“What’s your gut telling you…?” Five tips for when you let your head take a back seat

“What does your gut say?” That’s often the response we get from our confidantes when we have a difficult decision to make. It sounds simple. But as our heads swill with the arguments for and against whatever question it is we want to answer, it can be challenging to unpick the yo-yoing thoughts in our minds in search of “the right” choice.

However, there is this slightly elusive thing that belongs to us. It’s called our gut instinct. And it has secret powers that are infinitely wiser than we are. It has access to a metaphorical eight-ball that our conscious selves are not quite privy to. Unless of course, we are prepared to listen to what it’s telling us…

I’m sure we’ve all had that feeling — when there’s something deep down inside that just feels a certain way. A “right” way. It can be hard to put your finger on or articulate but you know that “it’s” there, like the echo of thunder. It could be a dull rumbling quake far in the distance. There can be flashes of bright lightning. Or the faint yet joyous promise of sunshine on the horizon. But whatever the weather of your particular situation, you can detect an instinctual scent, like wet rain on dry pavements; a consuming smell that fills your nostrils with “rightness.” It’s whispering softly about what you should do.

I’ve had that feeling on many an occasion. I’m having it right now in fact. Be it a new job, life decision, or person in your life, when you have this feeling, it is tough to ignore. I have tended to trust my gut to the nth degree… for anyone familiar with Myers Briggs, I’m strong on the “feeling” spectrum in that respect. That said, I have experienced the dense fog that can cloud your gut, especially when it’s telling you something that you don’t want to hear — I know first-hand how hard it can be to finally allow yourself to listen to what it’s telling you and wake up to the storm that’s brewing.

As I take this moment to reflect, I am generally happy with the advice my gut has given me and the decisions I have made as a result. Things have invariably worked out for the best and as I think they were meant to — even if it hurt sometimes. I suspect that when most of us are honest with ourselves we would say the same thing about following (or perhaps more tellingly not following) what our gut’s telling us.

The physical gut

I appreciate this piece is very much erring on the nebulous-side right now… we have so far explored the gut as an informal noun (according to Google): “used in reference to a feeling or reaction based on an instinctive emotional response rather than considered thought.” But of course, the gut is also an actual, physical, “real” thing, the formal noun: “the stomach or belly.”

Before expounding further on the qualities of its esoteric sibling, it’s worth taking a look at our physiological friend. What I concluded only serves to compound my respect for this less-than-sexy of physical organs and deepens my belief in how it relates to the somewhat indefinable, instinctive idea that there’s something tangible, deep down — more than we give ourselves credit for. It’s no wonder scientists have started endearingly referring to the gut as our “second brain”.

Your gut is approximately eight metres long — the length of a double decker bus. It is our largest sensory organ with a surface area 40 times larger than that of our skin. It’s home to 100 trillion types of bacteria, immune cells and hormones, all beavering away to process energy to keep us alive. One of the ways it does that is by sending signals to the brain. Did you know that 90% of the nerves that connect our gut to our brain transmit signals from our gut to the cockpit i.e. they are telling the brain things about how our body is feeling as opposed to the other way around?

Our physical gut nerve-endings — our enteric nervous system to be exact — are pathways to the brain for humdrum impulses (like going to the toilet), but also to other areas of our cortex, like those that deal with morality, fear, self-awareness and even our genitals. There are multiple studies confirming that the gastrointestinal tract is sensitive to emotion. Why else would we say when we are scared that we are ‘shitting ourselves’? Anger, anxiety, sadness, elation — all of these feelings (and others) can trigger symptoms in the physical gut (nervous poo anyone?) as well as send signals to our brain that we’re feeling these things. It’s not surprising to learn that 90% of your body’s serotonin and 50% of its dopamine call the gut home.

And why is it that the human species has developed this link? Well, as cavemen our biggest decision everyday was what to eat. That meant that we developed a close link between the stomach and our brains from very early in our evolution. And our gut does all our internal bodily processing — it sorts through so many of the inputs and outputs that our bodies need to function, and so the brain must be kept informed about its state of play. Our physiology evolved this way to keep us alive. However, that doesn’t mean it’s always sophisticated — for example, our bodies still release dopamine when we eat foods that are high in sugar and fat, and we impulsively seek them out because the Neanderthal in us still thinks that food could be scarce and wants us to build up reserves.

This just goes to show that the gut is not a thinking brain — it doesn’t reason or rationalise, and that’s partly what makes it so valuable. It sends unfiltered messages to tell our brain about how our whole body is feeling or how it thinks you “should” feel. That’s physical: “you need water, feel thirsty.” And, if you believe in all this “gut stuff”, the metaphysical: “you need X, feel Y,” which manifests itself as “my gut is telling me to do this.”

The gut is a basic being and wants for a simple life: for us to stay alive and healthy for as long as possible. Our lives look very different to those of our prehistoric forebears — instead of running from lions, we’re navigating mortgages, promotions and the “is he the one” question. So, it makes sense to conclude that our gut and thus our fight-or-flight response to “stay alive and healthy” has also evolved to accommodate the new opportunities and potential threats of modern-day life.

So, what can we learn from all of this? Here’s what I’m learning about following my gut:

1. Listen to the warning signs

If your gut is trying to tell you something: listen. If you don’t agree with it, that’s OK — but recognise that it is there and try to understand what it’s trying to communicate. Is there something you can do to make your gut feel more comfortable with your situation? Does it have some valid points that could be addressed that would make something better? There’s no point in trying to ignore it — you have the chance to respond constructively and positively to the facts in front of you if you’re prepared to acknowledge them. And let’s be honest — sticking your head in the sand never really got anyone anywhere positive, did it?

2. Have someone to sense-check your thinking with

The gut isn’t always rational and sometimes it can be hard to make sense of what it’s trying to say. Your gut might tell you to shy away from something scary and difficult, when being brave might yield a better long-term result. It helps beyond measure to talk to someone who’s a trusted sounding board; someone to whom you can verbalise what you think your gut is trying to tell you. They can listen, offer impartial advice and give you a slap round the face if your gut needs a talking to.

3. Try not to make rash decisions

There are times where your gut will call for immediate action — but these don’t tend to be around the “big decisions.” For these, you tend to have at least a few days, maybe weeks or even years to get your head around what the right thing to do might be. Take your time — there’s no rush. One of my biggest learnings is that you have to be ready to listen to your gut — wait for the fog to clear and trust that it eventually will. Trust that — at some point — you’ll “just know”. You can help to coax the clarity out by talking about the problem to help give the gut a voice. But if you’re not ready to listen to it, it’s hopeless. You have to be in a place where the volume’s up and you’re ready to entertain the answers whether you like them or not.

4. Play out scenarios

Employ your imagination. Consider what things could look like if you take one road versus the other — which one of these futures do you like the look of more? What are the risks and where’s the potential? How would you feel if things turned out one way rather than the other, and does this give you a sense of your preference? They say that when tossing a coin, it’s only when the coin is flipping through the air that you finally know what you want the outcome to be, regardless of which side it lands.

5. Que sera, sera (or believe in “what will be will be”)

Whether you believe in fate or the universe or whatever, the reality is that we have a set of infinite and inter-dependent choices in life: our own set of “sliding doors.” You are making thousands of decisions every day that could change your life and you don’t even know it because most of the time it’s scarcely a conscious thought. For the decisions where your gut comes in to play, trust in the fact that whatever choices you make — however it pans out — you took the best course of action open to you at that time. Try to let go of the recriminations and get on with whatever the new path has in store for you.

To conclude…

The wisdom of our gut is a mysterious thing. It doesn’t have to explain itself and sometimes it is hard to explain. But if you are open to listening to it, you have another tool in your armoury in navigating life’s optimal route to your ultimate destination — your destiny.