Anxiety Counselling: Is It Anxiety or Intuition?

As an anxiety counsellor, one of the most common questions I hear in anxiety therapy is:
"How do I know if this is my intuition or just my anxiety talking?"

It’s a valid question. Anxiety can be convincing—it can sound like it’s protecting you when it’s actually keeping you stuck. In anxiety counselling, we work to help you slow down, tune in to your body, and separate fear from genuine gut instinct.

👉 You don’t have to manage anxiety on your own. Find help here

How Anxiety Therapy Helps You Recognise Anxiety’s Voice

Anxiety tends to speak in urgency:

• “You’re going to mess this up.”

• “What if this goes wrong?”

• “You need to fix this. Right now.”

It’s fast, loud, and demanding. In the body, it can show up as a racing heart, a tight chest, or a sinking feeling in your stomach. This is your nervous system preparing for danger—even if there isn’t any.

In anxiety therapy, we often explore how intuition feels different. Intuition is quieter. It might say:

• “This isn’t sitting right with me.”

• “I don’t need to rush this decision.”

Even when intuition is warning you, it tends to feel steadier and calmer than anxiety.

Real-Life Example

Here’s a story from a person I worked with (anonymised with permission):

Anna felt uneasy about a job offer. Her anxiety screamed, “Don’t leave what’s safe!” but her intuition tugged gently: “Will I feel fulfilled there?” She paused, used grounding techniques, sat with both voices. Eventually she realised: yes, anxiety was loud, but the intuition was pointing her toward growth. She accepted the role — and though it’s challenging, she feels more aligned.

How Anxiety Therapy Supports Clarity

• Therapies like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) help you notice thought patterns and distinguish fear-driven thinking vs inner knowing.

• Mindfulness and somatic (body-oriented) work help you slow your nervous system down so that quieter signals can emerge.

• Journaling or tracking decisions (what felt anxious vs what felt right)—observing without judgement builds trust in your own judgement.

You Don’t Have to Believe Every Thought

Why We Confuse Anxiety and Intuition

If you’ve lived with high stress for a long time, your body can get stuck in “threat mode.” In that state, anxiety feels normal—and urgency can be mistaken for truth.

Anxiety counselling can help you rebuild trust with yourself, so you can tell when you’re reacting to fear and when you’re responding to something deeper.

Grounding Techniques from Anxiety Counselling

When anxiety is loud, it’s hard to access intuition. These anxiety therapy techniques help you calm your body and think more clearly.

1. The 5-4-3-2-1 Method

Anchor yourself in the present using your senses:

• 5 things you can see

• 4 things you can touch

• 3 things you can hear

• 2 things you can smell

• 1 thing you can taste

This is a simple anxiety therapy exercise to break cycles of overthinking.

Paying attention to your body when anxiety comes can be a powerful tool.

2. Feet on the Floor

Notice the pressure, texture, and temperature under your feet. Take a breath and ask:
“Am I responding to fear, or to something deeper?”

4. Body Scan: Tension vs Truth

Check your body from head to toe. Anxiety often appears as tightness in the chest, jaw, or stomach. Intuition tends to feel calmer and more grounded.

5. Name the Thought, Then Breathe

Say to yourself:
“This is a thought, not a fact.”
Take three slow breaths before acting.

A Question to Carry With You

When you feel that internal ping, pause and ask:
“Is this fear, or is this wisdom?”

You don’t have to answer straight away—intuition doesn’t mind waiting.

FAQ: Common Questions About Anxiety and Intuition

Can intuition ever feel urgent?
Yes — sometimes intuition delivers a warning that can feel urgent. The key difference is the tone: intuition often has steadiness and less drama. There’s space. Even if it’s a pressing message, it doesn’t panic you.

What if I can’t tell the difference at all?
That’s common, especially if anxiety has been high for a long time. We’re only human after all and can forget self-compassion when we struggle to identify these feelings. Therapy can help you re-educate your nervous system, build self-trust gradually, and get better at tuning in.

Is intuition always “good” or accurate?
Not always. Intuition isn’t infallible — it’s one part of your decision-making. Always helpful to combine it with rational reflection and feedback.

If anxiety is persistent, will it drown out intuition forever?
It can dominate, but it doesn’t erase intuition. With mindfulness, grounding, therapy, people often find the quieter voice rediscovered, and intuition becomes more reliable over time.

Final Thoughts

In anxiety counselling, the goal isn’t to get rid of anxiety completely. It’s to understand it, reduce its power, and make space for your intuition. Anxiety therapy gives you the tools to slow down, check in with your body, and decide which voice to follow.

If anxiety is making decisions harder than they need to be, I offer online and in-person anxiety counselling in Leeds.
You can get in touch below to book a first session.