is it intuition or shutdown?

I used to think silence meant clarity.

That if I wasn’t reacting — I must be grounded.

But sometimes what feels like peace…
is just a system in shutdown.

Sometimes we’re not walking away from what’s wrong.
We’re freezing in place.
Going invisible.

Calling it “a gut feeling”
when it’s really a trauma response dressed as wisdom.

The tricky part is…
both feel the same.
Quiet. Still. Heavy with certainty.

So how do you know?

Intuition is gentle. Curious.
It makes space for your voice to return.

Shutdown is heavy. Final.
It shuts the door — and locks it.

One protects.
The other hides.

And it’s okay if you can’t tell right away.

If your nervous system has been running the show for years,
it takes time to learn what your self actually sounds like.

You don’t need to force your truth forward.
You just need to listen for the voice that feels like a homecoming.

✧ quiet prompt:

What decisions in your life were made from fear disguised as knowing?
When did silence keep you safe — and when did it keep you stuck?