Gut Feelings vs. Anxiety: Learning to Trust Your Inner Compass
By Evan Blake | Mindfulness Practitioner
The Voice Inside
There is a voice inside you that whispers before your mind starts analyzing. Sometimes it says, go for it. Other times, wait. That voice feels ancient, instinctual, and deeply personal. But when stress or fear enter the picture, the signals can blur.
You may ask yourself, Is this my intuition, or is it anxiety talking?
Learning to tell the difference is not a trick of logic. It is an act of self-awareness.
How Anxiety and Intuition Feel Different
Anxiety and intuition often arrive through the same doorway: the body. Both create sensations in the gut or chest. But the quality of each is different.
Anxiety feels urgent. It pushes. The energy is tight, buzzing, unsettled.
Intuition feels clear. It nudges. The energy is calm, certain, and steady.
Anxiety imagines every bad outcome. Intuition simply points to one next step. Anxiety shouts. Intuition whispers.
Why the Signals Get Confused
Modern life keeps us overstimulated. Notifications, deadlines, and constant decision-making create noise that drowns out subtle inner signals. Trauma or long-term stress can also rewire the nervous system to expect danger, making calm intuition feel foreign.
When you have lived in survival mode for a long time, even peace can feel suspicious. That is why many people mistake quiet intuition for anxiety’s calm before a storm.
Practices to Strengthen Inner Clarity
1. Notice the Physical Signature
When you get a gut feeling, pause and scan your body. Is your breath shallow or deep? Are your shoulders tense or relaxed? Anxiety contracts the body. Intuition softens it.
2. Slow the Decision
Intuition holds up under time. If the feeling remains clear after a few hours or a good night’s sleep, it is likely trustworthy. Anxiety loses power once the initial surge fades.
3. Ground Before Choosing
Sit down, place one hand on your chest and one on your abdomen. Take five slow breaths. Ask yourself, What do I know to be true right now? Not what you fear, not what you wish, but what you sense as real.
4. Journal the Evidence
Write two columns: What my anxiety says and What my intuition says. Seeing both on paper helps your rational mind join the conversation. It also reveals patterns.
When Fear Masquerades as Protection
Anxiety often dresses itself as safety. It says, I am just trying to keep you from getting hurt. The problem is, it never knows when to stop. Intuition protects too, but it does not imprison. It gives permission to move forward when something feels right even if the path is uncertain.
The trick is learning to say, Thank you, anxiety, for trying to keep me safe, and then checking if the warning still feels grounded in truth or habit.
Learning to Trust Again
Trusting your gut is really about trusting yourself. When you practice slowing down, listening, and observing without judgment, you begin to rebuild that trust. Over time, the noise quiets. You start to recognize the texture of truth in your own body.
Every person has this compass. It does not need to be built. It needs to be remembered.
Author Bio
Evan Blake is a mindfulness practitioner and meditation teacher who helps people reconnect to their intuition through body awareness and breath-based practices. His workshops focus on clarity, emotional regulation, and self-trust.
*Guest contributions reflect the personal experiences and perspectives of their authors. While every piece is reviewed for quality and respect, the ideas shared may differ from the views of Josh Dolin. Readers are encouraged to take what resonates and leave the rest.
