Intuition offers a deep well of wisdom that leads us in the right direction. Intuitive awareness is especially useful in making decisions as it can often illuminate the path that is uniquely right for us. Here are some tips for tapping into your intuition while trying to make a key decision.

Tune into your body. 

Many people experience intuition as body sensations such as goosebumps, shivers or a twinge in your gut.  As a hypothetical example, Juliet was desperate to break her pattern of entering abusive relationships and find a man worthy of her love. She thought she found what she was looking for in Chris. At the start of the relationship, he was so devoted and kind that she ignored that twinge of discomfort she felt in her stomach prior to each date. As the relationship progressed, Chris began to show his true colors. He became jealous and possessive, and criticized Juliet for the way she spoke, walked and dressed. One night he went into a rage and hit her. Juliet promptly ended the relationship.  Looking back, she realized how much time and discomfort she could have saved had she heeded her physical internal warning system.

Ask for guidance. 

Sometimes all we need to do is pose the question and the answer will come to us. Illustrating this by example, Terry was feeling frustrated and unappreciated at work. She longed for more but questioned whether something better was really out there. One night, after a particularly bad day at work, in frustration she asked the universe for guidance. The next day a job posting appeared in her inbox by mistake. Though the email wasn’t intended for her, the job sounded perfect. She replied to the email and ended up getting an interview. She’s now happy in her new position, which included a promotion and a pay raise.

Trust the process.

Sometimes those initial flashes of intuition are incomplete or ambiguous. It takes some courage to follow the path when we’re not completely sure where it will lead.  Wendy, for instance, always dreamed of publishing a children’s book. She had a story in mind but needed an illustrator. After a late night spent working and fretting over the book, she had a dream that she went to a local bookstore and saw her book on the shelf. The next morning she came across an announcement for a poetry reading at that very same bookstore. Although Wendy was not a big fan of poetry, this seemed like too much of a coincidence to ignore. She attended the event and ended up meeting an illustrator to collaborate with on the book.

Practice! Intuition is like a muscle.

The more we use it, the stronger it gets. Over time, it becomes easier to discern between our thoughts and our inner guidance. The more we are able to use our intuition in making decisions, the more peace, joy and love we will bring into our lives.

Victoria Shaw, PhD, LPC, DCC, is a psychologist and licensed professional counselor with a private practice in Wilton, Fairfield and Westport. Visit VictoriaShawPsychotherapy.com or VictoriaShawIntuitive.com for more information. See ad, page 22.