Inner Knowing

Trusting your inner guidance system and knowing that you have the power to make any decision you need to in order to move forward in your life is something that is truly invaluable. 

Insecurity can come in many forms. Sometimes it’s learned, but oftentimes it can come from comparing yourself to others. It’s easy to do; Yet it doesn’t offer the type of value that creates a sense of confidence inside of you. 

In yoga, there is a saying, “stay on your mat”. Teachers encourage students to not compare your poses with anyone else in the room. It’s also a metaphor of course to life and relationships. 

I believe the most important relationship is with yourself. Trusting yourself to make good choices. Trusting yourself that you will create healthy boundaries if people project their own agendas onto you. Trusting that you will recognize when it’s time to pull your energy back and create the ultimate self-care. Trusting that we each have an inner knowing that only we can cultivate. In the same fashion that we cultivate a strong bond in our friendships, it’s important to build a relationship with ourselves that we can count on.  

Cultivating our own innate wisdom is done in many ways. Some people gravitate towards religion, while others build strength by walking in the forest or taking a class on discovering their own intuition. 

Whichever path you choose to get there is just perfect for you. The journey to becoming the best version of yourself is enhanced by trusting your gut. 

Here are some ways I have found that have helped me to trust my inner guidance:

1. Ditch your devices, especially your phone: It’s easy to be so dependent upon your phone that if we don’t take a break once in a while, we are constantly being bombarded with notifications, work for others, etc…and it’s so easy to compare yourself to others – especially on social media. 

2. Discover a new hobby that you are passionate about: Making time for things that we are passionate about only elevates our inner-knowing. It gives us confidence because the things we are typically passionate about are the things that build trust within ourselves, as we do them.

3. Making time for meditation: Giving yourself the gift of even 10 minutes a day can open up space within yourself to listen deeper to find the truth about something. Clearing your mind with everyday busy-ness, can give you that break to find answers that have perhaps built up with all the noise. Being quiet can allow you to hear what you are truly feeling about something. 

4. Being with animals: Spending time with animals can help you cultivate your inner knowing. Animals are highly intuitive and they can have a “sixth sense” way beyond most humans. Witnessing how they interact or how they respond to both animals and humans is an excellent way to observe their behaviors. 

5. Journaling: Writing your thoughts and feelings on an actual piece of paper and using a pen is a useful way to build that intuition muscle. The act of writing is different from using your device. There is something innate about writing and often you can gain clarity on how you feel while getting to the bottom of how to respond to any given decision or situation. 

Lisa Schneiderman is a UO member who helps people raise awareness for causes and positive messages that uplift humanity to a higher state of being.