Listen to Your Gut

"Trust yourself. You know more than you think you do." ~Benjamin Spock

A gut feeling. A sixth sense. Intuition. 

It's been called many things, and rational isn't necessarily one of them, but the older (and wiser) I get, the more I believe in that which cannot be explained.

Why do certain people and situations make me anxious? And why do others make me comfortable, elicit feelings of familiarity even though they're new or different? 

***

Skipping, almost giddily, down stone steps toward Savannah's waterfront a couple springs ago, I remember feeling like I belonged in that city, like I'd finally arrived home after a very long trip. 

Work was hectic and stressful at the time, and I hadn't been on a week-long vacation in five years. Taking that into consideration, one might say a trip to any city would have elicited the same feelings and emotions. 

But I know, deep down, it wouldn't have. 

I've traveled a decent amount in my 31 years, visiting cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, and New York, but Savannah's the only destination that took my breath away. Time and time again.  

Maybe it's the Spanish moss draped over trees, or the multitude of parks, each with wooden benches for reading, talking, listening to music. Maybe it's the architecture, row upon row of pre-Civil War era houses and buildings, or River Street, made of cobblestones and lined with one-of-a-kind shops, restaurants, and bars. Maybe it's the food. My God, the food. :) 

All I know for sure is Savannah spoke to me, welcomed me with open arms. And when I was there, I was exactly where I was supposed to be. 

This was easy for me to accept. The negative, anxious feelings, when there's seemingly no reason behind them, are harder.

Why do I feel uncomfortable every time I'm around someone I've known half my life? Why does someone who's pursuing me back off after I give him my number? Why does someone make me question my intelligence, my worth, my sanity?

Looking back, my intuition's been substantiated. Every single time. So why didn't I listen? 

Because I didn't trust myself. 

And I had to learn the hard way that my feelings were valid. A lot of the situations I put myself in because "there's no reason to feel that way, Katie," were bad ones, ones that took me a long time to get out of.

Would I take it back? Absolutely not. I learned a lot, lived a lot, grew a lot. Inherited a dog who changed my life. :) And I gained the knowledge that everything I'm feeling, I'm feeling for a reason.

Nowadays, it's easier for me to listen when my body says: "Hey, this doesn't feel right," or "Um, I don't trust him/her." And subsequently, it's easier for me to take part in things that make me feel good, and to surround myself with people who are positive, uplifting, and always have my best interests at heart.

*** 

So the next time you're feeling a certain way, whether it's positively or negatively, don't question it. Because you know more than you think you do.