The power of trusting your intuition

Have you ever heard the advice to “just trust your gut”? It sounds so simple, but if you’re not used to following your intuition, it can be difficult to do. Knowing how to trust yourself can be challenging. Living with a mental health condition like an anxiety disorder or trauma can make it feel even harder.

But your intuition is based on unconscious brain processes that are usually trying to protect you. If you want more confidence to be able to trust your gut, talking with a therapist can help.

Why you may find it difficult to trust yourself

For many people, the advice to “trust your gut” is much easier said than done. Many elements can make it difficult to even understand what your intuition is telling you.

Some factors that could make it harder to trust yourself include:

• Past negative experiences: If you’ve trusted your “gut” before and experienced negative effects, you might have learned that you can’t trust yourself. It could be understandably scary to learn how to trust yourself again.

• Trauma: If you’ve been through a traumatic experience, it can be hard to trust yourself. Many people who’ve gone through trauma blame themselves, even though it isn’t your fault. You might feel like your instincts have betrayed you in the past — especially if you see “red flags” in hindsight.

• Anxiety disorders: Anxiety can tell us we’re in danger when we’re actually not. So it can start to become difficult to tell whether it’s your “gut” warning you against something or simply anxiety-based fear.

• Low self-esteem: If you’ve spent years doubting your worth or second-guessing yourself, it can feel impossible to believe your instincts are right. You might constantly look for external validation before making choices.

• People pleasing: If you’ve been conditioned to prioritize others’ needs over your own, you might not even notice when your gut is trying to tell you something. Over time, your internal voice can get drowned out by the pressure to make others happy.

The hidden cost of ignoring your intuition

Your intuition isn’t random. Research links your “gut feelings” to brain processes like decoding cues and nonverbal language. For example, you might instinctively choose not to go on a second date with someone who gave you an uneasy feeling — even if they seemed “nice” on paper. That’s your brain picking up on subtle behavioral cues that something felt off. It might be body language, the way they looked at you, or any number of other factors.

So it’s about placing trust in your brain’s ability to look out for you, even when you don’t consciously realize it’s doing so.

It’s OK if it’s harder for you to “trust your gut,” or if you prefer a different approach to making decisions. But often, ignoring your intuition and doubting yourself becomes a cycle. You stop listening to yourself, which makes you feel even less confident. And that lack of confidence leads you to rely more on external input instead of your own judgment.

The mental health benefits of trusting your intuition

When you’re able to trust your gut and make decisions with confidence, you’re more likely to feel grounded and in control of your life. You may notice that you doubt yourself less and that your anxiety about making “wrong” choices starts to go away. Trusting your intuition can also help you feel more authentic, since you’re living in alignment with what feels right to you.

Some benefits of learning how to trust your intuition may include:

• Higher confidence and self-esteem

• Higher tolerance for risk and ambiguity

• Feeling calmer and more decisive in stressful situations

• Perceived sense of authenticity

• More authentic and satisfying relationships

It’s also important to respect yourself as an expert on your own life. You may not feel like you have specialized expertise on yourself, but you do. You know how you feel, what feels right, and what matters most to you. This could be why self-trust has been found to be so important for more vulnerable groups, like people facing chronic illness.

How to build self-trust over time

If you have a hard time trusting your gut, you’re not alone. Many people experience this — especially after trauma. But there are ways to start trusting yourself and your intuition again.

Recall times when your intuition has protected you

Even if you feel like you’re not a person who tends to trust their intuition, most people have at least one example of a time when their “gut instinct” has protected or served them in some way. 

Try to remember these times. Consider what would have happened if you’d ignored your intuition. It might be helpful to focus on what was different about that situation. Why was it easier to trust your intuition then? For example, did you need to make a decision very quickly?

Take a pause

Before you make a decision, pause and do an internal scan. Notice what feelings are coming up in your body, what thoughts are on your mind, and how that feedback loop may be playing into your decision. 

For example, if you are considering accepting a job offer but feel hesitant, take a pause. Acknowledge and honor where the hesitancy is coming from. You may notice thoughts about your capabilities, the novelty of starting new, or the stress of change. If, however, you also notice that you feel uneasy about the role, it may be your intuition speaking up for you.

Practice when the stakes are low

It can also help to practice using intuition-based decision-making in lower-stakes situations. You don’t need to start with a potentially life-changing decision. Instead, start by trusting your gut instinct for smaller, more everyday decisions. 

For example, you might choose what to eat, what outfit feels right, or which route to take to work based on what your instincts tell you. Over time, you’ll strengthen your connection to that inner voice.

Work with a therapist

If trauma or another mental health condition is preventing you from being able to trust your gut, it’s important to address those factors directly. Working with a therapist can help you understand why your intuition feels “off” and teach you skills to regulate anxiety and rebuild self-trust. Healing from these emotional factors can make it easier to distinguish fear from intuition.

Clinician's take

Intuitive insight often feels calm and steady, while anxious overthinking feels tense and urgent. With practice, tuning into how a thought feels in your body can help you tell which one is guiding you.

Ashley Ayala, LMFT

Clinical reviewer

Find care with Rula

Learning to trust your intuition isn’t about ignoring logic. It’s about finding balance between your mind and body. When you rebuild self-trust, you start making choices that feel right for you. If anxiety or past trauma makes it hard to connect with your gut instincts, therapy can help you reconnect with yourself.

At Rula, we’re committed to delivering a comprehensive behavioral health experience that helps people feel seen and understood so they can get back to feeling their best. 

Rula makes it easier to find a licensed therapist or psychiatric provider who accepts your insurance so you don’t have to choose between affordable care and excellent care. With a diverse network of more than 15,000 providers, 24/7 crisis support, and appointments available as soon as tomorrow, we're here to help you make progress — wherever you are on your mental health journey.