Psychology Has It Backwards

Episode 179: How Do We Know When We're Accessing Wisdom?

Nov 23, 2024

Many people struggle with decision-making, often overanalyzing options instead of tapping into their innate wisdom. Embracing change, particularly during life transitions like retirement, can lead to new opportunities. Trusting feelings over exhaustive analysis is crucial, especially when navigating emotional challenges. Insights often emerge from adversity, highlighting the need to be open to deeper intelligence. Ultimately, finding clarity involves quieting the mind and allowing answers to come naturally, fostering a more confident approach to life.

32:19

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Quick takeaways

Trusting our innate wisdom simplifies decision-making, allowing insights to emerge naturally rather than through exhausting analysis.

Recognizing the value of patience and intuition helps distinguish true insights from overthinking, enhancing our overall mental well-being.

Deep dives

Redefining Mental Health

Viewing individuals as innately healthy rather than psychologically broken can transform relationships and mental well-being. This shift in perspective emphasizes that mental distress often stems from overthinking and disconnect from our innate intelligence. Trusting in this internal wisdom can lead to more effortless and profound changes in one's life. Embracing this paradigm simplifies navigating life's challenges rather than feeling compelled to always 'fix' oneself.

Intro

6min

Embracing Change: A Journey Toward Retirement

12min

Trusting Feelings Over Analysis in Life Decisions

2min

Navigating Insights Through Adversity

2min

Embracing Clarity: The Journey to Decision-Making

10min

Many people struggle with decisions. What to do, what to do? The usual approach is to mull it over; consider all the options, think carefully, solicit a lot of information. Our tendency is to engage our intellect in analysis of pros and cons, advice and considerations. This kind of thinking is exhausting and frustrating. For every pro, we can think of a con. There are always new ways to look at an issue. We easily forget to depend on the gift we have for natural insight and clarity: a quiet mind and confidence that from that state of mind, we'll get the answer we need. We'll "know" and the answer will be obvious. When we trust our innate wisdom, the experience of decision-making is simple. We approach life with a clear head and recognize common sense when it occurs to us. Experience with quieting down and waiting for inspiration when we face new challenges teaches us that answers will always come to us, and the feeling of certainty we get when they do assures us that they are right for us. We all have what our colleague Christa Campsall calls "our guide inside" — the ability to listen for our own wisdom.

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