Learning To Trust Your Inner Voice

Have you ever had a moment where something inside you whispered, Don’t do that, but you did it anyway? Or felt a subtle nudge to speak up, change direction, or pause, only to ignore it? That faint nudge, that murmur inside you… 

That’s your inner voice.

It’s not loud. It doesn’t scream. It doesn’t demand. But it knows. The inner voice isn’t just a thought; it’s a knowing that runs deeper than logic. And in a world full of noise, it’s becoming harder to hear.

THE NOISE THAT DROWNS OUR INNER VOICE OUT

We live in a world obsessed with opinions. Everyone is shouting, posting, advising, and comparing. There’s so much noise that we start to believe we need the outside world to tell us what to do.

I have caught myself asking others what I should do. I have caught myself asking others for permission to do something I love. 

We push our inner voice away so often that eventually, we forget what our own voice even sounds like. We become experts at tuning into the expectations of others while tuning out our truth. 

Over time, the whispers of our intuition are buried beneath layers of noise, doubt, and survival. What once felt like clarity now feels like confusion. And in trying to be everything for everyone else, we lose sight of who we are when no one is watching. Reclaiming that voice requires slowing down, softening the noise, and daring to listen again.

Disconnection doesn’t always come from trauma. Sometimes it’s just life. Overwhelm. Pressure. Busyness. We slowly become strangers to our inner world.

THE SUBTLETY OF THE WHISPER

Your inner voice doesn’t fight to be heard. It won’t shout over your fears or argue with your logic. It trusts you’ll come back when you’re ready.

That’s the thing…

It’s quiet on purpose. It waits for stillness. It shows up in pauses, in sighs, in that moment you instinctively know something’s off, even if you can’t explain it.

Learning to distinguish between fear and intuition takes time. Fear is loud and reactive. Intuition is gentle and steady.

So, where does your inner voice come from?

It lives beneath layers of conditioning: what you were told to believe, how you were taught to behave, who you were expected to be. From a young age, we absorb messages. Some subtle, some loud, and those shape how we see ourselves and the world. We learn when it's safe to speak and when silence is expected. 

We adapt to survive, often at the cost of our authenticity. Trauma can mute that voice, burying it beneath fear and hypervigilance. So can shame, convincing us that our truth is too much or not enough. But here’s the miracle: it never dies.

Sometimes, the inner voice is the only part of you that survived. That quiet knowing within you, unshaken, unmoved, held on even when everything else was falling apart. It’s the whisper that said, “Not this. Not yet. Keep going.” 

It’s the one that guided you through the darkness, even when you didn’t realize it. It’s not just your intuition. It’s your soul’s memory of who you really are.

It’s the wisest version of you, waiting to be remembered. Waiting to be trusted. Waiting to lead.

Signs You're Not Listening to Your Inner Voice

• You second-guess yourself constantly

• You over-explain or over-apologize

• You say yes when your gut screams no

• You say no when your gut screams yes

• You feel disconnected from your own needs

• You keep looking outside for answers

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Sound familiar? That’s not failure. That’s just disconnection. And it can be repaired.

HOW TO RECONNECT WITH YOURSELF AND TRUST YOUR INNER VOICE

In a world that constantly demands your attention, creating stillness isn’t just a luxury—it’s a lifeline.

Reconnecting with yourself starts by intentionally carving out space to simply be. That might mean waking up 10 minutes earlier to sit in silence, leaving your phone behind on a walk, or saying no to one more obligation so you can say yes to your presence. 

Stillness doesn’t always look like meditation or solitude on a mountaintop. It can be found in the pause between breaths, in the quiet moments when you're not performing or producing. The goal isn’t to escape the world but to soften the noise enough that your inner voice can rise to the surface and be heard again. 

Here are a few simple ways to create stillness to reconnect with yourself:

• Mute notifications

• Breathe deeply

• Go for a silent walk.

• Stare out the window without guilt

Stillness isn’t laziness. It’s space. And your inner voice loves space.

OTHER WAYS TO GIVE YOURSELF OPPORTUNITIES TO LISTEN TO THAT INNER VOICE

Create gentle rituals that invite presence, like journaling with your morning coffee, walking without music, or doing a task slowly and with intention. Give yourself permission to unplug, daydream, or simply sit with your thoughts. The quieter space you create, the easier it becomes to recognize the sound of your truth.

Here are a few more ways to give your inner voice the platform to be heard:

Journaling as a Portal to the Inner Voice

Want to hear yourself more clearly? Write.

Start with these prompts:

• What have I been ignoring?

• What do I really want?

• Where do I feel “off,” and why?

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You don’t need the right words. Just honest ones. The more you write, the more your truth rises to the surface.

Listening to Your Body's Wisdom

Your body speaks before your brain catches up.

• Do you feel heavy or light when making a decision?

• Does your stomach twist or your chest tighten?

• Is your breath shallow?

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Your body holds ancient wisdom. Learn its language. It often whispers what your mind tries to silence.

We’ve been conditioned to go, go, go. But rushing drowns the whisper. Try pausing before responding. Before saying yes. Before reacting.

Ask: Is this true for me?

Sometimes your inner voice just needs a second to catch up with your mouth.

Inner Voice vs Inner Critic

They sound similar, but they’re not the same.

• The inner voice is calm, kind, and guiding.

• The inner critic is harsh, judgmental, and shaming.

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A good rule: if it’s loving, it’s likely your intuition. If it’s tearing you down, it’s probably conditioning. Name it. Set a boundary. Redirect the narrative.

Trust Is Built, Not Demanded

You don’t have to trust yourself overnight.

Start small:

• Say no when it’s hard

• Say yes when you don’t know the outcome and it scares you

• Speak the truth when your voice shakes

• Honor the first feeling

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Every time you act on your inner voice, you build a bridge back to yourself.

Your inner voice will get louder. It will.

The more you listen, the more you hear.

You’ll notice more synchronicities. Moments of peace. Unshakable clarity. You'll trust your path, even when it's uncertain, because your compass isn't outside anymore.

However, hearing is one thing. Acting is another.

Can you honor the whisper even when others disagree?

Start making decisions from alignment, not approval. Let your yes be full. Let your no be final. Let your truth shape your days.

When you learn to trust your inner voice, everything shifts.

You stop outsourcing your worth. You stop bending for validation. You stop performing. Instead, you begin to embody. You begin to lead yourself first.

And the whisper? It becomes a roar of self-trust. Of clarity. Of liberation. The whisper was never lost. It was just waiting.

In stillness. In softness. In silence.

You don’t need to find your inner voice. It’s already there. You only need to remember how to listen. Are you ready to learn how to find your inner voice through writing? I have two different programs coming up. 

The Empowered Survivor Program starts on July 13, 2025. This program is a powerful 8-week experience for women ready to move from merely surviving to truly thriving after sexual assault trauma. With a blend of trauma-informed coaching, supportive group calls, and healing writing practices, you'll be guided to reconnect with your voice, build lasting confidence, and step into a future rooted in strength and self-trust. This is your invitation to heal in a safe and compassionate space, one step at a time.

The Reclaim Your Voice Program starts on September 7, 2025. This program is an empowering 8-week journey for women ready to break free from self-doubt and silence. Through coaching, writing, and practical tools, you’ll uncover the courage to speak your truth with clarity and confidence. It’s time to rediscover the power of your voice and own your story, authentically and unapologetically.