“Our global society and education system prepare us to be industrial workers and consumers so we feed the system. If we are all empowered in our intuition and following our souls; purpose, we would be unlikely to orient our lives around being employable, paying off debt and keeping up with the latest trends. So we are trained to be “followers” on social media and live lifestyles that have our autonomic systems in constant flight or fight mode - your body's natural response when you feel you are in danger.” - Amisha Ghadiali

With summer in full swing, we tend to find ourselves super busy, constantly on the go and feeling the need to rush around as we try to fit so much into our days. While summer can be an invigorating time with fun, buzzing energy, it can also be exhausting. And all the "noise" can get in the way of listening to our intuition.

One of the keys to accessing our intuition is slowing down. But it can be tough to slow down and be present when our society rewards being busy and doing more. In addition, summer can be the most challenging time to slow down, as there seems to be so much more going on than any other time of year with longer daylight hours allowing us more time to connect with friends, and spend more time outdoors.

During the last year, many of us had the opportunity to slow down and take more time to turn inwards. Do you remember how that felt for you? I encourage you to take a moment to tune in and recall how it was to slow down. Now notice how you feel in the present moment with everything opening back up after the peak of Covid-19. Have you been starting to feel overwhelmed and on the go again?

When we slow down, we have the opportunity to tune in to our inner voice and listen to our intuition. Slowing down is one of the most important tools for accessing our intuition.

When we are constantly stressed, we tend to react to life, or live from a place of fear and insecurity. When we start to slow down, we learn to relax our nervous system, and begin to listen more fully to our inner voice (our intuition).

Rushing around and moving quickly is a habit for many of us. And so many of us are operating on autopilot that we don't even realize how much we are rushing because that habit has become a part of who we are. If this sounds like you, check out these easy tips for slowing down so that you can access your intuition more frequently and more easily.

4 Ways to Slow Down and Listen to the Whispers of Your Intuition

1. At your desk (or really anywhere), set your timer to remind you to close your eyes and focus on your breath. Inhale to the count of 3 and exhale to the count of 5. You can do this even for just 1-3 minutes at a time. Doing this even one time a day is super beneficial.

2. Take 10 minutes each day to walk outside with no phone. Maybe it is just a quick walk around your block, or up and down your driveway, or even around your office building if you can not get outside. Do this without your phone. Just walk and focus on your breathing. Give yourself permission to take a time out from your thoughts for just these 10 minutes.

3. Create space between your meetings, calls and social engagements. Many of us tend to schedule our days so that they are super full and we have no space between our meetings. Create space for even 5-10 minutes between different events, meetings, etc. Giving yourself space to contemplate the meeting you just had, or space to contemplate your lunchtime conversations with friends. Create just a little bit of space to come back to you.

4. Follow the golden silence rule. When talking to people, set the intention to just fully listen to them! Then let there be a brief moment of silence before you chime in and speak. It is really easy when someone is speaking to be thinking about what you are going to say next. What if you just listened and only listened? And then let there be a pause after they talk for a few moments. Give it a try and notice how you feel!

JOURNAL QUESTIONS

1. Where in your life can you slow down?

2. What are your fears or concerns around slowing down?

3. What does "following your intuition" mean to you?

4. Can you recall a time in your life when you followed your intuition and it benefitted you?

5. Have there been times in your life where your intuition was calling you and you did not listen? What happened?

6. If you had all the time in the world and did not have to "rush," how would you prioritize spending your time?