Do you trust your gut feeling? That inner voice that’s lurking deep inside? That indescribable instinct, which goes by names like insight, inner voice, guiding light, and soul talk? You should but with a few corollaries.
Scientifically your gut has the alimentary, nervous system (second brain) which secretes neurochemicals, just like your brain does. The Vagus nerve is the tenth cranial nerve, and it connects your enteric nervous system with your brain. The gut is also the location of serotonin secretion, an important neurochemical responsible for moods and mental health. Though it’s a neurotransmitter, 90% of Serotonin is secreted in the brain and is an important neurochemical helping in communication between the neurons of the digestive train and your brain. That’s why what you eat can and will change how you feel. The relation between diet and depression is real.
Thus, gut instinct or gut feeling is not hocus-pocus, but a good way of keeping your digestive system healthy, overall good health and brain health, avoiding trouble, and finding peace.
The left and right vagus nerves control the majority of the function of your parasympathetic system and monitor the coordination between your brain, gut, and heart. The parasympathetic system helps your body work in daily life when not in a battle. The sympathetic is responsible for fight and flight while the parasympathetic works at rest, repairing and digesting parts of the body. Both are important for a healthy body and mind.
The gut bacteria is another important player in this gut-brain partnership. The healthy family of gut microbes. Not only keep your gut healthy but also your mind healthy.
Have you ever felt better as soon as you saw the sun shining? The sunlight has amazing, rejuvenating properties. It gives us the much-needed barometer to differentiate light and darkness.In your life too, the light comes with grey and dark times. At all times, “, you do need a source of light. The more light you have, the less of those grey zones. Having someone special brightens up your life and lets you know that the person is special. But there can be many other relationships that light up your life. But how will you know? Will you let your gut help?
But when things are dark, remember
You are on this earth for a reason.
What you do is important.
What you say is important.
What you think and feel is very important.
When your gut feeling agrees with what is right for you, there should be harmony inside. That’s inner peace. As a child growing up, I struggled with balance and peace. But my guiding light always seems to find friends who help me stay on course. Unless I chose not to listen and do what I wanted to do, rather than what felt right.
This mistake, I have made this two major times in my life and by God’s grace have survived to learn from it. Both were different circumstances, but in both cases, I was reacting, not acting. Not talking to my inner self, not trusting my gut. Any decision that will cause chaos in areas of your life, like health and wealth is a recipe for disaster.
Any decision that has the potential to affect your near and dear ones negatively, directly or indirectly needs to be well thought out till you find the rainbow.
The question will always be, will you survive the storms in good enough condition to appreciate the rainbow? When in doubt about what to choose first, I keep myself calm and my health as the first priority If I cannot be strong, healthy, and at peace inside, I can’t help anyone! As a doctor, that’s something I hold dear.
How to keep your Gut Feeling Good
Eat right, exercise daily, and sleep at least seven to eight hours every day . Avoid processed, over-spicy, oily, and too-sweet food and also nonsugar sweeteners. This helps your gut healthy and your gut’s ability to work is at its prime. Include probiotics in your diet and avoid stress . Remember to include nature and play in your daily schedule.
How to find your gut feeling
Remember all the troubles you got into. Now, remember what helped you find solutions. Remember all your successes. Now try to chart out how you did what you did. Sometimes research, talking to friends and family, and your gut feeling, all help create your guiding light. While you should find this part at least in your adolescent, it’s never too late.
Now, remember all the people who make you feel happy, contented, and good about yourself. How long have you known them? What do you like about them? What do you dislike? Why do you get along well? How did you find these people gold in your life? How long have you known them? What do you like about them? What don’t you like? Why do you get along well? How did you find these golden nuggets in your life?
Chaotic, adventurous, unpredictable people make good company, for moments not for this marathon called life. From chaos, you must create space to find your peace. Sometimes it’s you, sometimes, it’s your friends, family, business partners, neighbors, and the Kirana store person who is creating the chaos. But do you step into it or not? That my dear friend is in your hand? Just swoosh your wand and pick your battles or not. As one of my favorite people, a.k.a husband recently said,
At the end of the day, it’s you who decides how to use your gut feeling and your rational thinking and make the right decision. Your right brain helps with identifying things that fit a pattern , like Jane Marple (Miss Marple of Agatha Christie used to say “So and so reminds me of so and so” This article is an excellent resource to help you. What’s your way of making decisions? Share in the comments below.
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shalzzzzz says
Whoa! I didn’t know there was some scientific facts to gut feelings! This is really enlightening. I am someone who totally rely on my “sixth sense”. ๐
Dr.Amrita Basu(MBBS,MS) says
Haa haa.That makes life definitely interesting .
Damyanti Biswas says
Iโve followed my gut feelings all my lifeโ it is how I make my major decisions.
Jitendra Mathur says
Very good and very useful article Amrita Ji. Thanks to you from the core of my heart to show the way as to how to deal with different situations in different times during the course of our journey called life.
Dr.Amrita Basu(MBBS,MS) says
Thank you Jitendra.