You’re Not Overthinking. You’re Ignoring Your Intuition (Like a Pro)

Subtitle: How to stop talking yourself out of what you already know.

There’s a very specific kind of spiral that happens when something feels off, but nothing technically is.

You start asking yourself:
Am I being dramatic?
Is it just my anxiety?
Maybe I’m tired?
Maybe I’m being hormonal?
Maybe I’m the problem?

And before you know it, you’ve convinced yourself to stay in situations, conversations, relationships, jobs, friend groups, or dinner plans you knew were wrong the second you walked in. Not because you’re clueless, but because you’ve gotten really good at overriding your own instincts.

You’re not overthinking.
You’re just ignoring your intuition. You are full on GASLIGHTING YOURSELF.
Like a freakin' professional. And honestly you should charge for that with as much experience as you have, don’t work for free.

The moment I realized just how far I’d strayed from trusting myself happened at work. I was struggling to grasp the concept of "which one feels right?" and my boss asked me permission to life coach me for a moment. She asked if I could share an example of a time I followed my intuition. Easy enough, right?

Except I sat there completely blank.
I could not think of a single moment. Not one.

Because I realized I had spent the last I don’t even know how many years of my life silencing my gut, doubting myself, and outsourcing my decisions to logic.

And honestly I think she knew that too and that’s why she asked me lol.

It hit me hard though. I used to know things. I used to listen to that feeling. But somewhere along the way, I learned to ignore it so well that I couldn’t even remember what it felt like to trust it.

I always thought it was a compliment when someone said, “That’s a very logical way to view things” or “You’re very literal.”
And maybe it is. But also… it isn’t.

Because what those comments really meant, at least to me, was that I had become so good at being rational that I stopped letting myself feel.

And don’t get me wrong… “logical” or “uptight” thinking is still a core part of my personality. It’s something I value about myself.
But it got a little out of hand. Like it became the whole personality. Especially in professional settings, where being “logical” and “reasonable” can sometimes feel like the only safe way to be taken seriously.
I’m not saying you should ditch facts and gut your spreadsheets or forget about those screenshotted text messages you’ve saved for proof.
I’m just saying… there’s a balance.
Both is good.
Feeling and thinking. Gut and brain. Clarity and context.

Your intuition is that quiet inner voice that knows before you know. It’s not fear. It’s not panic. It’s that hmm... moment. The way your body tightens. The little drop in your stomach. The silence that suddenly feels loud.

But for a lot of us, especially if you were raised to be polite, accommodating, or low maintenance, you learned how to shut that voice down fast. You learned to explain away discomfort. You learned to wait for proof. And if you didn’t have it? You stayed. You smiled. You gaslit yourself.

We mistake overthinking for being smart.
We mistake discomfort for being dramatic.
And we mistake intuition for something that needs a spreadsheet and a second opinion.

Here’s the truth no one says out loud:
Intuition often sounds like things you can’t explain yet.

• “Something feels off and I don’t know why”

• “I don’t have a reason… I just don’t want to”

• “I can’t explain it. I just know”
  

And because that doesn’t sound solid or “adult,” we override it. Until we don’t. Usually after it blows up.

So how do you get back to that gut-level trust?

Not with a five-step routine or a morning meditation app.

You just stop talking yourself out of what you already know.

Here’s where I started:

• When I feel that weird, subtle no, I pause. Even if I don’t know why yet.

• I ask myself, who benefits from me ignoring this feeling?

• Before I ask someone else for their take, I check in with mine. What would I pick if I didn’t care what anyone thought?
  

That’s it.
Not perfect. Not deep. Just real.

Rebuilding intuition is less about becoming someone new and more about returning to someone you were before you got so good at explaining things away.

Your intuition isn’t dramatic.
It isn’t emotional.
It isn’t irrational.
It’s you. And it’s tired of being ignored.

Start listening.

She’s been right the whole time.

xo,
Kate