when it doesn’t make sense to us in the moment. We wonder, “Why did an image of a blue car just come to mind? What the the heck does that have to do with anything??” Then we just sort of brush it off. But don’t let things like that slip by. These seemingly irrelevant snippets could hold valuable clues and make sense once you have a clearer picture of things.
AN EXERCISE TO HONE YOUR SKILLS
In her book Practical Intuition, intuition expert Laura Day provides a useful exercise that helps you develop the skill of reporting your intuitive impressions without editing anything out.
“Reporting your impressions without editing is such a vital skill that you may want to practice this exercise for several days… You don’t need to set aside time; use spare moments throughout your day.” – Laura Day
The following is an exercise from Practical Intuition, shared with Laura Day’s permission:
BECOMING A MIRROR
This simple exercise is nothing more than reporting everything you’re sensing and feeling and thinking – out loud. If a recording device is not handy, enlist a friend to transcribe your words. If you’re transcribing for yourself – use a form of shorthand so you can keep up with the flow of your impressions.
Since you want to become aware of your intuition in your everyday activities, be natural. You can do this exercise seated or lying down. When you’re ready, take several deep breaths.
To begin, simply start reporting what you’re sensing in the moment. If you hear a car beeping outside, say so. If your nose itches, say so (feel free to scratch it). If you’re hungry, say so.
The trick is to report everything you notice – out loud. Don’t forget to report any thoughts, feelings, or memories that you become aware of.
- If you remember a bill you forgot to pay, say so.
- If a commercial jingle keeps replaying itself maddeningly in your head, say so.
- If you feel you aren’t “getting anything”, say so.
- And if you think this exercise is silly, say so.
As you do this, you’ll find yourself tempted to edit sensations that seem trivial or confusing. You’ll especially try to ignore impressions that “don’t make sense”.
Resist these temptations. Make every effort to speak or write continuously. This will force you to report accurately, without the interference and censoring of your conscious mind.
Remember that you’re not “supposed” to receive any particular impressions or images or sensations – for all you know, the interference that bothers you may be valuable data.
Stop after a few minutes, or whenever there seems to be a natural break in your impressions.
Finally, if you feel stuck, take a deep breath and focus on any one of your senses or thoughts. Allow it to lead you to another sense or thought, and so on. Remember to use your intuition notebook.
— END OF EXERCISE —
TWO STEP PROCESS
According to Laura, intuition proceeds in two steps:
- The first step is receiving intuitive data.
- The second step is interpreting the data.
In order to make sense of our intuition, we have to first receive the intuitive data. That means paying attention and noting what information comes through.
The second step involves interpreting and translating your intuitive impressions.
You have the data, but what does it mean? We will be covering that in our next post. So, stay tuned!
For now, practice paying closer attention to your intuitive impressions and start getting into the habit of recording them. This is a simple, yet powerful, tool that will go a long way in helping you hone your intuition.
*Note: If you really want to dive into developing your intuition, Practical Intuition by Laura Day is a great resource. It contains a complete step-by-step program that helps you unlock the power of your intuition. You can find it on Amazon here.
*ALSO: A big THANK YOU to Laura for letting us share her exercise. We hope that you will get as much out of her books and courses as we have.
You can learn more about Laura and her work here.
