In order to fulfill your spiritual purpose in this life, you’ve got to walk the path less traveled.
And to walk the path less traveled, you have to embrace your inner wolf.
It is your inner lone wolf that will guard, guide, and protect you with courage, integrity, and intelligence.
But here’s the thing: in order to embrace your inner wolf, you’ve got to listen to your gut instinct.
The problem is that our gut instincts are often polluted by fears, prejudice, and mental clutter.
In this article, I want to share with you the seven gut instincts you should never ignore. You’ll also learn how to differentiate the voice of fear from the voice of primal wisdom.
Table of contents
What is the Gut Instinct?
Your gut instinct is the physical reaction you have to the world around and inside of you.
When you experience an overwhelming “gut feeling,” your body is carrying out a primal response to subconscious information. The ultimate purpose of your gut instinct is to protect you. As your gut instinct is the most ancient and primal “sixth sense” you have, it is the one you can rely upon the most.
One example of your gut instinct in action would be deciding to spontaneously avoid walking down a road at night because something “feels off.” That feeling is your gut instinct warning you that danger is afoot. You may then glimpse an intimidating gang of men down the street as you hurry by – your gut instinct has just saved you from potentially being robbed, beaten up, raped, or worse.
How Does Gut Instinct Work? (and Why You’re an Animal)
Put simply, your body is like the television screen on which your subconscious (the radio waves) transmits its information. When you can learn to read your body, you can learn to accurately tune in to your gut instinct.
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We human beings like to believe ourselves to be separate from animals. Yes, we might be more sophisticated. But at our core, we are still animals – human animals. Our primal impulses and evolutionary origins don’t just disappear because we sit and read the newspaper each morning or wipe our asses with lavender-scented toilet paper.
As noted by anthropologist Clifford Geertz:
… man is an animal suspended in webs of significance he himself has spun.
Rather than get hoity-toity about the fact that we’re only really advanced animals, why not embrace it? By honoring the wisdom of the subconscious mind and its impact on the body to produce ‘gut instinct’ we can save ourselves from a lot of suffering. (This has been proven by the way.)
What’s the Difference Between Gut Instinct and Intuition?
Gut instinct and intuition are often used synonymously. And, yes, they are interconnected. But they aren’t quite the same.
So what’s the difference?
Put simply, gut instinct is your primal wisdom. Intuition is your spiritual wisdom. We need both if we are to walk our spiritual paths with courage and intelligence.
Intuition is very cerebral – it is a calm and clear sense of “knowing.” On the other hand, gut instinct is very visceral and physical – you feel it in your body.
Intuition can be expressed through the body, and the gut instinct can be expressed through intuitive knowing. But generally, both are clearly discernable and strikingly different in their experience.
Also, gut instinct is much more emotional and reactive (as it is wired in the primal brain), whereas intuition is more neutral and calm.
Examples of Gut Instinct
Some call it a “hunch,” others an “inkling,” but in this article, we’ll refer to it as the gut instinct. Here are some examples that are taken from the animal kingdom and human (animal) behavior of gut instinct:
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- A herd of zebra sense danger while grazing. They cannot see the lions lurking in the surrounding savannah, but something is distinctly “off.” One zebra whinnies and the herd begins galloping away vigorously.
- A herd of elephants meander through the deserts in search of water. Instinctively they know what direction to move in to find their sustenance.
- A cat sits on the edge of a three-story house and wants to find a way down. She slinks over to the edge and stares at the ground apparently about to jump – but then changes her mind. She climbs down to the first story roof and then makes the jump, apparently aware on an instinctual level that jumping from any higher distance would injure her.
- A person approaches you at a bar wanting to flirt with you. You start reciprocating, but something feels wrong. You sense a predatory quality about this person. You don’t trust them. You excuse yourself and leave.
- Two hikers get lost on a trail within the mountains. Without a compass or any way to determine a direction back to camp, they sit silently and tune into the surrounding trees. Suddenly one of them points to the west, “I have a feeling that is the way back!” An hour later they have made it back to home base.
- You’re driving down a highway at night. Suddenly, the impulse overtakes you to change lanes immediately. You obey the impulse, and a couple of seconds later miss a large spike of glass that could have punctured your tire and rendered you stranded on the side of the road.
- A young woman is sitting in class at college. Out of the blue, she feels the strange impulse to return home. She ditches the class and catches a taxi, a pit of dread looming in her stomach. When she arrives home, she finds her mother on the floor having a heart attack. If she had ignored her gut instinct, her mother would have most likely died alone.
- A man has two job offers. One of them pays less, and the other pays more. Logically he would choose the job that pays more, but he can’t shake the knot of dread that forms in his stomach every time he considers accepting the higher paying offer. He decides to choose the job that pays less. Two months later, he is relieved that he chose the right offer as the higher paying company went out of business due to a high profile lawsuit.
I hope you now have a good idea of how the gut instinct operates!
Signs You’ve Experienced a Gut Instinct
Pay attention to these signs:
- A sudden feeling of dread or fear (that is out of context)
- A strong urge to do something (feels like an inner nudge or pull)
- Full-body chills, goosebumps or “tingles” up the spine
- Nausea or physical uneasiness
- Sudden hypervigilance (or being on “high alert”)
- A clear and firm voice within you instructing you to do/not do something
You might experience all of these signs at once or only one or two of them.
Is it Fear? Or is it Your Gut Instinct?
Don’t get them confused!
But also, don’t worry if you have already. Chances are you were never taught about the difference between superficial mental fears and true gut instinct.
The mind can easily fool us, particularly when it comes to gut instinct. After all, we feel our emotions within our body. When you’re scared, you most likely get clammy hands, butterflies, and an increase in heart rate, right?
In a similar fashion, when we experience a gut instinct, we also receive physical sensations.
So how on earth can we distinguish between the two?
My response is to pay attention to your mind. What is the quality of your thoughts? Is your mind racing, frantic, or chaotic? If so, you are experiencing fear.
On the other hand, if your mind is relatively neutral, but your body is experiencing strong reactions (like a sense of impending doom for instance), you are experiencing a gut instinct.
In other words, when you need to distinguish between the voice of fear and your gut instincts, always turn your attention to your mind.
Why?
Gut instincts are spontaneous – they arise out of the blue. They don’t have time to build-up in the brain, therefore, the brain is relatively still and neutral. There is no “hmm, should I? Shouldn’t I?” going on. There is just an immediate DO THIS/DON’T DO THIS.
Fears, on the other hand, build-up. They are typically more vague, nagging, unclear, and tumultuous. If your mind is spinning, if your thoughts are everywhere, you are experiencing fear, not gut instinct.
7 Gut Instincts You Should NEVER Ignore
Obviously, you must be the judge. But there are some situations in life where your gut instincts shine the most.
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While it’s easy to brush off most nagging sensations, please never ignore the following ones:
1. “I’m in danger”
Remember that your gut instincts reflect what your subconscious mind already knows. Although you may not be able to pinpoint what exactly the danger is, please listen to this inner warning. It could be the difference between life and death.
2. “They’re in danger”
Yes, you might sound like a lunatic. Yes, you might feel embarrassed or perplexed. But if you genuinely feel that someone is in danger, tell them. You have nothing to lose. You might just prevent the person from making a big mistake or endangering themselves.
3. “This isn’t the right choice”
If you get a strong and clear feeling that what you’re doing isn’t right, pay attention. Even if there is no moral or logical reason why you should be feeling that way, take heed.
4. “I need help”
Your gut instinct doesn’t only warn you of danger, it also helps to preserve your emotional wellbeing. If you receive a strong sensation that you need help (whether physically, emotionally, mentally or spiritually), seek it out. Don’t linger.
5. “I need to help them”
At some point in our lives, the overwhelming desire to help someone will arise. There may not be any rational reason why. The other person may appear to be perfectly fine on the surface. But don’t let appearances deceive you. Have a conversation with the person. Ask them how they are. This might make you feel vulnerable or uncomfortable, but you will at the very least make the person feel special, and at the most potentially save their lives.
6. “Something feels off in my body”
Unless you’re a hypochondriac (which is unlikely), your gut instincts rarely lie about the state of your health. If a sudden strong and clear desire arises to see a medical professional, do it. Get a full health assessment, and even if nothing comes up, feel proud of yourself for practicing self-care.
7. “This is it!”
Often when the perfect life calling, spiritual path, job, house, decision, option, etc. comes along, your gut instinct will immediately notify you. If you receive a strong and clear feeling that practically screams “YES” don’t ignore it! This is one of the most important reasons why it’s essential to listen to your gut instinct. It could be the difference between making a life-fulfilling choice and a soul-starving decision.
Trust Your Gut
So long as you’re able to distinguish between the voice of fear and the spontaneous feelings of your gut instinct, it is safe to trust your gut.
Trusting your instincts is an invaluable life skill and one that will tremendously benefit you on the spiritual path. After all, this instinct is built into our very DNA, so why not make the most use out of it?
As a final recommendation, I suggest practicing mindfulness exercises like meditation if you struggle to trust your gut. Mindfulness meditation will help you to become aware of your thoughts and body sensations. The more awareness you can develop, the easier it will be to make the distinction – it will become second-nature to you.
Can you think of any situations where you were helped (or even saved) by your gut instinct? I’d love to hear your story below!
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In 2012 I was living in n Las Vegas,NV. I worked the graveyard shift at a Casino. There was a short distance to work, so I walked every night/day. It was on the way home one morning, while I walked east on Flamingo heading to Cambridge, where I would turn left. Our condo was about 1.5 blocks , and out of habit I always crossed Cambridge at the same section of street(jaywalking), to get home. But, on thg his morning( it was still dark), as I approached the curb to cross, my whole body lit up. I mean , my hair stood up on my neck, my heart started racing, my mind went to high alert. I backed away from the curb, and continued walking as if I wasn’t going to the other side. As quickly as the natural urge to look across Cambridge entered my head. Something in my head forcefully said,”DON’T LOOK”. After 10′ or so I crossed over. I was softly whimpering, never been so terrified. I kept my head straight, not turning it to the right, where there is a section of bushes( about 4′ tall). But I rolled my eyes as far right as I… Read more »
When I was about 7 years old, I was standing by the kitchen counter, speaking with my mom. My grandma was doing something else and my father was at work. My little brothers (twins) were sitting on the very edge of the sofa. I still remember that they were playing train.
Our sofa was standing over a tiled area (the rest was carpet), but some of the tile was not covered, which ws dangerous to the twins because they were only about 2 years old. Suddenly I got a strange feeling, I looked back at my brothers, only to see one f them leaning dangerously over the edge of the sofa, the slipped and I ran toward him, catching him right before his head hit the floor.
Thanks for the interesting things you have revealed in your short article. One thing I’d really like to discuss is that FSBO interactions are built eventually. By launching yourself to owners the first end of the week their FSBO can be announced, ahead of masses start out calling on Thursday, you build a good association. By sending them instruments, educational supplies, free accounts, and forms, you become an ally. Through a personal curiosity about them and also their circumstances, you make a solid connection that, most of the time, pays off when the owners opt with an agent they know plus trust – preferably you actually.
I was at my church on a Tuesday afternoon for community service. People will come through the door and they come to the counter and I’ll ask them their name and get their card and right the date on it. This one woman and her son came up to me and as I was looking for her card I got this feeling of dread that came over me. I tried everything in me to ignore it. It’s like my body was pulsating. She starting saying things to me like she wanted me to say the wrong thing. Here eyes were like they were looking right through me. The leader of Community service called for me to come to the back to help her find something. The moment I got back there my legs gave out. I started crying and apologizing. I told her I cant explain it but something is way off with her and there is something way with this woman. She does not have good intentions. My best friend said i was over reacting and shell take care of her and for me to set and calm down. Everyone thought she was real nice. The next week at… Read more »
When my son was a toddler I experienced something like gut instinct plus intuition – or a totally different explanation, I don’t know. He was in the house with me and I was washing dishes (back turned to the living room). His father was outside mowing the lawn. Suddenly I had a clear vision of my boy walking down the small slope out front and into the street. I knew that was impossible because he was in the house and we always lock the back yard gate and the front door was locked. I ran outside anyway and there he was headed for the slope, his father’s back to him mowing. He had managed to walked past me and out the back screen door, through the open gate and round to the front of the house! He is my first born and I was a vigilant mama, so often I’ve thought it was just me conjuring up a possibility. Whatever, I was very relieved.
We had a new manager take over in a building I lived in. She was a cute, petite gal, and very friendly. She was there about a month, I was napping on my sofa and woke in TERROR for her. I had this awful feeling someone was going to physically harm her. I washed my face to calm down, went to the office, and started telling her about my feeling. I asked her to PLEASE not show any apartments alone. At least for a while. The maintenance man came in because he could see I was visibly upset. He promised he would accompany her to show any units. It was a horrible feeling. I hate waking up like that
That’s a great suggestion to pay attention to what is happening in the mind, indeed it can be hard to tell sometimes which is which! I have been learning better and better to listen to these instincts and intuition, and the more I do, the stronger their voices also become. One example that comes to mind is I used to go to a park close to my house after work, just to connect to nature a bit after sitting inside all day. One day I’d sat there only a short while and suddenly I was getting this really strong feeling like everything was kicking me out, basically, as if the whole place was telling me: GET OUT!!! NOW! I was kind of hesitant at first but the feeling didn’t change so I finally did get up and went home. Now nothing horrible happened in that park, but… on the way back home, I walked past a bench and there was a lady sitting there who asked me for help! She had a problem with her joints, and had managed to sit down, but she could not get up anymore without help. I’m convinced this must have been the reason for… Read more »
hello, timmy here in nokokis, fl. I was walking down the driveway after work one day and BAM. this humongus feeling of dread and jealousy came over me. Ive never been jealous before in my entire 60 years. So of course this not to be ignored. i still do not have real proof, but there is so much circumstane evidence that i cannot ignore. too many coinky dinks. Anyhow she will not admit to anything so thats it thanx for listening
I have always trusted my gut instinct.
When I had my cafe and was hiring staff, I always used my gut instinct to help with selecting staff. It only let me down, or maybe I was not listening enough, a couple of times.
I know whenever I go into a situation I am not sure about , I stop and listen to my guts are telling me before I go any further.
Thanks for a great article.
Sadly, I still remember moments when I didn’t listen to my gut instinct. Of course, I deeply regret it. They weren’t any life-threatening situations, but profoundly affected my life course.
Best regards,
Jelena