Ever had a gut feeling about something but couldn’t tell if it was your intuition or just anxiety spiraling again? For high-achieving overthinkers, especially millennials, knowing whether to trust your instincts or challenge your fears can feel impossible.

Both anxiety and intuition show up as internal cues, but they come from very different places. One is rooted in fear and urgency. The other is grounded and subtle. So how can you tell them apart?

Let’s break down how to differentiate between anxiety or intuition—so you can make decisions with more clarity and stop second-guessing yourself into exhaustion.

What’s the Difference Between Anxiety and Intuition?

Both anxiety and intuition are signals from your brain and body, but they operate on completely different systems.

• Anxiety is a stress response. It’s your nervous system trying to protect you from perceived danger, even when that danger is just an awkward conversation or a potential typo in an email. It’s often loud, urgent, and focused on what could go wrong.
  
• Intuition, on the other hand, is more like a quiet inner knowing. It’s not panicked or pressured. It’s subtle but steady. It helps you move toward something that feels right, not just away from what feels scary.

Still, when you’re prone to overthinking, anxiety can easily disguise itself as intuition. So how can you tell which one is speaking?

5 Ways to Tell If It’s Anxiety or Intuition

1. Notice the Tone

Pay attention to how the thought shows up.

• Anxiety feels frantic: “What if this goes wrong? What if I mess it up?”
• Intuition feels calm, even if it’s prompting you to make a tough choice: “This isn’t for me.” or “Something feels off.”

If the message is panicked or full of worst-case scenarios, you’re likely dealing with anxiety, not your intuition.

2. Check the Timing

• Anxiety lingers and loops. It replays the same thoughts over and over, searching for certainty.
• Intuition shows up more briefly. It’s a quick nudge or gut feeling—something you notice and feel before your brain kicks into analysis mode.

If you’ve been obsessing about a decision for days, stuck in overanalysis, that’s likely anxiety at work.

3. Look at the Motivation

Ask yourself: Is this thought trying to protect me from discomfort—or guide me toward growth?

• Anxiety wants you to avoid risk.
• Intuition wants you to make aligned choices, even if they feel uncertain.

Let’s say you’re considering a new job.

• “I shouldn’t take it because I might fail” is probably anxiety.
• “This doesn’t feel aligned with where I’m heading” sounds more like intuition.

4. Tune Into Your Body

Your body can help you tell the difference between anxiety or intuition.

• Anxiety activates your stress response—racing heart, tight chest, shallow breathing, stomach knots.
• Intuition might feel like a calm certainty, a gentle pull, or a quiet “yes” or “no” in your gut.

Try sitting with a decision and notice what your body does. Sometimes, the physical cues say more than your thoughts.

5. Ask: Does This Thought Loop or Land?

• When it’s anxiety, you might feel like you’re spinning—replaying conversations, obsessing over details, trying to find a guarantee.
• When it’s intuition, the thought tends to land. It may be firm, but it’s not frantic. Even if it’s pointing to something difficult, it feels true.

If your brain keeps circling the same decision without relief, that’s usually anxiety not your gut instinct.

Why It Matters to Know the Difference

When you can’t tell whether it’s anxiety or intuition, every decision starts to feel high-stakes. You might:

• Procrastinate or avoid making choices altogether
• Constantly seek reassurance from others
• Feel paralyzed by the fear of regret

Learning how to separate anxious spirals from intuitive nudges brings clarity. It doesn’t guarantee you’ll never feel unsure, but it keeps you from getting stuck in endless overthinking.

Still Can’t Tell? Try This

If the line between anxiety or intuition still feels blurry, try this:

• Step away from the decision → distance often brings perspective.
• Write it out → get your thoughts out of your head and onto paper. It’s easier to spot fear patterns when they’re written down.
• Move your body → shake off the anxious energy before making a call.
• Start with one small step → clarity doesn’t always come all at once. Sometimes it starts with just the next move, not the whole plan.

Trust Isn’t Built on Certainty

Intuition rarely shows up with a neon sign. It’s more like a quiet signal beneath the noise. And anxiety is just your brain doing its best to keep you safe, even when it overreacts.

Learning to trust yourself isn’t about silencing anxiety completely. It’s about noticing when it’s in the driver’s seat—and choosing whether or not to let it steer.

Still need more support? Schedule a free 15-min phone consult to see if we’d be a good fit to help you learn how to balance anxiety or intuition. (applicable for South Carolina residents).

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by Samm Brenner Gautier, LPC, LPCS-C