Every human has that little voice inside themselves that gives them advice on life decisions pertaining to their finances, romantic relationships, career, and overall life goals. However, it can be very hard to hear this voice sometimes due to the fast pace lifestyles many of us live. With the constant noise of alarm clocks, busy traffic, fax machines, and miscellaneous conversations, it can seem almost impossible to hear one’s inner dialogue. We tend to become so immersed in external chatter, that our mental space becomes bombarded with an influx of thoughts. In fact, the average person has approximately 60,000 to 70,000 thoughts on a daily basis. Some of these are reoccurring thoughts that frequent a person’s mind. For instance, if you are stressing over a bill you have to pay, this thought will surface multiple times throughout the day. It could also register as a subconscious worry of yours as well.
Our subconscious mind hosts an array of thoughts that we aren’t fully aware of. It is like a sponge that soaks up everything from it’s environment. This includes other people’s conversations, music lyrics, experiences, memories, beliefs, fears, etc. You’ll notice that some people who have seemingly outlandish fears have had unfavorable encounters with that fear in their childhood. For example, a person may fear spiders due to a childhood experience of being bit by a spider. Their experience registers in their subconscious mind as a negative interaction. So, whenever they see a spider, they are especially triggered to jump, run, or have a panic attack.
There are subconscious behaviors we are not quite aware of due to our lack of self-awareness. In addition to lacking conscientiousness, people have trouble tapping into their intuition or their inner guide. Here are a few ways to hear your inner voice and tap into your inner guide:
Silence & seclusion
There is oftentimes a negative connotation with isolation as some could see it as a means of punishment. However, the deprivation of external stimuli can actually help you to hear your inner dialogue better. So, turn off all of your devices such as your radio, TV, stereo, cellphone, etc. Spend time in the quiet solitude.
Go for a hike
Get away from the busy city and spend some time in nature. There, you won’t hear cars honking, people yelling, music playing, or any other loud noises. Thus, your mind won’t have all of those distractions which gives you the opportunity for introspection.
Don’t doubt your hunches
If your intuition is telling you something, go with it. Many times, as humans, we doubt our intuition because the reasoning part of our brain opposes what our gut feeling. Thus, in an attempt to go with the most logical option, we ignore our hunches which many times feels further ahead than our mind’s eye can see or comprehend.
Mindfulness meditation
Silence your overactive mind through meditation. Mindfulness meditation takes the attention away from your thoughts and allows you to simply be present. Close your eyes and take deep breaths. Thoughts will naturally arise, but do not judge or engage with them. Simply observe each thought and refocus your attention back to your slow breaths.
