Intuition Versus Paranoia: How To Tell When Your Inner Voice Is Speaking

Many successful people refer to intuition as playing a significant role in their success, but what is intuition? Some people call it instinct, and others say it results from years of experience and education. However you define intuition, you cannot deny that instinct plays a role in the seemingly magical ability to understand without conscious reasoning.

For the people experiencing intuition, there is no logical explanation. The experience happens so quickly and effortlessly people shrug it off and go about their day. Still, intuition is significant and guides you through life and often towards goals, but it is not the only inherent feeling invoking your attention.

Paranoia can also influence a person's choices, but it often adversely affects decisions, leading people to pick safer, less prosperous routes for their lives. Success comes with risk, but you need to weigh the risks and listen to your inner voice. Which voice you listen to is pivotal to fulfillment and happiness in life.

Differentiating Between Intuition and Paranoia

Paranoia primarily deals with fear and mistrust. It correlates with previous experience but forces you to assume the worst about a situation or person. For example, if your sibling hurt you in the past and is trying to make amends now, paranoia will force you to question their motives and honesty. The emotional response can corrupt any potential you have for reconnecting.

Intuition is more hopeful and forgiving. It is a gentle voice giving you a nudge to examine a situation. While you may come to the same conclusion about avoiding an abusive sibling relationship, intuition leads to a more open analysis without fear enveloping the issue.

Paranoia is all-consuming and exhausting. Intuition is not. In essence, intuition combines healthy and analytical reasoning with emotional intelligence, whereas paranoia is like anxiety and chronic worry.

If you feel overwhelmed often, or if you feel scared constantly, contact a mental health professional. You can also talk to your primary care physician to discuss possible prescriptive treatments to calm paranoid thinking.

Strengthening Intuition for Improved Clarity and Mental Health

Intuition is subtle, but you can boost your mental antenna, increasing its clarity. Energy experts suggest using your body like an energy reader or meter. For example, in the sibling situation above, ask yourself if reconnecting with your sibling is in your best interest or if it is good for you. Pay attention to how your body responds. Is there a sense of contraction or tension? Do you feel lighter? Your body communicates uniquely, and you must learn to read its signals.

You can receive more precise signals from your body if you remove yourself from the immediate situation and get yourself someplace quiet. When you can sit in silence without distraction, it is easier to feel and acknowledge changes in your body.

Finally, meditation and mindfulness exercises are excellent ways to get more in tune with your intuition and body. Quiet and calm should help bolster the subtleness of intuition. If you experience overwhelming negative emotions, these are likely related to paranoia.

Intuition is not the loudest or most apparent. Paranoia is often overwhelming and chaotic. If you want to rely more on your intuition, you need to turn down the noise and listen to the signs of the body.