5 Simple Secrets to Developing Your Intuition

Reviewed and approved by the psychologist Sergio De Dios González.

Written by Sara Clemente

Last update: 05 October, 2022

Some people have an innate ability of perception. They tend to make the right decisions and luck smiles at them. Well, these are people who have developed and exercised their intuition in such a way that they’ve made it a habit. Do you want to learn how?

According to many psychological theories, intuition is a kind of knowledge that cannot be explained nor verbalized, since a person doesn’t come to it rationally. We’re not talking about the esoteric idea of intuition, but rather the ability to perceive and understand reality without reasoning. It is innate, not supernatural.

In this article we’re going to tell you about techniques that will teach you to guide yourself more accurately, to make the right decisions and to widen your perspective on life. If you want to develop your intuition, take a look at these exercises!

Trust your hunches

You’re about to accept a new job. It’s with a very prestigious multinational company that without a doubt will give you the boost you’ve been waiting for in your career. Right now you have a more modest job. It has good work-life balance, but you haven’t had the chance to shine. And you’ve been given two days to make the decision.

Rationally, you know that the multinational is once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. But something inside you tells you not to accept it. There’s something inside you that doesn’t give you a good feeling about it.

Our first tip is to start listening to your hunches, because they are messages from your body, warning you to be careful. Give them the space they deserve. If you allow yourself to be guided by your intuition, you won’t have regrets. 

You acted according you what you believed would be best for you. You may be right, you may be wrong, but at least you’ll have let that ability deep inside you out. Generally, if something or someone makes you feel uneasy, this is your intuition.

Practice observation

The relationship between perception and intuition is clear. The most intuitive people are the most observant. Observing means being curious, paying close attention to what’s around you. It’s trying to find information or acquire knowledge about things that are new, surprising, or interesting to you.

This attention exercise will help you find similarities, coincidences, and relationships between objects and people in your environment. Things that initially may have seemed totally unconnected.

Meditation will help develop your intuition

Perhaps you don’t know whether you’re intuitive or not, because you don’t have enough self-knowledge. In this case, meditation practices can help wake up your intuition and help you get to know yourself.

Its benefits are clear: meditation reduces anxiety and stress, and it helps you understand yourself, release negative emotions, and keep your emotions balanced.

Practicing meditation teaches you to pay attention to stimuli in your environment that previously went unnoticed. Thus, in addition to developing your intuition, meditation will enhance your creativity and make you feel more awake and connected. Try it!

Visualizing landscapes

Another practice that is closely related to meditation and that helps a person develop their intuition is visualization. It is a very useful tool that gives you greater control over your mind, emotions and body. It consists of learning to relax by realistically imagining different situations.

To do it, you close your eyes and concentrate on your breathing. Try to visualize a place that gives you good vibes. For example, a green meadow full of tulips or the top of a snowy mountain looking out at a whole mountain range.

Pay attention to every little detail of this landscape. The greenness of the grass, the sound of the wind brushing against your skin, the smallest petal about to unfold… Keep all these little details in your memory. Take a deep breath and open your eyes.

You’ll find yourself feeling calmer and more relaxed, like you actually were in that pleasant place. As a result, you’ll have improved your intuition, but you’ll also have learned a relaxation technique you can employ when stress threatens in your daily life.

Take time to be on your own

Solitude scares us. When we think about it, it paralyzes us with terror. But that doesn’t mean we can’t be on our own from time to time. Of course we can! And in fact we should.

Sometimes, we need to isolate ourselves from everything that’s going on around us to get perspective and listen to our heart and subconscious. “If I do this, will I feel good or bad?”… “I don’t trust my new coworker, I should be careful”… “I think my son will be better off in this school than that one”…

Try to relax, go for a walk and free your mind of the exhaustion of your daily routine. Disconnect from technology and just reach into your deepest self and allow it to guide you. Life is made up of big decisions. Therefore, developing your intuition now will be a huge advantage when those times come. Why not get started?