Gut health was all the rage in 2018. From kombucha to probiotics, digestive juice cleanses to influencer sponsored supplements…  gut health was the kale of 2018. The only thing gut health has yet to accomplish is trademarking an “I ❤ digestive health” t-shirt (Kale:1 Gut health:0). Not to toss aside gut health, because I know it is important, but I’d like to start a new gut trend in 2019: being in tune with your gut. No, I’m not talking about your intestines, but rather, that intuitive pit in your stomach that tells you when things seem to be perfectly falling into place for you, or when things might not be right at all.

“Trust your gut.”

With this cliché continually infused into our lives, it’s surprising to me how many people truly don’t trust their guts, or even aren’t in tune with them at all. I suppose I was privileged to grow up with a mom who continually reminded me to trust my intuition at every pivotal moment in my life. Have I always done so? No, of course not. But 2019 is the year that I intend for my good old pal, Miss Gut, to become my most trusted friend. I didn’t realize it until recently, but I think that being in touch with the gut requires self-insight and a lot of faith because truthfully, it isn’t always easy.

I think the gut, at least in the sense that I’m referring to it, is very different than our ‘fight or flight’ instincts. The physiological and psychological amygdala sensations that arrive in times of threat and fear usually provide us with some obvious and immediate decisions to make. You’ll either beat the crap out of someone or run like the wind before you even have time to think about it. But I think the gut is different. The gut requires some introspective time, some “taking in” of all the information and insights you can find, and even sitting on things for a little while. The gut lends a hand when life isn’t ‘this or that’, ‘black or white’, ‘life or death.’

The gut is that deep feeling of knowing you should take the lower-paying, less glamorous job because it will ultimately be more fulfilling to your soul. The gut is that itch you have to move across the country to a city you’ve never been to and within which, you don’t know a soul. The gut is that calling that there is a deeper love for you in the world, even though all tangible evidence and opinions of pessimists suggest that there isn’t. The gut is the thing, that when followed time and time again, culminates into a divinely concocted plan for your life that couldn’t possibly be predicted, or even understood, in your wildest dreams. Yet, when the illumination of hindsight shines through, maybe, just maybe, you see a magically strung together past that landed you exactly where you’re supposed to be.

So how do we befriend this gut character? The bummer is, it isn’t as simple as it sounds. Heck, half the time you have to knock for a while before it answers the door. And by the time it lets you in for a cup of tea, it might be telling you the opposite of what you wanted to hear. If it were easy, decision making would be an effortless process: “Hello Gut, it’s me. This is what I need help with today, show me the way.” *Gut ponders for 10 seconds* “Ok my gut says that I should make decision A, and when I do, it will immediately result in my best and highest good. Thank you, what’s the next life decision on the docket for today?” Ahh if only…….

Gut guidance isn’t immediate. It isn’t for me, anyway. The best way I’ve found to get in touch with my gut is with prayer. Prayer for me is a spiritual experience, but I don’t think it necessarily has to be religious by any means if you don’t identify with spirituality. My personal prayer is a collection of expressions of gratitude, openness and willingness to receive guidance from God (or Source, the Universe, wavelengths, however you want it to manifest itself), purging negativity from my life, and expressing whatever it is that I’m seeking out of my life. There hasn’t been a single time, in my entire 23 years of living, that after putting my intentions and openness and optimism out into the world, I haven’t been eventually guided, by coincidences and a gut that’s come knocking. It isn’t always a struck by lightning moment, but it’s a little nudge or spark that says “hey, this might be completely crazy, but something feels right about it, and I’m going to go for it.” Or the one that says: “On paper, everything about this seems like a good decision, but my gut is telling me to walk away.”

I wouldn’t say that I think everyone’s lives have one sure-fire plan. I think we certainly have a purpose and unique gifts, but I don’t think we’re will-less pawns of a bigger scheme, or even that every little detail of the world “happens for a reason.” In fact, I think sometimes really horrible things happen for no good reason at all, and those things break my heart. But I do believe that the world wants the best for you and me, and I think all of our souls will gently nudge us in certain directions to make that so based on the circumstances we can control.

So, you hear from your gut, you listen to it, and then what? Cue faith. The blind faith required after those gut decisions takes courage. Immediate gratification usually won’t come, which leaves a lot of room for second-guessing, questioning, and potentially back-tracking. Gratification might not come for years, in fact. When I’ve seeped back into listening to those around me, instead of trusting my gut, the poking and prodding at my gut are endless.  I’ve had my fair share of regrets, of questioning my gut, of thinking “aRe yOU sUrE, gut!? Miss Gut and I have been frienemies at times for sure. But the cool thing about the gut is, even when I’ve sidestepped it or ignored it completely, it still wants the best for me and is always willing to get me back on track. Your gut wants that for you, too. When you simply continue to trust, life plays out, and you’ll look back, assured, that you’re exactly where you’re meant to be.

Keep smiling,

Jenna