9 Traits Inherent In Highly Intuitive People

Intuition can be defined as instinctive knowledge or beliefs obtained without the benefit of reason or perception.

Have you ever met someone who just seems to have the knack for making the right decisions at the right time, or being in the right place at the right time?  Often it is said, they must have a sixth sense, or perhaps they are just tapped into some universal knowledge that others are not aware of.  Intuition is something that can be difficult to understand, much less explain.  When we experience it ourselves, we may say we had a hunch, or possibly a gut feeling about something or someone.  While we all have moments where intuition helps to guide us, there are some people who seem to be tapped into a deeper well of empathy and perception.  So, what are traits they share we could learn from? What can we do to alter our own habits to increase our own levels of intuition? 

Creativity:

Creativity often increases with we feel more intuitive.  For me, this is a feeling of being in tune with my environment and the people around me.  It provides a calmness that allows me to be more creative.  One way I try to increase levels of intuitiveness is to focus on being more aware of my surroundings while practicing my more creative endeavors. 

Perception:

Observation can help us tap into our intuitive nature.  Take notice of our experiences that are out of the ordinary, coincidences, or small world connections.  Consider keeping a diary or journal of your experiences so they become more significant.  When I take time to write something down, I am giving it more credibility in my mind.  By doing this I am encouraging my intuition to be more recognizable.

Be Aware Of Your Own Thoughts:

We often get so caught up in the minutia of daily events that we can easily miss out on moments of intuition.  When you are hit with that hunch or gut feeling, listen to it, take heed, and act accordingly.  We struggle throughout life trying to conform to our peer groups.  This can lead to patterns of ignoring intuitive feelings.  Intuition acts as an equilibrium between our primitive instinctive minds and the critical thinking skills we learn as we grow in a civilized society.

Truly Connect With The People In Your Life:

Creating significant connections with people in today’s highly technical and digital society is becoming more and more difficult.  We spend so much time texting, reading emails, and focusing on social media that we can fail to interact with people on a human level.  Tapping into our intuitive nature is intrinsic to developing empathy.  People who are deeply empathic can often seem like they are reading another person’s mind because they are so aware of their emotions, expressions, and body language.  These emotions are often shared on a social level.  When we witness someone experiencing emotions like shame, love, pride, or embarrassment we often feel the emotions along with them.  Becoming more in synch with other people’s emotions, developing better listening skills, and simply observing other people can help us to increase our own levels of empathy.

Pay Attention To Your Body:

As you become more in tune with your emotions and gain deeper levels of empathy for others, you should begin to notice how your body reacts to various experiences and emotions.  Having a broken heart is not just a sentimental statement, but refers to an actual physical feeling brought on by deep sadness.  There is a network of neurons within our digestive tract that is being called our second brain by scientists (scientificamerican.com,  2010).  These neurons connect with the ones in our brains, and are very likely to impact us on an emotional level, giving us gut feelings like butterflies when we are nervous.  Physical gut feelings are actual sensations we feel as our emotional and intuitive brain communicates with us.

Introspection:

Solitude allows us to engage in deeper thought, which not only helps us to develop critical thinking habits, it also leads to a greater connection with our inner selves.  Immersing ourselves in silence gives us the ability to recognize intuitive feelings and thoughts in the din of everyday chaos.  If we become too distracted by stress, busy work, trying to multi-task, and digital devices, we tend to stifle intuitiveness.  This can also be true with people we have in our lives.  Enablers can keep us from noticing intuitive signals.  Avoid staying so busy that you fail to recognize intuitive signals.

Mindfulness: 

I think of mindfulness as living in the present moment, being aware of my surroundings, emotions, and how my current experiences are affecting me.  Being mindful helps us to be aware of our own personalities, how we are interacting with the people in our lives, and this can lead to greater empathy, compassion, and even creativity.  You have heard the phrase “stop and smell the roses”, and it is great advice.  Becoming fully engaged in your activities will help you to build a greater capacity for coping with adverse experiences.  Focusing on the present also helps us to avoid worrying over future events that have not happened yet, or regrets over past events that we have no control over.  

Be Purposeful In Releasing Negative Emotions:

Strong emotions can often be overwhelming and distract us from recognizing intuitive signals.  This can be especially true when dealing with negative emotions.  Depression and anger can sever us from our intuitive natures.  When we are feeling negative emotions such as depression and anger we tend to separate ourselves from the people in our lives we care about, and shut down on all of the positive traits that aid intuition, such as creativity, and mindfulness.

Be Conscientious Of Your Dreams:

We function mentally in two ways, consciously and unconsciously.  Conscious thought is controlled, while unconscious thought is natural, and takes no real effort on our part.  Dreams and intuition both find their origins in our unconscious mind, so it only stands to reason that they are connected.  If we increase dream awareness, we become more able to tap into the intuitive parts of our psyche.  One practice that can often help to remember dreams better over time is to keep a dream journal.  Write down everything you can remember when you first wake up, and in time you will be able to remember more of your dreams and retain those memories longer.  Pay attention to what you remember, and use that information to become more in tune with your intuitive mind.  

Citations:

Adam H. 2010,Think Twice: How the Gut's "Second Brain" Influences Mood and Well-Being. Retrieved from http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/gut-second-brain/

Intuition image by Dania J. (link: http://hautalken.deviantart.com/art/Intuition-Smoke-138515872)

Potters Wheel image by KillerGoldFish-ka  (link: http://www.deviantart.com/art/Potter-s-wheel-202657798)

Hug image by Sharyn M.  (link: https://www.flickr.com/photos/sharynmorrow/1923984297)

Mindfulness image by Moyan B.  (link:https://www.flickr.com/photos/aigle_dore/7912377858)