Is It Intuition…or Is It Anxiety?

When you struggle with anxiety, decision-making can feel like trying to read a compass in the middle of a storm.

You want to trust yourself.
You want to believe you “just know.”
But the moment you start to choose, self-doubt creeps in.

And once you second-guess yourself, the spiral begins.

What if I fail?
What if I regret this?
What if people judge me?
What if I disappoint someone?
What if this changes everything?

Before long, it’s hard to tell what’s real clarity and what’s fear talking.

I remember asking my trauma therapist this exact question:

How do I know if what I’m feeling is intuition… or anxiety?

Because when you live with anxiety, everything can feel urgent. Everything can feel important. Everything can feel like a warning.

Her answer was simple — and surprisingly grounding.

She said: You can tell by where you feel it.

Intuition lives in the body.
Anxiety lives in the mind.

Your intuition tends to show up as a quiet, steady sensation in your gut. It doesn’t shout. It doesn’t argue. It doesn’t spiral. It often feels simple — even when it’s uncomfortable.

Anxiety, on the other hand, lives in the head. It’s fast. It’s repetitive. It builds momentum. It creates scenarios, worst-case outcomes, and urgent “what ifs.” It tries to think its way to safety.

Intuition is steady.
Anxiety is loud.

This doesn’t mean intuition always feels calm or easy. Sometimes your gut knowing is uncomfortable. Sometimes it asks you to disappoint someone. Sometimes it asks you to choose yourself.

But it doesn’t spiral.

It doesn’t berate you.
It doesn’t catastrophize.
It doesn’t demand perfection.

Learning to tell the difference takes practice. It requires slowing down long enough to notice where something is happening in your body.

Are you stuck in repetitive thought loops, trying to mentally eliminate every possible risk?

Or is there a quieter, simpler knowing underneath the noise?

You don’t have to eliminate anxiety to access intuition. You just have to recognize which voice is speaking.

If you are struggling with self-doubt, decision making, or something else, feel free to schedule a free consultation to learn more about working with me. I look forward to meeting you.