The Lost Art of Intuition and How to Reclaim It

Have you ever found yourself at a crossroads, torn between what your head tells you and the subtle, unexplainable pull of your heart? 

Imagine being tuned into this innate power to such an extent that it saves you and your loved ones from a difficult situation. 

That's the extraordinary strength of intuition; this is my tale. You're about to embark on an enlightening journey that dissects this intriguing phenomenon. 

We'll delve into its cultural and personal influences and how to differentiate between fear and genuine intuitive guidance. The magic of intuition, mingled with the science of 'thin slicing' and pattern recognition, will open new vistas for your understanding.

Shall we go further and explore how to refine this intuitive prowess? Of course, we should! 

Through techniques like breath awareness, body scanning, and the two-option test, we'll learn to interpret the subtle signals our body sends us.

A mini-challenge awaits you - a chance to put these tools into practice and make decisions based on your intuition! It's not just about developing intuition; it's also about avoiding common pitfalls and escaping the trap of analysis paralysis. 

As a bonus, we have some exciting Instagram updates and a special gift - the Empath Morning Ritual Journal. 

This journal is packed with exercises designed to strengthen your intuitive muscles. 

So, prepare yourself for an immersive experience that promises to transform how you make decisions and navigate life.

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Transcript

Kristen Schwartz: 0:22

Hey beautiful souls, welcome back to another episode of the Realize Empath podcast. You're cozy corner in the podcast world where we empower impacts and sensitive souls like you to thrive. I'm Kristen Schwartz and I am buzzing with excitement about today's topic. We're diving deep into the mysterious, the powerful and oh so needed world of intuition. So are you stuck at the crossroads, deciding which way to go, who hasn't right? How many times have you been stuck in that big decision and you just don't know what to do? Today, we're all about learning to tap into that inner compass, our intuition, to make big decisions that align with our true selves. Trust me, you're going to want to hear this. Oh, and I have a special treat for those who stick around to the end. I've got something that will turbocharge your mornings and intuitive powers. It's a downloadable gift called the Empath Morning Ritual Journal with exercises designed to strengthen your intuition. So get comfy, grab a cup of something warm and let's embark on this transformative journey together. So I thought I'd start out today's episode sharing a personal story. I know that most of you have your own intuition stories that you can reference in your mind when you start to doubt whether it's a real thing or not.

Kristen Schwartz: 1:53

I don't know if you heard of Atlanas or Georgia, where I live. We had what people in the state call the snow apocalypse. If you're not from the United States and I'm sure you haven't heard of it, but years ago we had this massive blizzard that hit Georgia and no one was prepared for it. There were whispers amongst meteorologists and you could hear it on the news, but it wasn't taken seriously. I grew up in Arizona and then moved here about I don't know 12 years ago. The South will get some flurries in the winter, but nothing crazy. So no one was taking it seriously, especially government, the governor. There was no talk of it.

Kristen Schwartz: 2:43

Well, I was working in my office this day and something came over me and told me you need to go pick up the kids from school. And my kids were young, they were in elementary school. My brain started to go through like no, it's okay, it's fine, I'm looking out my window, it's looking gray outside. But I started to second guess myself. But the things in my gut were so strong. I mentioned to my husband that I think I need to go pick up the kids and he said, yeah, that's fine. Well, I still continued to second guess myself. I called the kids school and the secretary answered the phone and I said have any kids gone home from school? And she said no, not at all, and I hung up the phone. I sat for a couple minutes and that was it. I grabbed my keys and I rushed out the door.

Kristen Schwartz: 3:35

I hadn't been on the road for more than seven minutes and the skies opened up and the snow fall was so heavy that I could not see when I drove. I had to drive very slow. I had to take back roads. My kids school is about a 30 minute drive from our house, so I was. As I was driving, there were cars that were falling into ditches, all kinds of things were happening. I was basically praying the entire time I was driving to their school. I picked them up, got them in the car and slowly drove home.

Kristen Schwartz: 4:14

That was probably it was just after lunch, but by the end of that school day electricity had gone out, freeways were closed, people were stuck on freeways all night. Kids were sleeping in gymnasiums because parents couldn't get to their kids. The lights were out. It ended up being a complete mess and our entire city was shut down for days. I look back at that time and there was nothing that the meteorologists, the government no one was actually validating that there would be a reason to pick your children up early from school. There was no impending danger that was communicated to us. It was solely my own intuition that alarmed me, and I was courageous enough that day to listen to my gut instead of the school secretary and the news.

Kristen Schwartz: 5:10

If you have an intuition story like that, I'd love to hear it. If you go over to Instagram after today's episode and DM me your powerful intuition story, I would love to hear it. So let's talk about what intuition is. To talk about intuition, I think it's important to learn about how our backgrounds and cultures shape our intuition. So we've all got that one relative right. You know the aunt or the grandma who seems to know things before they happen. In some cultures, intuition is deeply respected and celebrated. So maybe you grew up with the notion that your third eye needs to be open, or perhaps you come from a family that believes strongly in women's intuition. These certain cultural imprints can actually empower us to trust our gut feelings more. Hats off to culture for giving our intuition the VIP treatment that it deserves.

Kristen Schwartz: 6:05

Now, on a more personal level, our past experiences and life lessons also tailor how we interpret our intuitive hits. So maybe you've been burned before for not listening to your gut and now you're like, nope, not ignoring that feeling again. Or perhaps you're still learning to differentiate between fear and true intuitive guidance. It's really a personal journey and you know what. It's okay to stumble and refine as you go. That's part of strengthening that muscle. You have to remember that your intuition is like a muscle and the more you listen to it, the stronger it gets. I know we've all had those moments where you just know something without knowing how you know. In those moments that's intuition. So let's have a little bit of fun and talk about the mysterious blend of science and what some would call magic when it comes to intuition.

Kristen Schwartz: 7:00

Intuition might seem like a mystical sixth sense, but there's a scientific explanation. Have you ever heard of thin slicing? Geek out with me for a minute. It's a word that is used in the psychology world and the term was popularized by psychologist Malcolm Gladwell, and it refers to the brain's ability to find event patterns based on only thin slices of experience. So basically, in layman's terms, your brain rapidly sorts through past occurrences, feelings and facts to guide you to a decision. It's like your mind's personal Google search, I guess, but way faster. But wait, there's more. Neuroscience also dips its toes into this pool, because research indicates that the brain regions involved in intuitive decision making include the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, which is associated with emotional regulation and value judgments. So when you get that gut feeling and the hair stands up on the back of your neck, it's not just Metaphysical hocus pocus, there's actually some hardwire brain magic at play. So, yes, your intuition is where science meets sorcery, making it an impasse superpower. To put it in a real life example that we can all get. Think of it like this when you meet someone and you instantly feel a vibe good or bad that's then slicing at work. So your brain is quickly pulling from your past experiences, emotions and even biases to give you an instant read on the situation. So when your gut is shouting, it's backed up by advanced mental algorithms and I think that's mind blowing.

Kristen Schwartz: 8:54

Think of impasse as human antennas. So we're picking up more channels than most people do. While everyone has intuition, impasse are like those high definition, top of the line smart TVs that catch even the faintest signals. We're talking about Wi-Fi, bluetooth, 5g, like the works, because impasse naturally tune into the emotions and energies around them. Their intuitive hardware is more sensitive and, because of the sensitivity it allows to have richer, deeper connection to the universal flow of information most people call intuition, but it's not just about being a super advanced antenna. Let's consider impasse basically as artists working with a fuller palette of colors. While most people might only use, like basic primary colors to paint their intuitive landscapes, impasse can access many shades and tents. Thanks to their heightened sensitivity, we can create a much more nuanced picture of what's going on emotionally and situationally, because we can sense subtleties that others may miss. So, when it comes to intuition, impasse are not just painting by numbers, they're creating masterpieces.

Kristen Schwartz: 10:19

Imagine standing at the crossroads of life, each path representing a decision you have to make. For most people, it's like choosing between a sunlit road and a slightly foggy one, but for impasse it's like standing in the middle of a kaleidoscope of emotions and energies. Each point radiates its vibes and the emotions of everyone who's ever walked it. It's like a dazzling, overwhelming symphony of intriguing and paralyzing feelings. Now let's dial up that imagery. Picture a sponge soaking up water. Easy, right, but what if that sponge has to soak up the essence of an entire ocean. That's how impasse often feel when we're making decisions. It's like your heightened sensitivity allows you to absorb everyone's feelings, hopes and fears. And it's like you're carrying a colorful bouquet of emotions where each flower represents someone else's feelings. While it can be beautiful, it's also super heavy. It's like you're trying to navigate your path while carrying this bouquet and it can make the journey feel like a maze with shifting walls. But here's the plot twist that bouquet, we don't have to carry it all the time. It's like you can set it down, admire its beauty, complexity and then decide which flowers aka feelings truly belong in your vase. Separating your emotions from the collective emotional landscape is a game changer, and once you do that, those kaleidoscope paths become clearer and that heavy bouquet becomes a compass guiding you toward decisions that honor your highest self.

Kristen Schwartz: 12:05

Your intuition is your North Star, it's your beacon, helping you navigate through the thick foliage and sometimes muddy ground. So many of us need to realize we have this incredible navigation tool or maybe you already know that you do, and you're just not sure how to read the compass. When we're able to hone in and hone our intuition, when we get in sync, picture a dense fog lifting and suddenly you can see the forest for what it truly is A beautiful but complex landscape you can actually enjoy instead of getting lost in Decisions. Become less paralyzing because our inner compass is finely tuned. It's like upgrading from a simple paper map to the state of the art GPS, which shows you where the pitfalls are and maybe it suggests a scenic route. You become more aligned with who you are and everything starts to fall into place, from your relationships to your emotional wellbeing. And remember that there's a ripple effect too. When you're clear on what your intuition tells you, you emit this higher frequency. You actually become the high vibes that you wanna get from everybody else. You become that, and so you attract not just what's good for you, but you also become a beacon for others. By you tuning into your intuition, other people will start tuning into theirs and actually leveling up their own emotional game. Trust me when I say this that it's life changing for an empath to be in tuned with their inner wisdom.

Kristen Schwartz: 13:47

So how do we harness our intuition? Let's talk about some key steps. First one is self-awareness. When I talk about self-awareness, I love to talk about journaling and the magic of journal prompts. Think of journal prompts as basically the GPS we were talking about earlier. It's a GPS for your thoughts and your feelings, so, instead of endlessly wandering through your mind, you can get clear direction that leads to the heart of what you want to explore. Some amazing prompts would be what triggered my emotional shift today, or how did that conversation make me feel and why? Those type of questions will guide you straight to self-awareness.

Kristen Schwartz: 14:31

So the goal is no more aimless circling Like. You want to be on the fast track to understanding yourself better. So how would journal prompts? How is that going to help deepen your intuition? How is that going to help boost your intuition? When we know the nitty gritty of our own thoughts and emotions, we can begin to recognize those subtle gut feelings more clearly. Think of like each prompt helps you cut through the mental noise, making your intuitive whispers louder and more clear. We want to journal because it helps us recognize patterns and explore our triggers and become more aware of what moves our needle. To keep it really simple, the better you know yourself, the sharper your intuitive skills become. And if you want to add a cherry on top of that, as we deepen our self awareness and intuition, we start to make decisions that truly align with who we are. Journal prompting helps us become the captain of our own emotional ship and helps us set the course for the life that feels more like you. When we're honed into our intuition, the challenges that life throws you become easier to navigate, because your intuition, now amplified by self-awareness, is your first mate in this voyage.

Kristen Schwartz: 16:06

Another key step to honing in your intuition is starting to pay attention to your body and your body's signals. Have you ever noticed your stomach doing like the cha-cha when you're nervous or unsure or uncertain? That's your body's way of dropping some wisdom. If I've learned anything over the last 10 plus years, it's that our bodies are like built in life coaches with all sorts of signals and cues. For instance, like your gut might tense up when you're about to make a decision that is not aligned with who you truly are. Or you might feel an unexpected sense of ease and openness when you're on the right track or you're around the right person. It's like your body saying hey, pay attention, this is big.

Kristen Schwartz: 16:58

But let's get into specifics. Have you ever had goosebumps during an aha moment? It's not your skin's way of saying hello. That's a full intuitive signal. What about a sudden lump in your throat when something doesn't sit right. That's another way that your body is posting a bulletin for you, asking for you to reconsider and pay attention. And what about the energy of our heart? Our heart is like a drum that will pound when we're excited or anxious, and that's our body's alert system saying that something is up. Please pay attention. And all these signals may sound like background noise or we may be so used to ignoring our body and disconnecting that we don't notice. But once you start to pay attention, it's like decoding a secret language. Your body is literally a walking talking mood ring. Although, when I say mood ring, have you guys ever had a mood ring? I have never been able to get the mood ring to be any other color, but like a green, blue. But anyways, it's like a mood ring that's constantly telling you how you're vibing and how the world around you is affecting you. So what I would love, what I invite you to do, is, next time your body starts talking, don't just brush it off. Stop, listen and decode. You'll be amazed at what you start to hear.

Kristen Schwartz: 18:27

My next key tip is mindfulness. Now, mindfulness basically is a VIP backstage pass to your intuition. When you're mindful, you're fully present, which means you can pick up on the subtle hints and nudges your intuition sends. Without mindfulness, there's no way to even notice that your intuition is trying to talk to you. Imagine trying to hear a whisper in a noisy room. Mindfulness basically quiets the chatter so you can listen to your inner voice. Why is this crucial for empaths? Well, you're already dialed into the energies around you, right. Adding mindfulness to the mix lets you sort through the static and tune into the station playing your intuitive hits. So you're not just absorbing vibes, but understanding them and knowing what to do with them.

Kristen Schwartz: 19:19

Let's talk about some things that you can do to actually increase mindfulness or start working on your mindfulness. First up is breath awareness. It's super simple and super effective. Just find a quiet place, close your eyes and focus all your attention on your breath. You want to feel the air, move in and out and let distracting thoughts flow out of your head, go to way like clouds. You're not going to be able to get rid of distracting thoughts. That's not the goal. The goal is just to let them go and not to pay attention to them, not to follow them. The idea is to create a blank canvas in your mind, allowing your intuition to paint its wisdom. Next tip would be body scanning. So imagine a warm golden light starting at the top of your head and slowly moving your entire body. As the golden light travels, I want you to check in with each body part and notice how it feels. Are there any areas of tension or discomfort? Often, what we'll find is your body will store intuitive insights as physical sensations, and this exercise helps you tune into them.

Kristen Schwartz: 20:31

Last is but not least, is a two option test. So if you have a big decision to make, this is a great one to go to. So what you want to do is you want to pick option A Right. So when you're making a decision, you have two options. You pick option A and you make it vivid in your mind and you notice how your body feels. And I want you to do the same thing with option B. Does one feel lighter? And with this exercise, it's really important to not be attached to thought or not being attached to any type of fear or judgment about either A or B option. So you want to disconnect from that and you just want to sit still in your body and just notice if one option over the other feels lighter in your body and the lightness is truth. That is a yes. So then that would be hey, you want to go this way.

Kristen Schwartz: 21:26

What this technique does is it takes the guesswork out of decision making by translating your intuitive feelings into physical sensations that you can't ignore. Here's what I recommend with this with the two option test, you want to make sure that you've done some work and you've practiced tuning into your body and understanding what lightness feels like. And how I did that years ago is I would ask myself simple questions that I knew was truth, and I would, instead of being attached to the truth of my mind, I would notice my body. I would say things like my name is Kristen, and I would just feel how my body felt after I said that statement. And then, after I did that, I would clear my body and I would say my name is Henry, and I got so good at it that, actually, the words coming off of my tongue had a different feeling, had a different heaviness to it, and if you really pay attention, you can tell that, even in the words of themselves, how they ring in your ear is going. You're going to be able to notice what feels as truth to you and what feels heavier, which is a false. So I offer you a mini challenge for this upcoming week. I would love for you to pick three small decisions based solely on your intuition, and I would love for you to report back to me how that went Now. It could be maybe where you want to go to dinner Friday night, or a phone call you need to make, or a perfume that you want to purchase just something that isn't going to be a big deal, if you feel like it was the wrong decision, and I would love for you to play with your intuition and tune into your body and feel for truth. You can contact me through my website, realizedimpactcom, or you can go over to Instagram and DM me there, but let me know how the practice goes. Okay, so we're going to get really good at honing our intuition, but we have to discuss intuition pitfalls and what to avoid.

Kristen Schwartz: 23:34

The first intuition pitfall is analysis paralysis. Analysis paralysis is basically the kryptonite's intuition for impasse. Your gut might be screaming go this way, but your mind jumps in with a hundred what ifs and buts and like I don't know what if this happens, and what ends up happening is you're stuck in a mental loop and that intuitive nudge gets buried under a pile of overthinking, and highly sensitive people are prone to overthinking. It's like having a GPS that's constantly recalculating. You're never actually moving for impasse. This can be especially draining because we're not just processing our own emotions, but we're also soaking up the energy of the people and situations around us. Your intuition is like your internal compass it's there to guide you, but if you're caught in analysis paralysis, you're essentially ignoring your compass. You're questioning and doubting when you should be trusting and actually acting. It's like having a superpower but choosing not to use it. So here's one amazing tip for getting out of analysis paralysis Set a timer and set it for five minutes and commit to making a decision when it goes off. What this does is it adds a sense of urgency and limits the time you spend overthinking. When the timer rings, trust your gut and make it happen. It's like ripping off a mandate quick and decisive.

Kristen Schwartz: 25:08

Another very common intuition pitfall is impulsive decisions. So raise your hand if you've ever made an impulsive decision, especially if you're like me and you have a trauma response of urgency, always feeling like everything is an emergency. Sometimes we mistake that rush of I got to do this now for intuition, like it's some kind of cosmic sign, but it's not. And here's the catch. Intuition is more like a wise old friend whispering in your ear, not someone yelling jump. It comes from a place of calm insight and not emotional urgency For impasse. That's double tricky because we're so tuned into the feelings of those around us. When we get a sudden emotional wave we can feel like it's a sign, little tip. Another way we can get sudden emotional signs that we can mistake for intuition is trauma response or triggers. So we really want to be self aware and understand what's going on under the surface. Remember, intuition is steady and consistent. It doesn't push you into rash decisions or choices. Learning to separate that let's do it now urge from your true intuitive voice is like learning to separate the bass from the melody in a song Both are there, but only one sets the tune.

Kristen Schwartz: 26:36

I see this question a lot and I'm asked this question a lot. How do I know if it's my intuition speaking to me or just my fears or desires? And that is the million dollar question. And the key difference usually lies in the feeling tone. Remember we were talking about the body and what truth feels like in your body. Intuition often feels calm, clear and consistent. It's like a steady voice in the back of your mind gently nudging you in a certain direction. On the flip side, fear or desire tends to be more erratic, coming in emotional waves urging you to act quickly. When it's fear or desire, it can also flip flop, changing its tune based on your mood or situation. So next time you're wondering, just pause and ask yourself is this coming from a place of calm wisdom or is it fueled by emotion? And then trust. Trust yourself.

Kristen Schwartz: 27:38

So we've unpacked some serious stuff today on honing that intuition and making great decisions as an empath. Let's face it, navigating life's choices isn't always a walk in the park, and I get that, especially when you're soaking up energy and emotions like a sponge. But remember, your intuition is like your personal GPS. It's guiding you through life's twists and turns, and when we tune into it, we're not just avoiding potholes, we're taking the scenic route full of lessons and beauty. So what's your game plan for this week? I'll make it simple. First, I'd love for you to practice mindfulness, get into that Zen zone where your intuition can speak loud and clear. Next, I invite you to pay attention to those body signals. They're like little messengers giving you real time updates. And, for the love of all vibes, you guys, don't confuse impulsivity for intuition. They might both start with an I, but they're as different as chalk and cheese. Okay, beautiful souls, that's a wrap for today.

Kristen Schwartz: 28:42

I hope this episode helps you trust that inner voice more and add some clarity to your decision making game. Keep shining, keep vibing and let's make some seriously enlightened choices out there. And I didn't forget, for those of you who have hung out with me for the entire episode today, I told you there would be a downloadable gift. I want you to go over to RealizeImpathcom and at the top of my website you can opt in for the Impath Morning Ritual Journal. The journal has an entire page dedicated to honing your intuition. The specific exercises I put in this journal were ones that I used every day when I was in the meat of strengthening my intuition. I want to share that with you. So go ahead and download it and enjoy. Don't forget to connect with me over on Instagram at RealizeImpath and I'm always available over at RealizeImpathcom. And don't forget to DM me or reach out with your intuitive win of the week. You could be featured in our next episode. Have a great week, you guys. Bye.

Kristen Schwartz: 29:46

Thanks for listening to the Realized Impath podcast. Revisit past episodes or contact Kristen at RealizeImpathcom. Did you love this episode? Please share it with a friend. Thanks for tuning in, Until next time. Sensitive souls.