How Ritual Can Help You Trust Your Instincts

With all the information available on parenting, as well as opinions flying from every direction on the right way to be a mother, it is hard not to feel tremendous pressure from the outside. Add this to the pressure we put on ourselves and what do we get? One exhausted, over stretched, confused mama that is just a step or two away from collapsing under the weight of it all.

Yes mamas, now more than ever we need to learn to trust our innate instincts.

In doing so, we open to the empowered spirit within. We feel grounded in our choices and trust that even if we are going through something painful, that our wise inner knowing is guiding us through.

Motherhood is FULL of uncertainty. It seems like at any moment, a surprise is waiting and we feel pressure to solve problems or regain control ASAP. Trusting your instincts can help you ride waves of confusion, fear, disappointment, and anxiety without getting sucked down into the undertow of life. It helps you release unnecessary energy and tension so you can live sustainably without burnout.

Good news is that you were innately blessed with an intuition, a gut feeling, an inner knowing.

As kiddos we solely operated in intuition. Along the way, voices around us urged or forced us toward evidence and logic. We may have concluded that there was something wrong with our innate instincts. This can cause a break up of sorts. A break up with yourself.

In motherhood, we are forced to reckon with the very instincts that we separated from as a young person. In can feel scary, unfamiliar, and most of all untrustworthy. If you have spent some time disconnected from your intuition, or maybe have no memory of ever listening to your intuition, the return to this innate quality may feel foreign. Luckily, there are some practices that can help. When you incorporate these practices into your life, don't be surprised if you have new and profound insights, or suddenly want to shift something in your life you previously had no intention of moving. You will start to feel more one with yourself, more trusting and respectful of your needs, and develop a sense of self-love and adoration.

Create a ritual that inspires inner listening and reflection in effort of getting to know your intuitive nature on a deeper spiritual level. Meditation, journaling, reading inspirational text with self reflection, being in nature, creating art, or participating in acupuncture, reiki, or massage can all help you get to know your intuition and instincts. These practices focus on the body, which is our subconscious, and giving emotional material that may be stuck deep inside, a chance to rise to the surface. Your intuition and instincts are always there, you just need to listen and follow through with what it is telling you. This is of course easier said than done. However, developing awareness and relationship with your intuition through a ritual that includes one or a compilation of the above suggestions ,pulls you closer toward your own truth. Living in your truth sets you free from the grips of fear, loneliness, and guilt because you are no longer living by someone else's version of the truth, you are living by yours.

When was the last time you used your intuition to make a decision? Do you know what it feels like to trust your instincts? How would life be different if you trusted your inner knowing more?

Your answers to these questions will be illuminated to you through a ritualistic practice you incorporate into your daily life. As you begin to answer these questions, continue to become aware of what your intuition sounds like, feels like, and maybe even looks like. Plugging into your instincts through self reflection will make it much easier to recognize in your daily life. As you begin to listen and follow through with your intuitive choices more, you will notice an ease and simplicity begin to permeate your life.

For now, take some space and rest your hand on your heart or belly. Take some breaths and slow your mind. Then, tune into the last time you can remember making and following through with an intuitive decision. Take some time journal and see what comes up. Write below on the comments if you would like to share your experience.