Warning Signs

How many times have you heard a voice in your head warn you away from something bad just before it happens? It could be something as minor as cutting yourself while peeling an apple or as major as marrying the wrong person! Call it intuition, insight, a hunch or a feeling, but whatever you do, try not to ignore it.

The signals are there to alert you to avoid a certain situation, look elsewhere or take another course of action. The question isn’t whether it’s the mind or the universe that sends these red flags, but whether or not you pause, acknowledge the information and take heed.

Most of us are already adept at picking up on warning signs, but we have a tendency to ignore or push them away because they don’t seem rooted in reason or observation. They seem unscientific. But science is actually coming around to the idea of intuition. Increasingly, studies show that our intuition can lead us to make better decisions. With some fine-tuning, we can learn to pick up on messages that help to steer us away from dangerous people and situations. Following your intuition could even save your life!

Warning signals
You can experience warning signals as a sensation in the body, a feeling or as a voice saying something. Our built-in receivers include the five senses of smell, touch, sound, taste and sight, not to mention the mind, the gut and the body as a whole. Perhaps the universe sends these warnings. Or maybe it’s part of our natural psychic gifts. They could be instinctual – or even an accumulation of experiences that coalesce into what feels like instant knowledge. It could be a combination of all these forces.

Even more confusing is that sometimes the signals we receive don’t make sense… at first. While intuition is natural, so is the habit of second-guessing ourselves. You might think you’re just imagining things, being paranoid, illogical or even going a little crazy. It’s more likely you’re just doing what you’re naturally geared to do – “reading” the world around you for signs. The more you listen, the clearer the messages will become, and the better you’ll be at recognizing and heeding warning signals.

4 tips to heed your intuition…

1. Listen to your body. More often than not, the body tells us when something is wrong before the mind does. Many of us push away physical discomfort in an effort to be tough, but by doing this we often ignore important warning signs. If you feel pain or discomfort in your body, take note of it and think about where it might come from. The body can speak to us and tell us if we are stressed, anxious, in danger or in an unhealthy situation. If you break out in a sweat or a rash, if your skin feels creepy-crawly, if your heart starts beating faster, you might be in danger. If you always get a headache or an allergy after seeing a certain someone, think about why. You might not be allergic to dust so much as a particular person who you shouldn’t be around.

2. Listen to your gut. You might find this surprising, but the gut has more nerve cells than the spinal cord! The gut contains neurotransmitters that influence both our emotional and psychological well-being. A good exercise is to simply check in with your gut once a day. Sit or stand in stillness, close your eyes and just tune into the feelings there. We can learn to pay greater attention to the messages our body sends us by paying closer attention to our gut feelings.

3. Listen to the little voice in your head. After something bad or unpleasant occurs, you might find yourself thinking, “I knew that was going to happen” because you heard a voice in your head that told you so. The next time you hear that voice, try to stop what you are doing just as if you were pressing a pause button. Simply by pausing, you can avoid many potential accidents.

4. Listen to the psychic sensation. Whether it’s not getting on a plane or being sure to buckle up, it’s important to follow through on any strong psychic feelings that come your way. For instance, if you have a strong feeling that you shouldn’t be in a particular place or around a particular person, listen to that warning. Each of us has natural psychic abilities that can work as powerful indicators to warn us away from dangerous situations or people.

Remember, no harm can come from pausing long enough to take note of a warning sign. By tuning into and heeding the warning signals that come from your body, your gut, the little voice in your head and your psychic self, you can avoid setbacks and live each day more harmoniously.