Your stomach tightens. Your chest constricts. A voice in your head screams "Don't do this. Something's wrong."

But is it?

Is that feeling genuine intuition trying to protect you? Or is it anxiety lying to you again, keeping you small and scared?

If you've ever stood frozen, unable to tell whether you're listening to your gut or being controlled by fear, you're not alone. When you've lived with chronic anxiety or come out of a toxic relationship where your instincts were constantly undermined, the line between intuition and anxiety becomes impossibly blurred.

Learning to tell them apart is one of the most important skills you can develop. Because anxiety will keep you stuck. But intuition? Intuition will set you free.

 Why This Is So Hard (Especially After Trauma)

In a perfect world, intuition would feel calm and anxiety would feel chaotic, and you'd know instantly which was which.

But it doesn't work that way. Especially not when:

• You've been gaslit into doubting your own perceptions
• Your nervous system is stuck on high alert
• Every decision feels life-or-death because past decisions led to pain
• You've learned to override your instincts to keep the peace

When someone has spent months or years convincing you that your feelings are wrong, that you're overreacting, that you can't trust yourself, your internal compass gets scrambled. Everything starts to feel like a threat. And suddenly, you can't tell the difference between "this person is genuinely unsafe" and "I'm terrified of being hurt again."

 What Anxiety Feels Like

Anxiety is loud. Insistent. Catastrophic.

It doesn't just say "be careful." It screams. It spirals. It takes you down rabbit holes of worst-case scenarios that escalate from "I might embarrass myself" to "my entire life will fall apart" in under thirty seconds.

Anxiety sounds like:

 "What if they judge me?"

 "What if I fail?"

 "What if everyone thinks I'm stupid?"

 "What if it all goes wrong?"

 "What if I can't handle it?"

Anxiety feels like:

• Racing heart
• Tight chest
• Shallow breathing
• Mind spinning with scenarios
• Physical tension and restlessness
• The urge to escape, avoid, or control

Anxiety's timeline: Future-focused. It's obsessed with what might happen, not what is happening.

Anxiety's volume: Loud, repetitive, spiralling. It won't shut up.

Anxiety's message: "You can't handle this. Don't try. Stay safe. Retreat."

 What Intuition Feels Like

Intuition is quiet. Clear. Certain.

It doesn't need to convince you. It doesn't spiral or catastrophise. It simply knows.

Intuition sounds like:

 "This doesn't feel right."

 "I need to leave."

 "Something's off here."

 "This isn't for me."

 "Pay attention."

Intuition feels like:

• A quiet knowing in your body
• Stillness, even if uncomfortable
• Clarity without needing to justify it
• A sense of "rightness" or "wrongness"
• Calm certainty, even in the face of difficulty

Intuition's timeline: Present-focused. It responds to what's happening now, not imagined futures.

Intuition's volume: Quiet, steady, persistent. It doesn't shout, but it doesn't go away either.

Intuition's message: "Pay attention to this. Something matters here."

 The Key Differences

Here's how to start distinguishing between the two:

 1. Anxiety Spirals. Intuition Doesn't.

If the thought keeps growing, escalating, pulling you into increasingly catastrophic scenarios, that's anxiety.

If the feeling remains steady, unchanging, simply present without elaboration, that's intuition.

Anxiety: "What if they don't like me? What if I say something stupid? What if everyone thinks I'm awkward? What if I ruin everything?"

Intuition: "This person doesn't feel safe." (And that's it. No spiral. Just a quiet knowing.)

 2. Anxiety Is Future-Focused. Intuition Is Present.

Anxiety lives in the "what ifs" of tomorrow, next week, next year. It's constantly projecting into an imagined future.

Intuition responds to what's happening right now. It notices subtle cues (body language, tone, energy) that your conscious mind hasn't fully processed yet.

Anxiety: "What if this job doesn't work out and I can't pay my bills and I lose everything?"

Intuition: "This interview feels off. The way they're speaking to me isn't respectful."

 3. Anxiety Wants You to Avoid Everything. Intuition Is Specific.

Anxiety paints everything with the same brush. It tells you the world is dangerous, people can't be trusted, nothing is safe.

Intuition is discerning. It doesn't say "don't trust anyone." It says "don't trust this person." It doesn't say "never take risks." It says "this risk isn't right for you."

Anxiety: "Dating is terrifying. Everyone will hurt me. I should just stay single forever."

Intuition: "This particular person reminds me of my ex. The red flags are there. I'm choosing not to pursue this."

 4. Anxiety Feels Frantic. Intuition Feels Grounded.

Even when intuition is telling you something uncomfortable, there's a quality of groundedness to it. You might not like what it's saying, but there's a certainty underneath.

Anxiety feels frantic, desperate, out of control. It's your nervous system in overdrive.

Anxiety: Racing thoughts, can't sit still, need to do something to make it stop.

Intuition: Uncomfortable but calm. You can sit with the knowing, even if you don't like it.

 5. Anxiety Needs Reassurance. Intuition Doesn't.

If you're constantly seeking reassurance from others ("Do you think this is okay? Does this sound stupid? Am I overreacting?"), that's anxiety talking.

Intuition doesn't need external validation. It knows. You might choose to check in with trusted people, but the knowing remains steady regardless of what they say.

 The Complication: When Intuition and Anxiety Show Up Together

Here's where it gets tricky. Sometimes intuition is genuinely flagging something important, and anxiety is spiralling around it.

Example: You're considering leaving your job.

Intuition says: "This environment isn't healthy for me. I need to leave."

Anxiety says: "But what if you can't find another job? What if you fail? What if this is the best you can do?"

Both are present. Intuition is giving you information. Anxiety is catastrophising around it.

The skill is learning to acknowledge the intuitive knowing whilst not letting anxiety hijack the decision-making process.

 How to Tune Back In

If you've lost touch with your intuition, or you're so anxious you can't hear it anymore, here's how to start rebuilding that connection.

 Ground Yourself First

You can't hear intuition when your nervous system is in fight-or-flight mode. Use breathing techniques, hypnotic anchors, or body-based grounding to calm your system down first.

Once you're calmer, the difference between anxiety and intuition becomes clearer.

 Ask: "What Am I Actually Responding To?"

Anxiety responds to imagined threats. Intuition responds to present information.

If you're spiralling about what might happen, that's anxiety. If you're noticing what is happening right now (someone's tone, their behaviour, a pattern you recognise), that's closer to intuition.

 Notice Your Body

Anxiety lives in your chest, throat, and head. Racing heart, tight throat, spinning thoughts.

Intuition often shows up lower, in your gut, your solar plexus. A quiet knowing. A sense of "yes" or "no" that doesn't need justification.

Test It With Small Decisions

Practice with low-stakes choices. "Do I want tea or coffee?" "Should I go for a walk or read a book?"

Notice the difference between overthinking (anxiety) and simply knowing what you want (intuition). Build that muscle with small decisions before applying it to bigger ones.

 Track When You Were Right

Keep a record of times when you ignored your gut and regretted it. And times when you listened and things turned out well.

This evidence helps you rebuild trust in your intuitive knowing.

 When Your Nervous System Needs Rewiring

Sometimes the issue isn't that you can't tell the difference between anxiety and intuition. It's that your nervous system is so dysregulated that everything feels like a threat.

If you're constantly on edge, if your body interprets neutral situations as dangerous, if you can't relax even when you're objectively safe, your nervous system needs help recalibrating.

This is where hypnotherapy becomes powerful. It works directly with your subconscious mind to:

• Calm an overactive nervous system
• Release the patterns keeping you on constant alert
• Help your body understand that you're safe now
• Rebuild the connection between your conscious awareness and your intuitive knowing

When your nervous system is regulated, the difference between anxiety and intuition becomes obvious. The noise quiets down. And you can finally hear that calm, clear voice that's been trying to guide you all along.

Often, the shift happens so naturally you don't even notice it at first. I don't know whether it'll be in a week, a month, or a year, but one day you'll suddenly realise: you knew what you wanted without overthinking it. You trusted your gut without second-guessing. The anxiety stopped drowning out your intuition. And you didn't even notice the exact moment when that changed.

 Learning to Trust Yourself Again

If you've been second-guessing yourself for months or years, learning to trust your intuition feels terrifying. Because what if you're wrong? What if you make the wrong choice? What if your gut is lying to you?

But here's the truth: your intuition isn't perfect. It won't always be right. But it's your inner guidance system, and rebuilding trust in it is essential for reclaiming your life.

You don't have to get it right every time. You just have to start listening again.

Start small. Notice. Practice. Pay attention to the difference between the frantic voice and the quiet one. Between the spiral and the stillness.

Your intuition is still there. It's been there all along. You just need to clear away the noise so you can hear it again.

If anxiety is so loud you can't hear your intuition anymore, hypnotherapy can help you quiet the noise and reconnect with your inner knowing. Get in touch to explore how we can work together.