🌿💭Anxiety vs Intuition: How to Tell the Difference 💭🌿

Many people struggle with an important question: Is this my intuition trying to protect me, or is it anxiety taking over?

The two can feel remarkably similar, in that both create strong bodily sensations, urgent thoughts, and a sense that something is “not right”. Yet understanding the difference can be transformative for emotional wellbeing, relationships, and self-trust.

In this blog, we explore how anxiety and intuition differ, why they are often confused, and how counselling can help you reconnect with your inner clarity.

What is anxiety?

Anxiety is a fear-based response driven by the nervous system. Its role is to protect us from danger, but when it becomes overactive, it can misinterpret neutral situations as threats.

Common features of anxiety include:

• Racing or catastrophic thoughts

• A sense of urgency or panic

• Physical symptoms such as tight chest, nausea, or restlessness

• Replaying past experiences or imagining worst-case scenarios

• Difficulty feeling calm or grounded

Anxiety often speaks in “what ifs” and pulls attention into the future.

Meanwhile, intuition is a calmer, quieter form of knowing. It is not driven by fear, but by attunement to yourself, your values, and your lived experience.

Intuition tends to:

• Feel steady rather than urgent

• Arise without spiralling thoughts

• Be rooted in the present moment

• Come with a sense of clarity, even if the message is uncomfortable

• Remain consistent over time

Intuition does not shout, instead it gently informs.

Why anxiety and intuition get confused

Anxiety and intuition are often mistaken for one another because they both:

• Are felt in the body

• Can appear suddenly

• Create a strong internal signal

If you have experienced trauma, chronic stress, emotional invalidation, or controlling relationships, your nervous system may remain on high alert. In these cases, anxiety can masquerade as intuition, creating self-doubt and confusion.

This is especially common for people who:

• Overthink decisions

• Fear making the “wrong” choice

• Have been told they are “too sensitive”

• Grew up needing to anticipate others’ emotions

Key differences between anxiety and intuition

Anxiety tends to:

• Feel frantic or overwhelming

• Demand immediate action

• Focus on fear or danger

• Change frequently

Intuition tends to:

• Feel calm, grounded, and clear

• Allow space for choice

• Feel aligned with your values

• Stay consistent even when ignored

A helpful question to ask is:

Does this feel loud and panicked or quiet and steady?

The role of counselling

In counselling, we often work with clients to:

• Regulate the nervous system

• Identify anxiety-driven thought patterns

• Rebuild trust in internal signals

• Differentiate fear responses from intuitive insight

As anxiety softens, intuition becomes easier to hear. Developing this awareness can improve boundaries, decision-making, and emotional confidence.

At L H Counselling, I offer a supportive, non-judgemental space to explore these experiences at your own pace.

Learning to trust yourself again

You are not broken if you struggle to tell the difference between anxiety and intuition. This is a learned skill, and one that can be gently developed with understanding and support.

When you learn to recognise anxiety without letting it lead, and intuition without doubting it, you begin to move through life with greater self-trust and emotional safety.

L H Counselling

Supporting emotional clarity, nervous system regulation, self-love and self-trust.

🌿 lhcounsellingservice.co.uk