While I was watching one of my favorite YouTubers, Antphrodite, I was not expecting to have an “Aha!” moment. I was watching a video on psychic drama predictions (because yes, that is a real genre on YouTube) and while he was giving psychic advice to Manny MUA, Antphrodite said, “If your stomach feels tight, the answer is no. If it feels open, the answer is yes. Quiet your mind for 10 minutes and practice that. It’s your intuition.” When I heard this, something clicked. I have been incredibly stressed for the better part of 2019 and my stress seems to keep building, despite my attempts at self-care. However, I think one critical component of my self-care journey was missing; I had turned off my intuition about certain situations in my life that were causing me stress.
Our bodies give us so many important clues to what we need but I think people, especially college students, forget to listen to what our bodies are trying to tell us. Our bodies tell us when we need food, when we need to sleep, when we need to be active, when we need to slow down and when we are overwhelmed. However, a lot of the time these bodily cues get ignored. You may struggle with listening to your body if you do any of the following: skip meals, pull frequent all nighters, say yes to situations you want to say no to or working for so long that you spend the next day sleeping. This isn’t a healthy way to live, but nowadays pushing yourself to the limit seems to be a bragging right. By tuning into our intuition, we can find the answers to the questions that have been causing us anxiety.
So, how can we tune into ourselves? I think a great first step is to embrace the silence. Once you are in a quiet, safe place, start to notice how your body is feeling. Do you feel stiff? Do you feel exhausted? Or is your heart racing due to an anxious situation? Tune into your body and notice if it’s trying to tell you something. Another thing I find helpful is to ask myself if I could do anything right now what would I do? Would I take a nap? Am I feeling energized enough to be around my friends or do I need some alone time? Schedule some time to take care of yourself. In these moments of silence, reflect on what is giving you anxiety. Is it a toxic friendship or relationship, a stressful job or a major that you’re unhappy with? Be honest with yourself. Write about how you’re feeling in a journal or talk to a close friend or family member. If possible, I highly recommend seeing a therapist. If you are unable to see a therapist at the moment, another option is to look into relaxation/meditation apps such as Calm, Headspace or Simple Habit. YouTube also has plenty of free guided meditations that can help provide clarity.
It can be hard to tune into our intuition and find peace within ourselves. It is an everyday journey that takes time and patience. Now it’s time to ask yourself: What makes your stomach feel open?