All About Gut Feelings

Gut feelings are feelings we get inside trying to tell us something. Although they can commonly be confused with anxiety, they are actually feelings of intuition that you should listen to most of the time. Below, you will learn more about gut feelings and when you should and shouldn’t trust them.

Gut Feeling Meaning

A gut feeling is when you can sense something inside you. This could be a good or bad feeling, but it’s an interior sense of something going on. Some people say it’s when they sense how something will happen or if they can sense someone is lying to them.

Believe it or not, there’s a strong connection between anxiety and gut feelings. Whenever we feel anxious about something, we get gut feelings about the outcome or resolution of whatever is going on. So you may be experiencing gut feelings and not even know it because you think it’s only your anxiety.

Should You Trust Gut Feelings?

Usually it’s a good idea to trust a gut feeling. You know yourself best, and if subconsciously you’re thinking something making you feel this way, your body is likely trying to communicate that before your brain can.

When in doubt, it’s always a good idea to follow your intuition about something, but be cautious of the repercussions you may get after doing so. Although your intuition and the gut feeling you’re getting may not be wrong, it could have consequences.

When to Trust Gut Feelings

You should trust your gut feelings when you are able to separate them from your anxiety and understand which feelings happening inside you are due to stress or anxiety and which feelings are due to a true gut feeling. Anxiety can often be confused with a gut feeling, leading you to believe that you truly feel a certain way about how something is going to happen, but it won’t happen that way.

This will especially happen when it has to do with a negative thing because you’re so anxious about that negative thing happening. You might start to think that you have a gut feeling it actually will happen that way, but in reality that’s not the case. This is a prime example of when you shouldn’t trust a gut feeling.

Tip: A good way to be able to differentiate between a gut feeling and anxiety is by paying attention to the signs your body may be showing and seeing how long they last and how intense they are. Gut feelings tend to be something you feel in the moment, and they don’t carry on as long as anxiety usually does.

If they last long, or you can’t shake the feeling no matter what, it might just be anxiety.

Situations where you should trust a gut feeling

1. When scheduling a health checkup.
2. When sending positive gut feeling vibes to friends.
3. When there are only two options and you must pick one.
4. When calling for emergency services.
5. When your friends mention what you’re having a gut feeling about without knowing you have a gut feeling about the particular thing. 
6. When no one can give you advice, and you need to choose what’s best.
7. When you suspect something is going on due to many reasonable factors, but you don’t have proof.

Gut Feeling Signs

As we have established, it’s easy to confuse a gut feeling with just feeling nervous or anxious. These are some signs you can look out for to know if what you’re feeling is a gut feeling.

1. Your body feels tense.

Especially when you have a gut feeling about something that isn’t positive, or something you’re unsure about what the outcome will be, a clear sign will be feeling your body tense up.

2. Goosebumps.

When you have a feeling about something, goosebumps can be a great confirmation that you aren’t just having a feeling, but that it is, in fact, a gut feeling. You feel it inside, and you’re so certain that you’re right about this that it causes your body to react with goosebumps.

So if you notice yourself getting goosebumps, it might not be just because, it could be because you’re having a gut feeling about something.

3. Stomach pain or nausea.

This is actually what inspired this feeling to be called ‘gut feeling’. It’s very common to feel discomfort in your stomach or to feel like you need to throw up when you’re having a gut feeling that something may be wrong.

4. Sweaty palms.

This is a common indication that you are nervous about something, and chances are, if you’re feeling uncertain about something or like something not so good is going on, you may notice that your hands or other body parts are sweaty. You can take this as a sign that you are having a gut feeling about something if there’s nothing you should be nervous about.

Gut Feeling Types

The following are types of gut feelings you may experience and situations these gut feelings may pertain to.

1. When feeling threatened.

When you feel like you might be in danger or like something bad is going to happen to you, you usually tend to overthink the situation you’re in, which will trigger a gut feeling, and you’ll be able to sense that you are in danger. Even if it’s not clear why you’re in danger, you’ll have a feeling that you are and know that you shouldn’t ignore it.

You can have a gut feeling about feeling threatened emotionally, such as feeling something negative may happen in your relationship, or you can feel threatened physically, like sensing that you might get hurt.

2. When wanting to help.

Another type of gut feeling is the one you get when you want to help someone or when you need to give advice to someone. It’s typical to imagine the outcome of the other person’s situation, see what kind of feeling you get regarding that, and give advice or help them find a solution based on that feeling you got.

Some people might call this putting yourself in their shoes and seeing what the best thing for them to do would be, but that’s not always the case. Sometimes, while doing that, you get a strong feeling, and you feel like you know what has to be done, and that’s a gut feeling.

3. When you’re decisive.

Most times, when you’re super decisive about something, it’s because you’ve had a gut feeling that confirms that whatever you have decided is the right thing or the best option. This could happen with something that has to do with taking a new job, taking a risk, or starting a new relationship, among other things, for example.

4. When sensing a break up.

If you’ve ever been in a relationship and you just get a feeling that tells you something isn’t really going right, or like your partner might be wanting to break up with you, but it all feels very all of a sudden and out of the blue, that is definitely a gut feeling.

No signs indicate they will break up with you or tell you bad news, but you can sense it coming. This can also happen when you’re going to receive other bad news; it’s not only in relationships. You might get a gut feeling about having a falling out with a friend or about getting fired, for example.

5. When you have a strong connection with someone.

Whenever you have a really strong connection or bond with someone, it can be very common to get gut feelings about things having to do with that person. You are so connected you know if something is wrong with them without communicating.

This mostly happens in relationships where you’ve gotten the opportunity to form a strong bond with your partner, which can also be seen between twins. It’s almost as if communicating isn’t necessary because you just know if they’re going through something really negative or even really positive.

6. When you know what you need to do.

There are times in life when you find yourself in a situation where you don’t really know what decision to make, you don’t know what will be the best thing to do, and you’re afraid of the outcome.

However, if you focus, you may notice that you feel something inside guiding you toward the right decision, and that is the gut feeling you’re getting about the situation. As simple as it sounds, that gut feeling allows you to make a choice and feel confident.

Summary

You may have gathered that 99% of the time, it’s a good idea to listen to any gut feeling you get and trust that your intuition is right. Remember to look out for certain signs, such as sweaty hands, getting goosebumps, or feeling tenser than you typically do, to know if you have a gut feeling about something.