It is extremely easy to feel lost. When you have a gut feeling about a choice, it is followed right away by panic. Is this real intuition or is it just anxiety in disguise? When you’re going through a really difficult period in life, many articles and maybe peers encourage you to “just be grateful,” but this feels more like a demand than a consolation. The advice we frequently receive ignores the ways in which our bodies and brains truly function.
Having attended two Club Rewire events at Hypeach in the past months, from discussing how to rewire our reactions and rely on our gut feelings to good vibes with sustainable shopping, I received an insightful and educational talk on the neurological hacks that can completely change how I make decisions and appreciate the world around me. These two events, “The Neuroscience of Intuition & Gut Feelings” and “The Neuroscience of Generosity & Gratitude,” centered on practical neuroscience and provided the audience with tangible methods to manage our daily stress. They invited certified therapists who combined scientific reasoning with practical application.
Trust Your Gut – The Neuroscience of Intuition
The first event, which took place on October 23, emphasized the science behind “the gut,” often referred to as the “second brain,” and its impact on our mood, intuition and decision-making abilities. The main objective was to give attendees tools to assist in developing inner self-confidence and make decisions that feel right. Guests were also able to view Hypeach’s merchandise and we were all given an intuition card and a polaroid station to document the occasion. The speakers provided self-reflection exercises based on DBT (Dialectical Behaviour Therapy) concepts, with questions like: “What signals do I tend to notice first: mental, emotional, or physical, when I’m making a decision?” and “When I felt unsure about a recent choice, was it fear of discomfort or a sense of misalignment?”
Wise Mind vs. Overthinking
I learned how the brain absorbs raw data and then utilizes the sensory system (five senses) to take in both information around us and information that is imperceptible. It isn’t magic but more like your mind interprets this data before your conscious thoughts catch up. Similar to emotion, intuition directs us towards a particular course of action. Speakers defined the internal compass (“Wise Mind”) as the aspect of ourselves that contains intuition. The goal is not to let a gut feeling blindly override logical thinking, it is about holding both inputs with equal weight to find the wisest path forward. The admonition to “hold intuition on one hand, hold facts/reason on the other” stems from the need to balance this “Wise Mind” with reason, logic and facts.
For my overthinking girlies who tend to dwell in your own thoughts and become trapped between intuition and rationality, we were given various techniques:
- Observe that you are in fact overthinking.
- Pull yourself into an observer role.
- Acknowledge that anxiety is a future threat.
- Tell anxiety: “I understand you’re trying to protect me but let me take a driver’s seat”.
- Take back control by questioning: “Am I getting anywhere with that thinking?”.
The way out of a state of overthinking is to shift from being inside the storm to observing it. This approach validates the feeling without letting it take control and it re-establishes you as the one in charge.
How does Intuition differ from Anxiety?
We often attribute social anxiety to intuition. There is a need to differentiate a genuine “gut feeling” from anxiety. The latter hyperfixates on issues that will not arise for years to come. The two can be distinguished by bodily sensations: the gift of fear, an evolutionary intuition, that can cause a real spike in adrenaline and heart rate. We must determine whether the emotion is real or not real.
To strengthen intuition, one must mindfully study their body and regulate their emotions first. Then, develop openness (being more at ease with their body communicating to them). Exposure therapy (low-stakes reps) is helpful in developing self-confidence without feeling overwhelmed. For those overwhelmed by cluttered thoughts, advice included writing it out through journaling and reducing the consumption of negative news. If you have spent years mistrusting your intuition, learning to listen to it again can feel scary. Start small. Queue “Baby Steps” by Olivia Dean. Keep yourself within your window of tolerance while you practice, ensuring the experience is registered by your brain as safe learning. Your brain receives a signal that it is safe to pay attention to your internal cues each time you respond to a small intuitive nudge and see that it ended up working out just fine. The self-confidence required to apply this thinking to more significant life decisions is then developed through this process of practice and validation.
Do Good, Feel Good – The Neuroscience of Generosity & Gratitude
The second session, which was held on November 19, focused on how giving and being grateful actively change the brain, fueling drive and achievement. Dr. Annika Marshall, LMFT shared anecdotes and advice. Additionally, we were able to visit a letter station to write thank-you notes to our loved ones on personalized stationery that Club Rewire would later mail out. According to Dr. Marshall’s explanation of the neuroscience of gratitude, people experience excitement and appreciation, which causes the release of happy neurotransmitters. Endorphins, serotonin and dopamine are linked to good emotions, whereas cortisol is linked to stress. To demonstrate that we have control over our emotions, Marshall shared a personal story about being pregnant with identical twins and using a book to reframe the birth experience as powerful rather than painful.
The Window of Tolerance
You cannot experience either hyperarousal (anxious, angry, doing a million things at once) or hypoarousal (shutdown, disassociated) in order to truly feel thankful. The first step in dealing with hyperarousal is to acknowledge the anxiety, tell yourself it can be used for good (like studying or preparing), and then regulate when the work is over (do a skincare routine, take a deep breath before sleep). To maintain regulation, tools include co-regulating with someone calming which is why many enjoy interacting with animals. Finally, engage in beneficial practices when alone, such as meditation and keeping a gratitude journal.
There is a distinction between toxic positivity and real gratitude. The audience was advised not to push themselves to experience emotions they do not genuinely feel, particularly when they are outside of their tolerance window. When an external system or an inner force causes us to feel something “performative,” we have to ask ourselves: “Whose benefit does this feeling serve?” “Is it for me or for someone else?” Setting new priorities and paying attention to your own voice is something all people need to remind themselves of.
Finding gratitude is difficult for people who are grieving or going through healing. Do not force gratitude on those who are in pain, Dr. Marshall counselled. It is okay to use radical acceptance and take a moment with being okay with being sad. Profound gratitude can be found by looking back at past struggles and celebrating the resilience shown in overcoming them.
Tools for Daily Life
- Curate your interests and social media to meet attainable needs (what you can achieve in 3-6 months), instead of following abstract wellness blogs that can hurt mental health.
- Create experiences of gratitude for someone else by attuning in and expressing something meaningful to them (e.g., “I am proud of you” or “Thank you for the meal you cooked for me”).
- Romanticize your life by using a lens of wonderment, viewing your everyday existence as if it were a movie, focusing on tactile experiences like the way your clothes feel, the smell of the air, or looking at the clouds.
- Implement the practice of reflecting on “3 goods & a grateful” every night, writing down at least one thing you are grateful for.
I will never forget the much needed lessons I have gained from attending both events. I constantly try to understand how our brains work as humans and how gut feelings coincide with gratitude. I need to take a step each day to develop my inner well-being first to make better life decisions. Listening to your body and counting your blessings are not just feel-good phrases, they are skill sets you can practice and strengthen.