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Anxiety vs. intuition

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  • #82759
    TheDaydreamer
    Participant

    Dear fellow TinyBuddhas

    I feel as though ever since I have struggled with anxiety in a “disorder” kind of way, my intuition is completely whack. Even though in calmer moments, my intuition, gut feeling – whatever we may call it – can send me the right signals, when I’m anxious all the information just seems to intertwine and confuse my gut. I used to be able to trust my intuition pretty well, kind of “knowing” when someone was hiding something, sensing sadness in someone else or noticing a real “danger” in some situations.

    If you are dealing with anxiety, you may know how crippling it can be. It makes you mistrust your insticts and physical responses. Sometimes, the worst part is not knowing what is truly “me” and what’s my anxiety. I know meditation and yoga help me with this, as well as practicing mindfulness. But it’s hard.

    The oferflowing amount of anxiety and information my mind is trying to process sometimes lead me to distrust the people in my life, my decisions and my own self. I realize this is sort of part of anxiety and depression, losing identity a little bit as well as struggling with depersonalization.

    Does anyone have similar experiences? How can you start trusting your insticts again when they were so out of hand for so long? How do you go about these things?

    Thank you guys for your answers.
    Helen

    #82760
    Tallulah Grainer
    Participant

    I have similar feelings. I have been diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder. My intuition warns me about EVERYTHING. I plan for every contingency to a ridiculous point. The way I have been trying to look at things is by telling myself my intuition is spot on but on overdrive. My worries are valid but not likely. This does not always work but it does give me more space to work through situations. It allows me to analyze the situation and see where my anxiety is magnifying what my intuition is telling me. It is difficult because I grew up being told that I should always follow my intuition because it is right 98% of the time. That is not a helpful thing to tell someone who’s “intuition meter” is skewed by anxiety. Then I test the waters. For example, I have travel anxiety. My intuition is telling me that I should not take an upcoming trip with my husband, that something is off and I should cancel my trip. I can list multiple reasons as to why my intuition is telling me not to go- leaving my young son, terrorism, etc. however I have to keep telling myself that those things are unlikely to happen and that many people travel and do not encounter these things. Then I just have to force myself to do it. When I have taken the trip, everything has worked out and I have had a wonderful time I am hoping to start associating positive vibes with travel rather than fear. I have to re-train my brain. Some days are easier than others but I am going to keep trying! So I guess my advice would be to not write off your intuition but to re-frame things so it is not “intuition vs. anxiety” but rather anxiety magnifying your intuition so much that it is out of proportion.
    I wish you the very best!

    #82768
    Anonymous
    Guest

    Dear Helen:

    Any or most thinking is not correct or effective when the thinker is aroused by fear or anger… even joy. Calm is the state of mind that makes it possible to see things as they are. When aroused the view is foggy and lacks clarity. Calm is when the fog dissipates, the dust settles and your view is possible. So is intuition possible.

    Once I was diagnosed with (there were quite a few diagnoses) with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder I thought: “Ah, so THIS is what is wrong with me: I have a disease, this explains everything.” But no, it does not. Fear is fear is fear- the CAUSE. Diagnoses are collections of symptoms- the EFFECTS of fear.

    True healing, or complete- as complete as possible- healing is not about managing the symptoms but confronting (patiently, gently, with support) the CAUSE, the fear itself.

    I hope any of this is helpful to you?

    anita

    #82797
    TheDaydreamer
    Participant

    Dear Tallulah

    Thank you for your words! You’re so right, you described how I feel very well. It’s my anxiety heightening my intuition, that’s why it seems to be unclear whether or not I would feel things the same way if I were calm.

    #82866
    Saiisha
    Participant

    Dear Helen,
    I don’t know enough about anxiety as a disorder, so forgive me if I say something that doesn’t ring right.

    I think if you can get deeper into examining where your anxiety comes from, versus your intuition, you may be able to control your anxiety better? Or at least become aware of it?

    According to the Upanishads (ancient Vedic writings), there are 5 koshas or layers of being.
    1. Physical layer (Annamaya kosha) – your body has its own supreme intelligence. Every cell is connected and communicating all the time. When your body reacts with goosebumps, or shivers up your spine, or a heaviness in your chest, it’s your body speaking to you, giving you signals.
    2. Energy layer (Pranamaya kosha) – your energy levels are very telling of how you feel – notice if you feel a surge of positive energy when you think of a certain event or a drain of energy when you think of a certain toxic person in your life. It’s your energy telling you the truth.
    3. Mental layer (Manomaya kosha) – this is your mind – ah, where the root of a lot of anxiety and mental disorders come from, and the layer that all meditations are trying to soothe. Don’t get me wrong – your mind is a very powerful entity. Maybe too powerful for its own good, unless you can control it. When we don’t give it direction, it takes over, tries to become the master, and makes up its own stories and directions. These are the signals that can wring you dry because the mind can take both sides – it argues and acts only based on its previous experiences, and does not understand non-experience based intuition. When you can understand and become aware that the mind is constructing stories to convince you of its thoughts, you can know whether to use or ignore its anxious advice.
    4. Wisdom layer (Vijnanamaya kosha) – this is the higher wisdom that’s underneath the processing / thinking aspect of the mind. This is the layer you want to gain access to, to make the right decisions.
    5. Layer of Bliss (Anandamaya kosha) – this is the beautiful center of who you are – complete and pure bliss – if you can reach it and touch it. But because it’s covered with other layers upon layers, we very often don’t even know or recognize it, except in some undisguised moments. This is the core you are trying to uncover when you go into deepest meditation.

    I know I do not have answers to speak to your disorder, but I hope this helps in understanding the bigger picture of where it might be coming from.

    Namaste, Saiisha

    #82993
    TheDaydreamer
    Participant

    Thank you so much, dear Saiisha. That’s a very lovely way to look at things. I’m trying to meditate when I feel capable to do so and practice yoga as often as I can.

    Namaste =)

    #83009
    Amy
    Participant

    Hi Helen,
    I am so grateful that you posted this topic! I myself am suffering from the same dillema, I haven’t been diagnosed as such but my psychiatrist agrees I have complex mental health issues, Anxiety, OCD ruminations, depression. I also used to follow my gut and I always felt I had a higher sense and could suss out if someone was bad immediately. I got really sick after my child was born and i didn’t know what was real and what was in my head. I thought my gut was telling me my childs father was a danger and that he was abusing my child, I split up with him over it cause i was near certain of this fact and it was so hard to be rational. It calmed down a lot once we lived seperately and i got put on medication, until of course he wanted weekend stays. It was torture at first but as another member said I had to force myself to trust him as he was the father and there was no actual evidence. Anyway sorry to cut a long story short my psychiatrist told me to look out for signs in my child like nightmares bed wetting change in behaviour ect, and there was nothing until June this month, bang…my child screamed and cried didn’t want to go to dads, started having nightmares and now bed wetting, im in bits cause i don’t know if this is all just coincidental and because of other things like a new class my child is unhappy in. My ex knows what buttons to push and he is putting all the blame on to my parenting. I really don’t want to think i was right about him all along and pray im wrong, my child swears he is good to her.Any ideas how i can calm my head down and try and be rational, i have made an appointment for child to a doctor tomorrow.

    #83112
    TheDaydreamer
    Participant

    Remember that YOU have those fears – but no evidence to back it up. Maybe it’s a form of seperation anxiety from your daughter, but don’t interfere with the relationship of your child and her dad. Have you talked to him about it? Like REALLY sat him down, telling him you feel awful but you’re scared. His reaction will tell you a lot. Don’t be hurtful and don’t accuse him of anything. Just tell him how you feel things.

    Maybe you should create your own post about this? I think there are a lot of young and also experienced parents on TinyBuddha – I’m sure they could help you further.

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