Your intuition is a direct expression of your innermost feelings and subconscious mind. As a society, we are programmed to not be overly emotional. This is particularly true for women. As women, we are taught to eat our feelings – to smile, grin and bear them. As a result, most of us have lost touch with how we really feel. Like any relationship, building a relationship with your emotions takes time and trust. To begin your journey of self-awareness, it is important to give ourselves dedicated space to explore our private, interior world.

A huge part of learning to trust your intuition involves learning to be present in your body. Often, we aren’t taught to tune into our body’s intelligence and act in opposition to what our subconscious is telling us to heal. Our subconscious picks up on our environmental cues and compares the situation to thousands of past experiences. What we experience as ‘gut feelings’, are really the result of our subconscious making rational decisions based on our past experiences. To harness our body’s natural intelligence, take the time to tune into your mind and body through activities designed to connect you with your inner guidance. Working with oracle cards, meditation and journaling are effective ways to cultivate awareness and bring intuitive knowledge into your daily decision making.

To be alert to your intuition, you have to first learn the difference between intuition and fear. Fear is often disguised as intuition, and is the most present instruction we receive. It is a self-preserving mechanism designed to protect us when our brain’s senses risk or danger. But fear is a contracting force that moves us away from the expansive potential of our intuition. The voice of intuition is confidence building and encouraging. Unlike the fear instinct, our intuition guides us to awareness without the attachment of negative feelings. Mindfulness strategies that facilitate better understanding of your personality, temperament and triggers can work to release these fear symptoms. Activities like creative or dream work are some of the ways to work through our fears.

Before seeking to change your present circumstances, understand that where you are is already perfect. Even if it feels like you’ve stumbled into a back alley somewhere along the way, you are always exactly where you need to be. Helen urges us to look at difficult, challenging times and ask what these moments are revealing to them. To know if you are on the right path, pay attention to signals that will indicate positivity and growth. That doesn’t mean that you’re going to be in a state of ecstasy every minute of every day, but it also means that when you do face challenges or avoidance and resistance, you will feel the commitment to see it through . This can be applied to both career and relationships. Sometimes, the right path for the soul, is the thing that teaches us the most. Keep record of the signs and seeming coincidences that appear in your life. These signals can be weaved together to reconnect you to your purpose.