Listen to your body to guide gut decisions

You’re offered a project that could skyrocket your visibility at work—but something feels… off. You talk yourself through pros and cons, list the potential gains, and yet your gut stays tight and jittery. The rational mind can’t decide—but your body knows. You feel a fist tightening in your stomach every time you picture meeting the deadline.

Science tells us why these bodily signals matter. Deep in your brain’s emotional core, the amygdala stores flashes of every past success, every misstep. When a situation matches a stored memory pattern, it sends a signal—sometimes a subtle twitch, other times a full-blown “gut feeling” [2]. This emotional feedback is a critical compass in day-to-day choices.

You owe it to yourself to pause and tune in. Find a quiet corner, take two slow breaths, and scan for physical clues: a fluttering heart, clenched hands, a warm sense of excitement. These sensations aren’t distractions—they’re data points. The mind and body are a team: An uneasy gut can head off bad hires, bad deals, or burned bridges before they start.

After you listen, cross-check your intuition against the facts: What concrete evidence supports your instinct? If nutrition labels feel misleading, do a quick check online or sample a smaller pack. When that gut guides you well, trust it—and let it steer you toward choices that align with both head and heart.

Picture yourself at work, a challenging choice on your desk. You put down your pen, take two slow, mindful breaths, and feel into your body—note the tightening in your chest or the flutter in your belly. You jot down whether your instinct says yes or no, then list three solid facts that back it up. Next, you make a small test action—maybe a quick email to the colleague who’d know best—to see how reality responds. Give it a try before your next major decision.