Author: Brandy Metz, MSN, APRN, AGNP-C

Instincts

“Instinct is a marvelous thing. It can neither be explained or ignored.” ~ Agatha Christie

I have been fortunate enough to experience safari in Africa twice. The wild is full of vast open spaces with nothing but tall grass and flat land as far as they eye can see. There are herds and herds of various animals grazing peacefully without any cover, just out in the great wide open. When a lion approaches from hundreds of meters away, barely visible in the distance, all of the animals instinctively stop whatever they are doing and stand at full attention. They do not move an inch. They stand erect and alert in unison. Statuesquely still. Watching. Ready to respond. They do not move or resume grazing until the threat is long gone. This is the primary defense of prey. To be aware of encroaching predators. They are no match for a lion. Predators have instincts to kill, and prey have instincts to survive. Nature has equipped them with heightened survival instincts to alert them to danger before they can see it, so that they have a chance to flee to safety and live another day. If they wait to to react until they see the lion’s claws and teeth, it will be too late. 

“Self preservation is the first law of nature.” ~ Samuel Butler

Instincts are inherent in all of us. Instinct is defined as an inborn, unlearned behavior or tendency that drives action without conscious thought in response to stimuli. It’s a natural, innate inclination related to survival or fundamental needs. We are embedded with instincts for our survival and self-preservation. To know or feel something instinctively is a primal reaction to danger, an automatic prompting, a gut feeling, and an internal sense. Instinct and intuition are referred to as our 6th sense. Our other 5 senses are experienced in our conscious mind, which accounts for an estimated 5% of our brain activity. Instincts stem from the subconscious mind. The subconscious accounts for an estimated 95% of our brain. Your instincts detect what your tiny conscious brain does not have the capacity to perceive. It is the most powerful defense system you have. And it should not be underestimated.

“Always trust your gut. It knows what your head hasn’t figured out yet.” ~ Unknown

 Our instincts are often minimized, dismissed, and under appreciated as they cannot be measured. You should not make a habit of attempting to have the 5% of your brain undermine the 95% of your brain. It knows things you do not know. Do not attempt to consciously rationalize and argue away your instinctive pulls. Listen to your higher self. Let the 95% of your brain work without being antagonized, dismissed, and put down. There could be serious consequences in store if you ignore your instincts. And do not attempt to discount the instincts of others because your personal self-protective instincts are not triggered. We do not all experience the same threats. Never tell someone to ignore their instincts. Safety 101 is to trust your instincts. Instincts cannot be quantified, but they are qualified. There are countless stories of people who listened to their instincts and averted certain disaster. And likewise there are countless stories of people who overrode their instinctive feelings and fell victim to impending disaster. 

“Alert today, Alive tomorrow.” ~ Safety Slogan

If you watch survivor stories, a lot of survivors will state “I had a bad feeling,” “I had a strange feeling”, “Something wasn’t right”. They knew something was off or something was wrong, but they did not know what. They were internally alerted to danger, yet found nothing externally to validate their gut feeling. They disregarded their gut feeling by rationalizing that everything was fine, and tragedy ensued. We have all had experiences in which we explained away our gut feeling, shrugged off our instinctive warning, and suffered the consequences. Those who have suffered tragedy after ignoring their gut feeling always warn others to trust their instincts. They wish they had, and we should learn from their experience and heed their advice. 

“The very essence of instinct is that it’s followed independently of reason.” ~ Charles Darwin

Humans have developed instincts by evolution for survival. We have been gifted intuition by divine design for our self protection. It has been widely acknowledged and scientifically proven in many cases that women are more intuitive than men. Men are typically biologically larger and stronger and therefore experience less threats. Predators don’t want a fight, they want a meal. Females are typically equipped with heightened sensitivity as a survival mechanism to be alerted to danger to be able to protect themselves and their offspring. Women are undeniably more vulnerable to danger in society. Women are typically biologically physically weaker than men. Sometimes being alert and aware is a woman’s only defense mechanism, so their instincts are sharper for survival. Men do not experience the same threats that women face. Men do not have the same level of vulnerability, so they typically have not had to evolve and operate with a heightened sensitivity. They are the apex predator. You may not detect a threat if you are not the target.  

“The intuitive mind is a sacred gift, and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.” ~ Albert Einstein

We are built with instincts for self preservation, and self protection by evolution and divine design. If you have a genuine gut feeling, not paranoia, anxiety, or a triggered trauma response, but a genuine primal gut feeling, that needs to be heeded. Your gut doesn’t chime in for nonsense. Your gut gets involved to protect you from danger or harm. It will not tell you what exactly it is, but only that it is assuredly present. It will alert you with varying degrees of intensity to the varying degrees of danger when honed. When your gut speaks, you abide. You have been warned. As a society, we need to teach people to listen to their instincts. If you have a bad gut feeling about something or someone, that is your self protective survival defense system being activated. Your instincts should be regarded as real as your other senses and greater. There would be far less bad outcomes, bad experiences, and tragedies if people were truly taught and encouraged to listen to their instincts.

“Trust your instincts. Intuition doesn’t lie.” ~ Oprah Winfrey

There are an increasing amount of predators in our society. The internet has helped facilitate a network to provide predators with resources, ideas, and connections. They can parade around undetected. Predators can cultivate their persona and be seemingly harmless members of society. They can be difficult to discern with the naked eye. A lot of times our instincts will be our only indication that something is off. Something is not right. There may be no evidence to validate that feeling. There may be no reasoning to support it, but your instincts have spoken. And you need to trust that. Do not rationalize yourself out of what you instinctively sense. Your higher self is warning you. Some things you can not expect or anticipate, but for the things you can and do, and have a gut feeling about, you listen. If your instincts are on high alert, you stand on high alert. Trust your instincts. Protect yourself. Tell someone. Before you wish you had. 

“The predator wants your silence. It feeds their power.” ~ Viola Davis

Sometimes well intentioned people will doubt and question you, and teach you to dismiss your gut feeling. “Oh so and so is just awkward”, “I’m sure that comment or action wasn’t meant that way”, “You’re just paranoid”, “I’m sure it’s fine”. We do not need to teach people to dismiss, minimize, and ignore their instincts. We do not need to teach people to explain away their gut feelings. We do not need to teach people to doubt themselves and their primal self protective instincts. That is ill advised. We do not need to teach people to override their evolutionary survival oriented defenses. We need to teach them to hone them. We need to  encourage our vulnerable populations to be attuned with their instincts. We need to teach our vulnerable populations to trust their intuition, to trust their gut feelings, and to trust themselves. It may be the only defense they have. 

“Always, always trust your gut. If you feel something is wrong, that’s because it usually is.” ~ Unknown

We need to teach our children to be aware of lurking danger. They are the most vulnerable among us. We need to teach them to harness their instincts to protect themselves. And we need to instill the confidence in them to trust their intuition, and have the power and courage to say “I do not feel safe.” “Something feels wrong.” Even when there is nothing to validate their feelings. We need to teach them if they do not feel safe, to tell someone. See something, say something. If someone reports that they do not feel safe, or something is wrong, you better be receptive to their concern. Do not dismiss them because you do not feel directly threatened. They do. Listen. Let them be heard, and be alerted.

“Everything you need to know is within you. Listen. Feel. Trust the body’s wisdom.” ~ Dan Millman

Your instincts are a powerful defense. They can alert you to danger prior to tangible evidence so that you can avoid falling prey. You can harness your instincts and strengthen and sharpen them. You can learn to recognize your feelings and discern your response to stimuli. There is a physical response to gut feelings. It’s primal. Pay attention. If you have a physical sensation, a sinking feeling, or any distinct sense of unease that something is not right, train yourself to be attuned to that feeling. There’s something to that. Recognize those sensations as your survival-oriented defenses. Trust your instincts. Be confident in your gut feelings. Learn to rely on them. They are instilled in you by nature and divine design to protect you. Be aware of your surroundings. Stand tall, alert, and at full attention when you are internally alarmed. Instead of talking away that gut feeling, you listen to it. It’s the greatest protection you have. To be aware. To stand ready. To know danger is afoot when you sense it. Your instincts are your best defense out here in the wild.