Everyone has the capacity to experience intuition and fear, but not everyone can trust those instincts or know when to listen to them.

But, how do you know which one to listen to? It can be tricky to tell, but if you tune into your emotions, there’s a key difference between fear and intuition. However, both make their presence known because both have value to add to our lives.

So how do we learn to differentiate between the two? This post will help explain the differences between these two feelings and how to trust them.

What is Intuition?

Intuition is a sort of sixth sense; it’s that little voice inside that tells us something’s not quite right or alerts us in some way without any logical reason.

Intuition is often explained as a mystical experience. It makes you feel like something magical is happening and fills you with hope. However, intuition is also confused with fear, which is a completely different experience. 

Intuition is a feeling that guides you to make decisions or take actions. There is no logical reason to follow these impulses and yet we often find ourselves having intuitive hunches. 

That’s because intuition is different from reason or logic. It’s a form of inner knowing and can’t really be explained as well as it’s experienced. While logic and reasoning are based on what is, intuition taps into what is possible. It’s like having a little fairy sitting on your shoulder, whispering for your trust it.

An Example of Intuition:

You’re faced with a tough decision, and even though you can’t logically explain it, one option just feels right. You follow your intuition and choose that path, often leading to a positive outcome.

What is Fear?

Fear is a signal from your brain that you are facing immediate danger or something life threatening. It can help you quickly get out of a imminently dangerous encounter. It’s a signal from your mind to help keep you protected. This is completely normal and is a part of the human experience.

Fear can also be triggered when you are faced with something that is new or that you don’t understand. Similarly, fear can come up when you are in a situation that is familiar and safe; there is no real immediate threat yet you are experiencing fear. In this case, fear is perceived or irrational and acting on it can cause you more harm than good.

An Example of Real Fear

Imagine hiking alone in the woods and suddenly seeing a wild animal growling at you. Your fear can either paralyze you or help you get out that situation alive. Either way, you’re fear is a clear signal that you’re facing an imminent threat.

An Example of Perceived Fear

You unexpectedly lose your job. Your heart races as you contemplate the thought of not being able to find another job in time to pay your bills. Sending a chill down your spine, filling you with a deep sense of fear because of the uncertainty about the future.

An Example of Irrational Fear

You’ve worked hard to achieve your financial goals, and suddenly, opportunity for financial success knocks at your door. But instead of excitement, you feel this strange, nagging fear creeping in- fear of changes. Even though you know that this success could bring you the security you want, irrational fear holds you back, making you hesitate to take the opportunity.

Intuition And Fear Together

While intuition and fear are both human experiences, they are different in how they are triggered, who they affect, and how they affect you.

Fear can be triggered by a real, perceived, or irrational threat. It’s based on what you don’t want to happen. Even when it seems that you are getting what you want fear can kick in.

When this happens, it’s usually a signal that your mind is sending to protect you from some unwanted outcome. Fear can come from imminent threats, but even imagined thoughts of unwanted future outcomes.

On the other hand, intuition is triggered by your wants and desires. Intuition can be a helpful guide to make decisions in your life that are fueled by your desires. 

Fear and intuition can work together in some situations, but in others, they are on opposite sides. For example, fear can kick in when you have gotten what you want, yet you still desire what you want despite the fear.

In this case, you may have an unhealed emotional wound associated with your desire. In other words, a perceived or irrational fear holding you back and intuition guiding you forward.

This can also go vice versa where you get what you want and your intuition is leading you away from it.

How to Know When to Trust Your Intuition and Fear

How to Tell If It’s Intuition?

Anytime you sense something is off without any logical explanation, your intuition has probably kicked in. But, as with anything, you have to tune in to decide if it’s trustworthy. If you can pin it down, it’s much easier to decide how to move forward.

But, what if you are still sure something’s not right, but you can’t explain it? That’s intuition. It’s a subtle feeling or inner knowing, but it’s not a thought you can pick apart. Chances are, if you feel something is wrong but you can’t put your finger on it, it’s intuition.

How to Tell If It’s Fear?

Fear is often a response to something unwanted. With fear, your mind has been triggered to protect you in the here and now. It’s immediate and short-term. You can tell if fear is involved by observing if you are experiencing any of the following:

• Heart rate increasing
• Stomach feeling jittery
• Palms sweating
• Feeling like you need to get out of the situation
• You feel like you are in danger
• You feel like the situation is not safe
• You feel overwhelmed by the situation

If you feel these things, your fear is likely influencing you and you should try to calm yourself. If you are feeling any of these things, but also know in your gut that it’s bad or wrong and that you should walk away, you may be feeling your intuition as well. 

Why You Should Trust Your Fear

Even perceived and irrational fears are emotions that keeps us safe. It’s a reaction to the unknown, the risk of failure, or the idea of danger. If you’re feeling fear in response to something, it’s usually worth looking into.

If you can answer these three questions, it’s worth looking into your fear. But, if you can’t explain why you feel afraid, it’s most likely anxiety about an unwanted future outcome, hence irrational fear. Again, this is not an exact science. The only way to know for sure is to look into how you feel.

How To Tune into Intuition And Fear: 3 Steps

1. Breathe – When we feel fear, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and think that we need to do something right now. We rush to fix the situation, but what we need to do is take a moment to breathe. Take a few deep breaths to calm yourself so you can tap into your intuition to guide your next move. 

2. Be Flexible –If you are fighting against your intuition, you are wasting your energy. Your intuition doesn’t want you to fight it. It’s there to help you, so let it. Let go of your need to control everything and implement your intuition by being flexible in all areas of your life.

3. Listen – When your intuition is telling you to do something, you will feel it. You will feel a sense of peace and calm about a decision. You will know what to do, and you will know that it’s right. 

How To Soothe Your Fear and Listen to Your Intuition: 2 Steps

2 Steps to Help You Explore Emotions Of Intuition And Fear

Whenever you’re confronted with a decision, notice how you feel about it. This is the first step to helping you decide which emotion is worth heeding. 

How Logic Plays a Role: Intuition And Fear

Intuition and fear are both powerful emotions and both can help you decide which direction to go in. However, if you don’t take the time to understand your emotions—to know why you feel the way you do—you risk making a decision based only on emotions you don’t entirely understand. This is why incorporating logic is important.

While there’s nothing wrong with following your emotions, if a decision comes with a lot of anxiety, it’s likely worth using logic to pick apart.

Incorporating logic when emotions of intuition and fear kick in just means you’re using all forms of your intelligence. Similarly, if you choose to ignore your feelings, you don’t give your emotional intelligence a chance to be exercised.

You’ll never know how to make the right decision without using your emotions and logic; they’re both part of your guidance system, helping you navigate.

That said, bear in mind that making the right decision doesn’t necessarily mean making the easiest decision. Your emotions are there to help you make the right choice, not necessarily the easy one.

Conclusion

We all experience fear and intuition in our daily lives. Although they both help us make better choices they are triggered by different things and can lead us to different outcomes.

The bottom line is to learn how to trust your intuition and when to trust your fear. It’s impossible to do that if you don’t know how to tune into your emotions.

Take the time to explore your feelings and understand why you feel the way you do. That way, you can make decisions not just on a whim, but based on a combination of your intelligence, including your logic.

Your intuitions and fears are meant to lead you to your best interests. They’re there to protect you, keep you safe, and steer away from what you don’t want while directing you to what you truly want.