“Never apologize for trusting your intuition – your brain can play tricks, your heart can be blind, but your gut is always right.”
Anonymous
Did you ever meet someone for the first time and decide immediately you did not trust that person? Something just felt “off” and you couldn’t place your finger on it. Have you ever embarked on a business deal that did not feel right? Your gut was telling you something. On the flip side, did you ever see someone who did not look, act or talk like someone you would want to know, yet something told you this person is going to be your kindred spirit? Yes, again it was your gut!
Of course, your gut doesn’t talk to you! It’s just a figure of speech that describes your ability to derive knowledge without any formal thought process. A gut feeling can also be characterized as intuition, perception, hunch, insight, feeling, premonition and so on. Common sense and judge of character can be refined by heeding your gut instincts.
My gut has spared me from a lot of bad relationships and situations. I am a very anxious person, so I am hyper-vigilant with screening the people I meet and always looking for potential warning signals. Additionally, I do not rely on first impressions, because my first impressions tend to be very harsh. It usually takes me some time to warm-up to people, and only very rarely do I ever grow to trust them.
Physical Warning Signs
Traveling around the world in the Navy has given me ample experience to develop a strong instinct for meeting new people and recognizing the warning signs for potential trouble ahead.
Physical reactions that can manifest and should be recognized as warnings:
- Nausea
- Ringing in ears
- Excessive perspiration
- Pounding heartbeat
- Tingling scalp
- Goose bumps
- Headache
- Sweaty palms
- Muscle spasms or tightness
Trust your gut and take the warnings seriously.
Be Aware of Your Senses
Take in these senses and make mental notes of each:
Sight: Does the situation look right? Is there direct eye contact? Make a note of any eye-twitching, blinking, squinting, smiling, frowning, pacing or odd movements.
Sound: Notice the person’s voice and intonation. Let them tell you who they are. Then wait for them to show you who they are. If it’s not a match, I’d call that a red flag.
Smell: Take note of perfumes, body odors, breath, even cigarette smoke or alcohol. Did you know you can actually smell fear? Olfactory sensations can tell you a lot about a person.
Touch: Handshake greetings and hugs are prevalent in our societal framework. Take note of any physical contact. With a little practice you can tell if it’s sincere or strained.
If My Dog Doesn’t Like You…
So are you one of those people who does not trust their intuition? Well, keep an eye on your dog’s reaction. Dogs are totally tuned in to their human’s feelings.
My dog loves almost everyone; and for that rare person that evokes a growl from him, I’m on to you! Also, if your dog doesn’t seem to like me, that’s my clear sign that you are not my biggest fan.
His Dark Materials, by Philip Pullman
I recommend reading the novels from Sir Philip Pullman. His Dark Materials is a trilogy set in a fantasy world where all humans have personal animal companions representing their souls. These “daemons” protect their humans and help them to sort out who is good and evil. The daemons always understand each other, even when their human counterparts do not. If a human doesn’t listen to the daemon (their intuition) the end result is always disastrous.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we had our own personal creature actually interpreting all those traits people hide from us in our daily interactions?
If you are not a reader, the HBO series His Dark Materials is a very good on-screen representation of the novels.
In Conclusion
I think we all have the the ability to assess situations by acknowledging our gut instincts. Some of us use this “superpower” better than others. One thing I am certain of is that we can all benefit by paying more attention to our gut feelings. I am not suggesting solely relying on your intuition for every decision, but to use it in conjunction with other proven decision-making mechanisms.
Thank you for reading! – Barb, the River Blogger (Btrb)
Feel free to reblog anything I post. I welcome all comments and discussion
The River Blogger 
Every time I don’t listen to my gut, I’m sorry later. Great article!
My gut says “GOOD JOB”
Hi: Iâm glad the âdogâ likes me, I thinkâ¦â¦ Jim Sent from Mail for Windows From: The River BloggerSent: Thursday, September 30, 2021 5:45 PMTo: jhalpen34@gmail.comSubject: [New post] Trust Your Gut btrb posted: " Never apologize for trusting your intuition â your brain can play tricks, your heart can be blind, but your gut is always right.Anonymous Did you ever meet someone for the first time and decide immediately you did not trust that person? Something"
I couldn’t have said it better myself! This perfectly conveys my interpretation of human socializing! You must always put yourself first, and trust YOURSELF!
Thank you! We think alike!