August 2025

How I Relearned to Trust My Gut

For years, I silenced my gut.

I didn’t mean to. It wasn’t a conscious decision.

It happened slowly, drowned out by the louder voices around me: the pressure to please and the need to be reasonable. I told myself to be logical, accommodating, and kind.

But somewhere along the way, I stopped being kind to myself. And my gut—the one voice that had always whispered the truth—got buried under layers of doubt and noise.

Looking back, I can see how early the split began.

As a child, I often sensed things before I could explain them. I felt when something was off, even if no one else acknowledged it.

I didn’t have the vocabulary for intuition back then. I just knew when my skin buzzed or my stomach tightened, something wasn’t right.

But every time I was told to stop being too sensitive or to toughen up, a small part of me learned not to trust that inner nudge from my gut.

Eventually, I paid the price for ignoring it.

There were decisions I made, people I let in, situations I stayed in, where my gut had quietly warned me.

I felt it inside me. Heard its distinctive voice. But I brushed it aside, convincing myself that I was being paranoid, or dramatic, or ungrateful.

And every time I silenced that voice, I lost a little more of myself.

It took years to find it again.

“The lesson went deep: when the voices disagreed, trust your gut.”
— Signposts & Silver Linings, Chapter 1, The Voices Within

The turning point came not with a bang, but with a quiet refusal.

One day, I chose not to ignore the flutter in my stomach. I didn’t have hard proof, but something in me said, No. Not this time.

I walked away. And it saved me. Literally.

Relearning to trust my gut wasn’t a single decision. It was a thousand small ones. It meant getting quiet enough to hear it again.

It meant listening when the logic didn’t add up, but something still felt off. It meant honoring the way my body responded before my mind could catch up.

It also meant forgiving myself for all the times I hadn’t listened before.

“That inner nudge—the one that whispers when something feels off or when a person drains your energy—it’s real. It’s your internal compass, even when the world tells you to ignore it.”
— The Signposts Within, Lesson 2

I don’t always get it right. But I’ve made peace with that.

These days, I treat my gut like an old friend, sometimes quiet, sometimes insistent, but always on my side.

It doesn’t need to shout anymore. I know its voice. And sometimes I’m still learning to follow, especially when afraid.

If you’ve ever second-guessed your instincts, ever felt that inner knowing rise only to talk yourself out of it, you’re not alone.

But maybe today, you can give that voice a little room. A little respect. A little trust.

Because your gut? It knows.

And so do you.

I’d love to hear from you:

Have you ever had a moment when your gut tried to steer you, whether you listened or not? What did you learn from it?

Share it in an email or simply journal it out quietly. Both are healing.

With heart,

Nadeen

Photo by Cameron Stewart on Unsplash