What is “Intuitiveness”, and How Does it Affect Daily Life?
Every year we start hearing new terms: keto, pescatarian, sober curious, intuitive eating. Well, I’m taking intuitiveness and applying it to my entire life. You can Google intuitive living and find multiple profound meanings. But for me, it’s not that deep. It simply means listening to myself. 9 times out of 10 your body and mind know what the best thing for you is, so being intuitive means listening to that gut feeling.
My goal with intuitive living is eliminating feelings of guilt or regret over things that don’t really matter. One of the reasons I’ve developed a sober curious lifestyle is because I would feel guilty the next day for drinking, even if I had a good experience. By living intuitively I can decide in the moment “do I even want alcohol right now?” and my honest answer will be the right one. Sometimes a glass of wine really is what I want, and other times I’m drinking for the social obligation of it.
How To Apply Intuitiveness in Daily Life
Once I started paying attention, I found that I could apply intuitiveness to all areas of my life. It gives me that feeling of “allowing” myself something, and giving myself grace for wanting that specific thing. I’ve found in recent years, specifically since COVID, that I’ve been really hard on myself. I shame myself for not working out 7 days a week, or for indulging in a really good meal when we’re out to eat. The fact of the matter is that those times I have a decadent bowl of pasta, or too many mimosas is part of living, and more importantly it’s part of having balance.
Intuitive living happens when I am exhausted from traveling or working and don’t feel like going to the gym. I could push through that feeling, and in the past I have. Or, I could listen to what my body is asking for, which is rest. By honoring what my body and gut are telling me, there’s no reason to feel guilt. I’ve found that by adding intuitiveness into my daily routine that I experience less burn out, I’m genuinely more happy with the choices I make, and I feel less guilt.
I challenge you to apply intuitive living to your daily life, and see the transformation for yourself. You can find more behind the scenes of my intuitive living journey on Instagram @oliviajoehl.
