How to listen to your inner voice - Part 2

Simple daily steps can help us own one of our great HSP superpowers

Dec 14, 2021

Last week, we talked about how Highly Sensitive People (HSPs) often shut down their intuition during childhood. So I thought I’d share some tips I use to help my coaching clients bring their inner knowing back online.

The first — and simplest — step is to make a conscious decision to pay more attention to your intuition. At first, you may find it difficult to tune in — like turning the dial on a radio and hearing static. But if you keep trying, you will soon find it gets easier over time.

Here are some tips to help you reconnect:

Turn daily activities into mini-meditations: Our intuition can’t speak when our mind is buzzing — but it’s not always easy to carve out quiet time to meditate. One solution is to approach routine activities such as washing up, ironing or showering as opportunities to immerse ourselves more deeply in the present moment. Of course, our busy minds will want to start spinning stories about the past or projecting into the future — that’s normal. But if we make a practice of using everyday tasks to drop more deeply into the Now, we make more space for “aha” moments.

Check in with your body sensations: Our bodies are often giving us signals that we are not okay with something, or that a boundary has been crossed. We receive this information through subtle physical sensations long before our minds catch up. We all know the feeling: perhaps a sinking feeling in our stomach, a tightness in our chest, a tummy ache or tension in our jaw. One powerful practice is to remember to take a few moments as often as you can during the day to briefly ask yourself: “What is going on in my body right now?” Turn your attention to whatever subtle sensations you notice: tingling, warmth or cold, faint aches or more pleasant sensations. The more you can remember to check in as you go about your day, the easier it will be to tap into your intuition when you need it.

Cultivate flow states: Immersing ourselves in something so deeply that we lose track of time is an excellent way to open up our channel. I love music and tap dancing but there’s endless possible ways to enter flow states — from cooking and painting to walking in nature or getting lost in a book.

Set clear boundaries: Our high levels of empathy make HSPs natural shoulders to cry on — and targets for people who talk at you to the point that you’re completely drained. If we’re not setting clear boundaries, our nervous systems can easily become overloaded, and it’s much harder for us to connect. I’ll be writing more about boundary-setting in future posts — but it boils down to remembering to check in with yourself before making commitments, and learning how to say a clear “no” when something or someone doesn’t feel right. Everyone benefits: You can only enjoy authentic relationships when you are being true to yourself.

Remember: the more you act on what your intuition is telling you, the more guidance you will receive. Trust yourself. As an HSP, your intuition is one of your greatest superpowers. It’s there to help you as much as you let it.

I’d love to hear about your experiences with intuition below.

The HSP Revolution

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