How to Trust Your Intuition as a Parent
The world we live in is quickly redirecting us from trusting our intuition as parents and humans. Artificial Intelligence is quickly becoming a go-to for so many things and serves us well when it comes to curating data or polishing original work. AND. AI, the easy access to the internet and social media, are also blocking us from our intuition.
Our body, and thus our intuition, is the wisest and most accurate place to look for answers to our unique life’s questions. AI is a slippery slope away from trusting that wisdom.
The topic of intuition can be a loaded one, especially for moms. We want to trust our intuition (for example, our ability to understand or recognize something immediately, without conscious reasoning or evidence), but for many of us, we don’t know what that even means. And we can have a lot of shame pop up around not knowing how to tap into our inner guidance. And then even if we do get “hits” from our body, it can be hard to discern whether it’s anxiety, fear, or true insight? What can we actually trust?
Because I'm a therapist and mindfulness teacher and love a good acronym, I came up with a new definition of AI.
My Acronym for AI
A = Allow
I = Insight, Inspiration, and Intuition
Just like we train our AI platforms, we need to train ourselves to tune into and learn how to speak the language of our bodies; meaning, we need to train ourselves to tune into, trust, and allow intuition, insight, and inspiration from our bodies and inner source of wisdom and guidance. We need to train ourselves to have our "go-to" source and resource to be INside, not OUTside of ourselves.
Training Our Intuition Takes Effort
It takes effort for me to get on my meditation cushion without a shiny, distracting object and tune into my present-moment experience. It takes effort for me to practice mindfulness, i.e., to sit with ALL parts of myself with curiosity, discernment, acceptance, and kindness. And, it is this very effort that trains our built-in AI system to help us walk a more purpose-driven and flourishing life.
What if we put the same energy that we do to train our AI bots into training and learning our unique inner AI?
What if we train to allow insight, inspiration and intuition to be our go-to resource/source for intentional living?
I recently got fingerprints done for a school field trip, and the woman at Staples was like - Yeah, there is no one on this planet that has your exact fingerprints. Let's all take this as evidence and a reminder that you are ONE OF A KIND. Thus, your body is truly the only reliable source of information that is best for you.
4 Steps to Tune Into Your Intuition
TURN OFF YOUR PHONE and all other distractions.
Set a timer for 1-5 minutes and tune into your body with curiosity.
Listen and observe.
Where do you feel contracted/tense? Where do you feel open/relaxed?
What Is Your Body Telling You?
Tension and contraction are WONDERFUL messages from your body that something needs attention/tending to. What does that tension have to tell you? ASK IT! Even if it feels weird, place a hand on the area of your body that feels constricted and ask it what it wants you to do. These feelings of tension, contraction, tightness or even heat could be a sign that your body is saying no.
On the flip side, relaxation and openness are also sending wonderful messages from your body. You may feel lighter, your shoulders may relax, you may even feel a coolness in your body. These are all signs that your body is saying yes, more of this please.
Shifting this trust in yourself and your intuition isn’t going to change overnight, but what I can promise you is that you have the tools. It’s all inside you and you can do this. The more we can learn to tune in and listen to these messages of “No, something is off” and “Yes, more of this please”, the more we are following our own intuition.
Leave a comment and let me know how it goes for you! And if you’d like to work with one of our amazing clinicians to begin trusting yourself and your intuition more, schedule a free consult anytime.