Highly Intuitive People Excel At 11 Things A Normal Person Finds Exceptionally Hard
LookStudio | Shutterstock Intuition is part of every person's brain. It's also at the root of every gut feeling we experience, even those who don't believe in it. The difference between highly intuitive people and everyone else is their willingness to accept and even hone their intuition.
For normal people, the activities that can help develop these intuitive skills can feel exceptionally hard. Fortunately, intuition isn't something reserved for magical or highly spiritual people, it's something pretty much everyone can work toward using more effectively.
Highly intuitive people excel at 11 things a normal person finds exceptionally hard
1. Making strong high-pressure decisions
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In high-pressure situations where there's not enough time to analytically break down options or analyze based on facts, intuitive people tend to make better decisions, with their best interests in mind. By trusting their gut and leading with their internal grace, they find ways to comfortably lead with emotion and internal trust, rather than impulsivity.
By relying on past experiences and situational tip-offs, intuitive people tend to be quicker-on-their feet, according to a 2016 study published in PLOS One about altruistic behavior. Intuitive women, who tend to act less selfishly in high-pressure situations, are often best at making decisions without having to retreat and consider logical analyses.
This serves as an incredible benefit when decisions based on what is objectively good and morally correct are on the line. And, while it may seem less rational, it's actually just as effective in these moments.
2. Diffusing conflict and solving interpersonal problems
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Without the chaos of having to untangle their own emotions and logical reasoning, intuitive people also tend to be the "peacemakers" in their relationships. This is extremely valuable in families, but also in business, where they can operate without angering people unnecessarily, even in the middle of high-stress situations.
Intuitive people tend to excel at leading with empathy, which is a necessary skill for conflict resolution. They can see both sides with less bias, which is an incredible skill in negotiations and management. While some may say empathy makes people weaker in these moments, it's actually the opposite, Empathy intuitive person's superpower.
Imagine being able to focus on the task in front of you, one that is demanding or emotional, while protecting your own emotional health and the comfort of others around you. That is what highly intuitive people excel at.
3. Connecting with strangers
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Most people likely find it awkward to talk to a stranger, let alone connect with them and have a real conversation. But not highly intuitive people, this is one of their greatests gifts.
A normal person might struggle to pick up on subtle social cues or small changes in body language, or they may concerned with their own image and responses. But intuitive people have a knack for reading and truly engaging with others, even if they're perfect strangers.
Driven by social connection, like any of us are, intuitive people find the perfect balance between interaction and alone time, giving them the emotional foundation needed to lead with empathy, compassion, and grace, without sacrificing their own health.
4. Staying in the present instead of spinning out
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Finding peace in passing moments can be difficult, especially amid the chaos and stress of everyday life. Mindfulness practices can help, but can be seriously challenging for normal people. Meditation or breathing exercises, are intended to be centering, but for many people, they're more anxiety-inducing than escapist routes to comfort are. That's why so many people rely on substances and other unsustainable comfort-seeking behaviors.
In contrast, intuitive people tend to be deep, complex thinkers who are also able to harness the strengths of mindfulness activities. Intuitively, the know how important it is to quiet their mental chatter.
That's why, when other people are spinning out, intuitive people can access objective thinking. They've practiced it.
5. Acknowledging and moving through uncomfortable emotions
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Suppressing emotions can be detrimental to your emotional well-being. According to psychotherapist Katherine Cullen, pushing away feelings you don't want to deal with can cause anxiety and resentment. The effect of all of this can also disrupt your social awareness skills, making it harder to be engaged and connected with others.
This is a little easier for highly intuitive people to manage, as they're highly self-aware and can catch their uncomfortable feelings as they start to rise, rather than waiting until they're in full panic mode. This makes it easier fro them to move through these feelings and process them fully.
6. Developing creative skills and hobbies
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If you know an intuitive person, you won't be surprised to learn that intuition and creativity are deeply linked. It turns out, they rely on very similar cognitive functions: pattern recognition and analogical thinking. While the experience and purpose behind both skills are inherently different, they come back to a shared cognitive ability in most intuitive people, driven by their curiosity and tendency towards deep thinking.
According to a study published in Nature Medicine, having a hobby tied to creativity and happiness is incredibly beneficial for emotional and physical well-being in older people, and likely in others, too. Hobbies aren't just investments in personal development, but they also benefit a variety of other internal processes like emotional acknowledgement and de-stressing mechanisms.
While a normal person might see developing their creativity as a poor use of time, highly intuitive people understand the long-lasting benefits.
7. Honing and trusting their gut instinct
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There's a reason why scientists suggest your gut is also your "second brain." According to Melody Wilding, LMSW, a human behavior professor and author, your gut works in tandem with your mind to make decisions, consider past experiences, and connect with others.
Our intuition works best when we cultivate healthy spaces for our gut and our mind to flourish. The better relationship we can form, founded on trust, with ourselves, the more balanced and centered we feel.
Normal people, without a gift or knack for intuitive behaviors, tend to overlook their gut feelings and spark mistrust with their bodies. Instead of leading with their intuition, they lead solely with their practical cognition, making decisions based on less influential factors like external validation, discomfort, and societal expectations.
8. Interpreting dreams
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Many intuitive people make a point to write down their dreams so they can learn from them. They believe that analyzing dreams is a great way to tap into deeper intuition and gain a better understanding of their subconscious minds.
While the reason why humans dream is largely unknown on a scientific front, there are studies that suggest intuition plays a large role. One such study charmingly describes dreams as, "a most remarkable experiment in psychology and neuroscience, conducted every night in every sleeping person."
While other people might disregard their dreams, intuitive people sit with them, taking a moment to unpack their thoughts and consider any curious subconscious ideas that've formed as a result of experiencing them. They take notes about their dreams if the awaken in the middle of the night, and spend time connecting what happened during them with how they feel.
Much of this is based on intuition rather than fact, which is why normal people likely find it hard, at least at first.
9. Spending time alone
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Quality alone time has been shown to increase productivity, creativity, and empathy, As well as benefit mental strength and emotional health. Solitary time provides space for people to decompress from the social interactions that define our daily lives, and few people know the value of that more than highly intuitive people.
While many thrive connecting with others and socially interacting with their loved ones, intuitive people know that finding space for alone time is equally important. In fact, because so much of their wisdom and insight comes from within, this time alone is instrumental in guiding their inner voice and emotional well-being.
10. Taking breaks and rejecting pressure to over-work
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Driven by their inner voice and deeper intuition, intuitive people tend to prioritize carving space for rest and reflection.
In contrast, normal people make plans and court busy-ness with long work hours and packed schedules as escapism or a quest to fulfill a need for approval. When they start feeling the negative effects of this level of activity, they may push it down or dismiss it as part of being successful.
Sometimes this is a hard-learned lesson for a highly intuitive person. Because of how emotionally connected they are to themselves and others, it can be tempting for them to give too much, including at work. Soon, they start sensing fatigue and irritability building inside of them, and know something needs to change.
That's why so many intuitive people plan ahead to take breaks and carve out longer, more intentional periods of time to breathe and let their minds rest.
11. Practicing unconditional empathy
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While it might be easy for the average person to lead with compassion with their loved ones, intuitive people lead with empathy in nearly every passing interaction. Even in stressful work arguments or in the face of a rude stranger, they do their best to imagine what may be going on inside of the other person, and they try to react with this in mind.
By connecting to the energy around them and reading signals from other people, these special intuitive empaths are able to not only connect with others but create powerful space for them to feel comfortable and heard.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a staff writer with a bachelor's degree in social relations & policy and gender studies who focuses on psychology, relationships, self-help, and human interest stories.
