23 Nov Fear or Gut Instinct? Learning to Listen to Yourself
We’ve all experienced it, a subtle nudge, a quiet warning or an unexplainable certainty about a choice. People sometimes refer to it as a “gut feeling” or intuition. Understanding these feelings is something I come across regularly in my work and also something I’ve experienced personally over the years. These sensations have a fascinating scientific basis and if we notice them, they can really help us in making our decisions.
What are Gut Feelings?
Gut feelings are your body’s way of processing information before our conscious mind catches up. Our gut contains millions of neurons, so many that neuroscientists sometimes call it a “second brain.” This network communicates constantly with our brain, sending signals about danger, opportunity etc.
When we feel tension, butterflies or a sinking sensation in our stomach, our body is responding to subtle cues: past experiences, patterns and emotional signals that our conscious mind may not immediately recognise.
Why we ignore them?
Despite this powerful internal guidance system, many of us ignore our gut instincts, mostly because we’ve been conditioned to value rational thinking over bodily awareness. Fear, self-doubt and overthinking can drown out these signals. This can result in decisions that feel “safe” but leave us unfulfilled, stuck or disconnected from ourselves. It can look like staying in situations that don’t fit us, or avoiding opportunities that would support our growth.
Fear vs. Gut Feelings.
One of the biggest challenges I see in coaching is people confusing fear with gut instincts. Fear is usually urgent and loud. It predicts what could go wrong, tightens our chest and overwhelms us with “what if” scenarios. It’s protective, but it’s not always helpful.
Gut feelings are usually quieter, more subtle and feel expansive rather than restrictive. They nudge us towards alignment, sometimes with a gentle pull rather than an urgent push. The skill we often need to work on is the ability to notice the difference.
How CBT helps us tune in.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) offers practical ways to reconnect with our gut feelings while keeping our decisions grounded:
- Notice bodily signals: Pause and check in. Tightness in the chest or a racing heart is often fear. A quiet knowing or pull is usually intuition.
- Label thoughts vs. feelings: Is your mind spinning fear based stories, or is your gut genuinely guiding you?
- Test with small steps: Low risk actions confirm or disprove what our gut is telling us, building trust in our inner guidance.
- Integrate values: Our intuition is clearest when our actions reflect what truly matters to us.
Why it Matters
Learning to trust our gut is not about acting impulsively. It’s about listening to the wisdom our body holds, giving space for our inner voice to speak and making choices aligned with our authentic self.
This week, pause and tune in. If you listen, your body often knows the way before your mind does.