Composed by Luminita D. Saviuc and Sarah Regan
Being honest with ourselves is the best and most prudent thing we can do in life for ourselves and other people. true to our inner selves, our instincts, our voice, and our inner voice. We shall find ourselves in a lot of difficulty if we dare to ignore what our hearts are trying to tell us. This is precisely what occurred to me recently. When you need direction the most, listening to your inner voice—whether it’s a loud, clear voice or more of a whisper—can be a terrific resource.
I received an invitation to this incredible event a while back, where I would get to know a lot of outstanding people, talk on stage, take pictures, and generally have a great time.My heart told me no, for some reason, even if in my head it all seemed like a great idea, so I chose to just ignore it.
The heart has reasons that reason does not understand. ~Jacques Bénigne Bossuel
People would ask me questions like, “Hey Dana, did you book your flight? When are you leaving?” as the event date drew nearer.and to their astonishment as well as mine, I consistently replied, “Not yet, I’m not sure, will do it soon.”
Because I disregarded my gut instinct from the start and concentrated on what other people believed I ought to be doing based on my yes response to their question about attending this event, I began to feel tense, apprehensive, and all kinds of bad things would cross my mind. At that point, I realized I was in serious trouble as my true self was angry with me.
I understood deep down what I should be doing to improve matters, but for some reason, at least for the time being, I decided not to.I completely disregarded what I knew about the significance of staying true to who you are and the strength that comes from doing so. I was presenting myself as someone quite different.
I realized it was time to quit the foolishness and return to being myself after days of back and forth, acting as though I didn’t understand what was going on or why I was feeling the way I was.Even though my logical mind couldn’t justify it, I made the decision to just ignore my instincts and decline the offer. I was so relieved when I finally said to myself, “No, I don’t want to go. I have to listen to my intuition.” All of my negative thoughts, frustrations, and worries vanished. I instantly returned to feeling peaceful and at ease with the entire circumstance as well as with myself.
Occasionally in life, there are those moments of unutterable fulfillment that cannot be completely explained by those symbols called words. Their meanings can only be articulated by the inaudible language of the heart. ~Martin Luther King, Jr
See, those who truly care about you will always want to support you and provide you with wonderful opportunities to develop into the extraordinary person you were destined to be. However, there will occasionally be instances in which the gifts they give you will satisfy the desires of the mind but not the needs of the heart.
It is crucial to follow your gut instincts and never hesitate to act on what you feel or know is best for you, even in the face of criticism or being called ungrateful. These folks will understand and let you do whatever you think is best for you if they truly love and care about you.
What is the inner voice?
Author of Self-Care for Empaths and professional intuitive Tanya Carroll Richardson says you might conceive of your inner voice as your higher self. “It’s that sage part of you that can rise above the specifics of the situation, your feelings, and the feelings of others to gain a clearer, more impartial view of the circumstances.”
“No matter what, the inner voice is the voice of truth—our unique voice of truth that comes from within,” says astrologer and author of Cosmic Health Jennifer Racioppi. Your inner voice may be guiding you in the future, reacting to a current circumstance, or thinking back on a past experience. Our intrinsic wisdom is, to put it simply, our inner voice.”
According to her, while we pay attention to it, we also listen within “to hear what our body and soul have to say before looking to the world outside of ourselves for direction.”
Inner voice vs. intuition:
If you are acquainted with the notion of intuition, you may be asking how intuition differs from your inner voice.
“However, our inner voice may feel more matter-of-fact, as it’s often thought of as the voice of the soul and our unique voice,” writes Racioppi, arguing that they are both the voice of insight and maybe the same thing. Furthermore, she believes that while accessing intuition can take skill, the inner voice is always there.
According to both She and Richardson, there are four ways in which people can experience intuition: clairaudients hear intuitive guidance as a soft voice in their minds; clairvoyants see intuitive guidance as mental images; claircognizant know intuitive guidance as breakthrough ideas or mental downloads; and clairsentients feel intuitive guidance as energetic, mental, or physical sensations.
According to Racioppi, “your inner voice is essentially perceiving, discerning, distilling, and communicating information in advance of you needing it,” regardless of how your intuition communicates to you.
Why should you practice listening to it?
Giving your inner guidance can help you be the best version of yourself in all you undertake. “It will assist you in fully identifying your wisdom, direction, and guidance, and nothing is more powerful or potent than believing in yourself and boldly pursuing your truth,” claims Racioppi.
Together with Richardson, she works with individuals to assist them in connecting with their inner voice. According to Racioppi, “I have seen many miracles happen for my clients when they begin to hear, trust, and follow their inner voice.” These are just a few instances of how your inner voice can help you. Things like landing their ideal work, falling in love, developing intuitive eating habits, being free to be who they truly are, and a lot more.
Further, they both follow their own inner guidance: “I use my own intuition in sessions with clients every day,” Richardson states. “You can get unique knowledge through your sixth sense that you couldn’t get from any other source. Ignoring it would be like a sailor ignoring their compass—it would be a very sensible, helpful, and practical instrument.”
“In my own life,” continues Racioppi, “I have discovered my inner voice to be the most important guide…” I now have a strong sense of confidence that my embodied experience and myself will be my reliable guides in life. It’s an invaluable sensation.
10 practices to get in touch with your inner voice.
If the whole inner voice thing is new to you, it can feel difficult to tap into it, especially if there are a lot of outward demands for your time and attention. Here are Richardson and Racioppi’s tips to start accessing your inner voice:
1.
Create space in your life and schedule.
When you’re rushing through your days, the mind can race too, Richardson notes, so make sure you’re giving yourself time to slow down. “The best way to tap into your inner voice is to create more space between your thoughts so your intuition can get a word in edgewise.”
2.
Practice deep listening.
Active listening involves releasing judgment (and the impulse to respond) when someone else is speaking, fully tuning in to what they’re saying. “When we practice listening to others,” Racioppi says, “we develop the capacity to listen to ourselves. And this is precisely what you need to listen to your inner voice and receive the guidance it wants to offer.”
3.
Don’t neglect self-care.
Your own self-care practices can greatly influence your ability to tap into your inner voice, Richardson says. “Simply up your self-care game, and you will be amazed at how much more information you receive from your inner voice!”
4.
Try journaling in the morning.
Racioppi recommends a practice called morning pages, which comes from Julia Cameron’s book, The Artist’s Way. “It’s the practice of journaling three handwritten pages each morning that are a stream of consciousness,” she explains. “Write anything that comes to mind to get going, and usually, by the end of the third page, your inner voice has revealed clear and concrete direction.”
5.
Develop boundaries.
Strong boundaries are essential in so many areas of our lives, particularly so if we’re trying to access our inner voice. “Nothing will override your inner knowing more than letting other people’s thoughts, demands, needs, desires, and authority override your own,” Racioppi says. So, learn how to say no, check in with yourself before saying yes to anything, and learn to trust yourself, she adds.
6.
Learn more about intuition.
We all have a sixth sense, inner voice, or level of intuition just waiting to be tapped into, Richardson says. But, “many times what holds us back from maximizing our intuitive potential is not having enough knowledge of the sixth sense,” she notes. “Simply studying your intuition can awaken and strengthen your inner voice.”
Racioppi adds, “By getting to know how your intuition speaks to you, you’ll deepen your capacity to receive information, and more importantly, you’ll attune yourself to understanding to your unique ways of being guided.”
7.
Get curious about fleeting moments of insight.
Your inner voice and intuition—even when matter-of-fact—are easy to ignore, Racioppi says. “They are subtle feelings, a quiet knowing, and a gentle guidance system. They will not override your choices, you have to choose them.”
It’s easy to brush over an aha moment, a wave of goosebumps, or a weirdly specific dream, but the more we learn to pay attention in those instances, the better we’ll become at discerning and understanding them. If it helps, Racioppi recommends tracking those moments in a journal.
8.
Mind your physical and mental health.
If you want to access your higher knowing, you’ll need to make sure your baseline needs are taken care of too, Richardson says. “Get whatever emotional support you need from loved ones and professionals,” she says. Additionally, “maintaining more balance in your physical body through a healthy diet, supplements, and moderate exercise can help you feel more balanced emotionally. When your system feels balanced, it can be easier to discern the difference between your inner voice and an emotional reaction.”
9.
Spend tech-free time alone.
Allow yourself to be in silence with few distractions, particularly no phones, computers, or TVs. You could try a meditation practice, though Racioppi says simply being alone in silence is enough. “Don’t try to force your inner voice to speak to you; create the conditions required for deep inner listening; quiet alone time.”
10.
Practice being in flow states.
And lastly, find a project or projects that get you into a flow state—”a state of being so involved in the work you are doing, or the task at hand, that you lose track of time,” Racioppi says. Being in flow feels incredibly freeing and therapeutic and can give you the mental space needed for your inner voice to come through.
The bottom line.
Whatever helps you get in touch with your inner voice, do it, and do it often. It may seem easier to look for answers outside of yourself, but with a little patience, trust, and good listening skills, you’ll be able to tune into your inner voice for guidance when you need it most.
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