"Follow your gut"

[flashbac]

I see the term "follow your gut" alot on mumsnet but it seems a bit woo to me. How do you hone your 'gut messaging' if you have anxiety or PTSD or similar? My gut is always in knots about trying something new. If I listened to it I'd never leave the house!

I’m with you I think it’s ludicrous.

People have anxiety, jealousy, insecurity, any number of health conditions and following their gut is the last thing they should do.

I find listening to my gut really useful with my OCD and mental health issues. My gut is sensible, my brain less so. I make my mind quiet and listen for that quiet voice. It's how I truly feel, not how the anxiety is making me feel.

I'm with High Fidelity on this one, not sure if it is in the book or just the film but the quite is something like, "the trouble with following my gut is that my gut has shit for brains".

I agree OP. Too often emotions get in the way of the truth, logic and reason.

I've been saying this for years. If I listened to my gut all the time, I'd never do anything. I'd have broken up with DP at least 30 times, I'd have quit all my hobbies, I'd never do anything.

I'm on medication for my anxiety now, and I can see that the way I felt over the years was vastly out of proportion - particularly about DP leaving me (not because I don't trust him, but because I didn't think I was good enough for him).

So yes. Going with your gut isn't always the best call!

YANBU, same with 'spidey senses'.

I totally get what you are saying, and I think that as a society we've become poor at assessing risk, especially when it comes to child safety, however sometimes a gut instinct is useful. I think trusting gut feelings on health, as in seeking care when something doesn't seem right is positive. I've on a couple of occasions had a gut feeling my toddler had put something in his mouth and discovered a chocking hazard, can't explain how I knew.
I think sometimes a gut feeling to treat someone with caution can be worth listening to.

For me following my gut instinct is what I know already but find it hard to admit to myself, for example if someone is not interested in you, you get clear vibes from them, you don't feel good about it so you should follow your gut on what you know you should do.
Emotions can cloud judgment, jealousy for example, imagination can run wild about it and before you know there's a false scenario in your head but what you should do is calm and see if there are any real evidence other than jealousy, knowing what's real and what isn't and facing up to a situation which I believe is my gut instinct. For me anyway.

To me 'following your gut' just means listening to your own inner judgement and acting on it.
Culturally we're encouraged to follow logic and reason, so we minimise unpleasant feelings instead of acting on them and we become further disconnected to ourselves through abuse and trauma. The voice telling you to leave the job, husband etc get shuts down and replaced with 'it pays the bills', 'I don't want to be alone'. etc IMO that's how a lot of people end up with anxiety and depression.

Its not a woo concept, its just about being fully connected to yourself, which a lot of people are not.

I totally agree. If I followed my gut I'd let my OCD rule my life. I have to try to find a happy medium between the two.

@Gingerwhinger1

To me 'following your gut' just means listening to your own inner judgement and acting on it. Culturally we're encouraged to follow logic and reason, so we minimise unpleasant feelings instead of acting on them and we become further disconnected to ourselves through abuse and trauma. The voice telling you to leave the job, husband etc get shuts down and replaced with 'it pays the bills', 'I don't want to be alone'. etc IMO that's how a lot of people end up with anxiety and depression. Its not a woo concept, its just about being fully connected to yourself, which a lot of people are not.

Right now my gut is telling me:

-Leave the country before it becomes fully fascist

-Pull out of property purchase because prices might crash (its been telling me prices will crash since 2014! I've missed out on so many houses)

And other random stuff.

My gut is rubbish. "Shit for brains" is definitely the way to describe it as someone else said.

Maybe your guts onto something ?
Nothing wrong with exploring what its telling you.

I think you're either a "gut" person who feels what they are making decisions or is better served by making full considerations. For big decisions I always pretend to do the latter but realistically go with the former. No right or wrong way just how you are wired

I used to think it was woo.. until I was assaulted by someone (a doctor) and I was internally kicking myself thinking I knew it, I knew it, why did I ignore it and then I read the fantastic book The Gift of Fear..

Follow your gut only applies when someone makes you feel uncomfortable, not about anything else!

I tell my teens and preteen to follow their gut if someone seems creepy or makes them feel uncomfortable - you don't have to be polite, nice, or kind in this context, just get away from them.

That's the context I've seen it in on MN too - not about choosing an investment product or a career path or even what to have for dinner...

@UntilYourNextHairBrainedScheme

Follow your gut only applies when someone makes you feel uncomfortable, not about anything else!

I tell my teens and preteen to follow their gut if someone seems creepy or makes them feel uncomfortable - you don't have to be polite, nice, or kind in this context, just get away from them.

That's the context I've seen it in on MN too - not about choosing an investment product or a career path or even what to have for dinner...

That's makes sense.