How to disobey your wrong instincts.
By Abby
@a_jerobon (2317)
Eldoret, Kenya
March 26, 2019 7:24am CST
Instinct is an inherent or natural impulse or behaviour. Gut and intuition are other words used to describe this feeling. I think the word gut came about because instincts cause a certain feeling in your stomach (gut). Intuition or instincts are not always wrong, in fact, it is something that we should always listen to except when it is wrong. How do we know that a certain instinct is wrong? In my experience, an intiution is right if when I do what it tells me to do I don't regret later and I don't listen when someone talks me out of it. On the other hand, wrong instincts make me regret the decisions I make and I can easily be talked out of them.
Examples of a right intuition includes:
1. When you decide to quit your job and do a certain business that you have been investing in and you have a good foundation in it.
2. When you walk out of a toxic relationship.
3. When you quit friendship with a bad company.
Wrong instincts happen mostly due to fear and anxiety. Studies have shown that the uncertainty and unclearness about the future causes people to be anxious, hence they do not listen to the right intuition and are misled by the wrong instincts.
Wrong instincts are always so loud in our heads, so we have to learn to disobey them. Disobeying them is not always easy and it requires daily practice and a lot of patience and self discipline.
Wrong instincts may make you do the following;
1. Quit a job for fear of never getting a promotion yet you have not planned to have any business or a way to earn some income.
2. Act needy in a relationship due to fear of a breakup.
3. Refusing to let go of a toxic relationship due to fear of being single or fear of him/her moving on.
David K Williams says in his article, 'When to listen to your gut' that "your gut instinct is one of your greatest resource." I totally agree with him basically because we need our right instincts to guide us in decision making. Therefore, there is need to disobey our wrong instincts. Below are some ways that I use to disobey my wrong instincts.
1. Recognize your fears and causes of anxiety and deal with them.
As I said earlier, fear and anxiety cause us to follow the wrong instincts. You will know that you are dealing with fear and anxiety if you have an instinct while dreading some that I has not happened yet or if you have an instinct while dreading repetition of the past. Therefore, do not follow a decision that you make while you are anxious. Always remember that the right intuition only happens in the present.
2. Practice mindfulness.
Mindfulness is paying attention in the present moments without making any judgements or overanalyzing. As I said, intuition that is right only happens in the present. Hence, if you spend most of your time over thinking, overanalyzing and making plans for the future, you will miss out on what your intuition is telling you to do. This causes you to follow the wrong instinct.
3. Practice positive thinking.
Negative thoughts are the biggest causes of following the wrong instincts. They cause you to make excuses when the right intuition tells you to do something. You should therefore practice the positive thinking mode.
In conclusion, disobeying a wrong instinct may not be easy but when you deal with fears and anxiety, you will succeed in making the right decisions through listening to the right intuition. Mindfulness and positive thinking are also very useful as they make you know clearly what is best for you.
This are just but a few things of what I know about intuition and wrong instincts. You can share more.
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