11 Things That Are Easy If You're Intuitive, But Very Challenging For Normal People
The better you can tap into other people's energy, the better off you'll be.
Max4e Photo | Shutterstock Intuition is already ingrained into our brains — it's what fuels our brain's processes and every gut feeling we experience. But some people are better at accepting and celebrating their intuitive gifts than others.
There are things that are easy if you're intuitive, but very challenging for normal people, that can make social connection, personal growth, and emotional well-being achievable even amid a chaotic life. By tapping into your intuition and carving out space to practice using it, you can not only add value to your relationships and life, but cultivate an important sense of inner trust with yourself as well.
Here are the 11 things that are easy if you're intuitive, but very challenging for normal people
1. Making high-pressure decisions
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In high-pressure situations where there's not enough time to analytically break down options or lead with logic, intuitive people tend to make more informative decisions with their best interests in mind. By trusting their gut and leading with their internal grace, they find ways to comfortably lead with emotion and internal trust, rather than impulsivity.
By relying on past experiences and situational tips, intuitive people tend to make better decisions in stressful and chaotic settings, according to a 2016 PLOS One study. Especially for intuitive women, who tend to act less selfishly in high-pressure situations, making decisions without having to retreat and consider logical analyses serves as an incredible benefit in their relationships, at work, and amid conflicts.
2. Diffusing conflicts and arguments
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Without the chaos of unpacking their own emotions and logical reasoning, intuitive people also tend to be the "peacemakers" in their relationships and amid high-stress conflicts. Leading with empathy — a necessary skill for conflict resolution, like experts at Modern Recovery suggest — they can focus on the task in front of them, while protecting their own emotional health and the comfort of others around them.
3. Connecting with strangers
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While the average person might struggle to pick up on subtle social cues and unsuspecting body language, concerned with their own image and responses, intuitive people have a knack for acknowledging and truly engaging with others, even if they're perfect strangers.
Driven by social connection, like any of us are, intuitive people find the perfect balance between interaction and alone time, giving them the emotional foundation needed to lead with empathy, compassion, and grace, without sacrificing their own health.
4. Practicing mindfulness
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Especially amid the chaos and stress of everyday life, finding peace in passing moments can be difficult. Mindfulness practices that urge people to sit with their bodies and minds, like meditation or breathing exercises, are intended to be centering, but for many people, they're more anxiety-inducing than escapist routes to comfort are.
Although intuitive people tend to be deep complex thinkers, they're able to harness the strengths of mindfulness activities that quiet mental chatter and help promote objective thinking, like experts from the Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute explain, instead of falling into the spiral of overthinking.
5. Acknowledging and healing from uncomfortable emotions
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Suppressing emotions can be detrimental to your emotional well-being, causing feelings of anxiety and resentment and sabotaging your social awareness, according to psychotherapist Katherine Cullen. However, emotional acknowledgement and healing, rather than suppression, are some of the things that are easy if you're intuitive, but very challenging for normal people.
While others might retreat at the first sign of an uncomfortable emotion like envy or embarrassment, intuitive people are comfortable sitting with that discomfort, checking in with themselves, taking appropriate action steps towards coping, and seeking help when necessary.
6. Prioritizing creative outlets and hobbies
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According to social scientist Kendra Patterson, intuition and creativity rely on very similar cognitive functions: pattern recognition and analogical thinking. While the experience and purpose behind both skills are inherently different, they come back to a shared cognitive ability in most intuitive people, driven by their curiosity and tendency towards deep thinking.
According to a study published by Nature Medicine, having a hobby tied to creativity and happiness is incredibly beneficial for emotional and physical well-being — not just to invest in personal development, but for a variety of other internal processes like emotional acknowledgement and de-stressing mechanisms.
While a typical person might look over the need to prioritize this time, or feel burdened by other anxious thoughts and practices that take precedence over their quality alone time, intuitive people recognize the power their hobbies have in shaping a healthy routine.
7. Trusting your gut
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There's a reason why scientists suggest your gut is also your "second brain," according to Melody Wilding, LMSW, a human behavior professor and author, as it works in tandem with your mind to make decisions, consider past experiences, and connect with others. Our intuition works best when we cultivate healthy spaces for our gut and our mind to flourish — the better relationship we can form, founded on trust, with ourselves, the more balanced and centered we feel.
Typical people, without a gift or knack for intuitive behaviors, tend to overlook their gut feelings and spark mistrust with their bodies. Instead of leading with their intuition, they lead solely with their practical cognition, making decisions based on less influential factors like external validation, discomfort, and societal expectations.
8. Analyzing your dreams
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Many intuitive people acknowledge and analyze their dreams as a way to tap into their deeper intuition and gain a better understanding of their subconscious minds. While understanding the roots of our dreams is still largely unknown on a scientific front, there are several studies, including one from Trends in Cognitive Science, that suggest intuition plays a large role.
While other people might disregard their dreams or pass over them before starting their day, intuitive people sit with them — taking a moment to unpack their thoughts and consider any curious subconscious ideas that've formed as a result of experiencing them.
9. Spending time alone
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Quality alone time not only increases productivity, creativity, and empathy, it's also been shown to benefit mental strength and emotional health, according to a study published by the Journal for The Theory of Social Behavior, as it provides space for people to decompress from the social interactions that define our daily lives.
Intuitive people thrive when they get in touch with themselves, their inner voices, and their truest needs. While many thrive connecting with others and socially interacting with their loved ones, finding space for alone time is equally important and instrumental in guiding their inner voice and emotional well-being.
10. Taking breaks and combating burnout
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Driven by their "inner voice" and deeper intuition, intuitive people tend to prioritize carving space for rest rather than utilizing long work hours, constant plans, and packed schedules as an escapist route for being alone.
Instead of succumbing to the consequences of burnout — like loneliness, fatigue, and irritability — intuitive people plan ahead, taking breaks on a daily basis and carving out longer, more intentional periods of time to breathe.
11. Practicing unconditional empathy
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While it might be easy for the average person to lead with compassion with their loved ones, intuitive people lead with empathy in every passing interaction and conversation they have. Even in stressful work arguments or in the face of a rude stranger, they lead with grace.
By connecting to the energy around them and reading signals from other people, like licensed clinical psychologist Matthew Boland explains, they're able to not only connect with others but create powerful space for them to feel comfortable and heard.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a staff writer with a bachelor's degree in social relations & policy and gender studies who focuses on psychology, relationships, self-help, and human interest stories.