Introduction

What separates us today from the past is our frenetic adoption of technology. Especially the adoption of the internet.

Think about it.

You wake up. You check your phone for notifications. You’re headed out for work. You listen to your favourite podcast. You’re at work. You check your inbox. You’re having lunch. You checking your social media feeds. Finally, you get home. And guess what? You’re binging a Netflix show scrolling through Instagram.

There is no escaping it.

Our minds are constantly tuned into the digital world. And, for an increasing number of people, the digital realm is their primary area of focus. After all, most content is designed in a way to be engaging and to keep the user hooked – and it’s doing a great job.

There is only so much that you can do to limit the use of technology. Really, we can only exercise so much willpower to resist the ever-abundant dopamine rush that is to follow upon watching that silly cat video.

The internet’s got us hooked.

The downside of this? Well, there are many. But a major one is that we lose the ability to introspect and connect with ourselves.

The result is that we don’t get to know ourselves thoroughly. Questions such as: how do I feel, really feel? What are my goals? What brings me joy and purpose in life? These all fall by the wayside when we become too focussed on the digital world.

Why take time to think when there are so many videos to check out on your feed?

Not only do we lose touch with our minds, our instincts are dulled too. We lose the ability to pick up on the hidden clues that our bodies are messaging across to us. Slowly but surely, our intuition is wasting.

Intuition and why it matters

‘’By the animal instinct that is awakened in us we are led and protected. It is not conscious; it is far quicker, much more sure, less fallible, than consciousness. One cannot explain it. A man is walking along without thought or heed;—suddenly he throws himself down on the ground and a storm of fragments flies harmlessly over him;—yet he cannot remember either to have heard the shell coming or to have thought of flinging himself down.’’

The above passage from All Quiet on The Western Front by Erich Remarque describes how our intuition drives our survival in a state of war. The very same intuition still plays a significant role in peace time.

Intuition originates in the depths of the unconscious mind and it can serve as the bridge between consciousness and the unconscious. The intuition is part of our innate bodily wisdom, which can help guide us through difficult times or in times where we experience meaninglessness (more here).

Relying on our intuition can also help us achieve a greater degree of intimacy with our underlying thoughts and feelings, those which are unaltered by the direct workings of our conscious ego and outside influences. Understanding ourselves from an intuitive standpoint enables us to pursue a more fulfilling and successful life, as we can identify opportunities in our environment that we know play into our strengths.

The more we rely on our intuition, the better we can close the gap between ourselves and our surroundings. Closing this gap contributes greatly to our sense of wellbeing and meaning.

Intuition and the gut

Intuition is the culmination of a complex process that happens unconsciously in the brain and the body by extension. During a moment of intuition, the brain unconsciously picks up on specific cues in the environment and simultaneously analyses them by comparison with past experiences. Any cue that might indicate danger or an exceptional benefit is flagged and gives rise to that strange sense felt in the stomach.

So, where does intuition come from? Research highlights an important link between the brain and the gut: the gut-brain axis, which links our enteric and central nervous systems. Indeed, the gut (and it’s microbiome) have been termed the second brain as it contains a high degree of neurons and uses the same neurotransmitters as the brain.

Since our intuition is mostly an unconscious process, it can be overridden (or ignored) by our conscious awareness. The degree to which we can override or ignore our intuition likely corresponds with how serious the issue is. As such, when matters concern life or death, our intuition likely becomes fully automated. It’s possible that this is what Remarque means when he refers to soldiers as ‘human animals’ in the World War I Novel All Quiet on The Western Front – their consciousness overridden by their survival instincts.

Ways to reclaim your intuition

As the brain and gut are in constant communication with each other, how we think will affect how we perceive intuitively and vice versa. The less time we spend inwards, reflecting and curating our thoughts, the less material we give our intuition to work with.

Choose what you let into your mind (and life)

The quality of our intuition is dependent on the contents of our minds. When our attention is constantly occupied and no time is spent reflecting and digesting information, the withering of our intuitive faculties is likely to ensue. With devastating consequences to boot.

It’s not hard to see how modern technology, which is designed to occupy and entertain, prevents us from connecting deeply with ourselves. Rather than going about the day distractedly, practicing living deliberately and assigning values to the things we interact with will greatly boost our intuitive capabilities.

Therefore, we should take time to carefully curate our thoughts on a daily basis. That is, choose carefully what information we consume and what we think about. By doing so, we should be able to improve the quality of our intuitive instinct.

Turn inwards to hear yourself

By turning inward more often through reflection and meditation, we can access our intuitive faculties more readily. For, the body is a fine instrument, and if only we would listen to it would we hear its music.

Both meditation and journalling are excellent ways to improve your conscious connection with yourself.

While meditating mindfully, you tune out all the incessant noise and reach deep down into your thoughts – and watch them float past without attaching any specific thoughts or values to them. Read more about how to meditate here.

While journalling, you’re able to unload the thoughts currently on your mind. With time, you’ll come to know and understand yourself from a different angle as your observing ego and experiencing ego become calibrated through the daily writing and reflection. Read more about how to journal here.

Conclusion

Intuition is a force to be reckoned with. It can prove to be what separates life from death, or it can help us live a more abundant life by fending off meaninglessness. Either way, it needs to be maintained carefully in order to remain effective.

The modern day has plenty of pitfalls, be it our short attention spans, our instant-gratification culture, or the internet. It’s only too easy, nowadays, to be so distracted that we simply forget about ourselves.

It is only a matter of time before we find ourselves with an atrophied intuition if we don’t act deliberately.

There is hope, however, as intuition can be restored – all it takes is re-establishing that deep connection with yourself through introspection and reflection.

So, why not take a moment to yourself to hear what your body has to tell you?