In our everyday pursuit of health and wellness, there’s often a temptation to look to outside sources for guidance.
This is especially true when it comes to relationships, mental health, and those types of things.
To a point, this is a great thing.
But there’s also a danger that comes with it.
Sometimes, the information we receive from outside sources isn’t completely reliable.
Worse yet, this information can be conflicting.
Some people may encourage you to do certain things, and other people may encourage you to do different things.
And this can lead to a great deal of confusion.
This is why it’s always a great idea to learn to tap into your own instincts, and to trust yourself when you’re making decisions about important health and wellness topics.
See, there are many different ways to take care of yourself.
For example, you can adopt a simple bodyweight fitness routine that you perform every day.
But you also have the option to take up a combat sport, or to focus more on something like rock climbing, tennis, basketball, etc.
There are many different possibilities for how you can achieve your goal.
The same is true for relationships.
Some people might tell you to make it work with your current friends, and that even if things are difficult, you can find a way to fix those relationships and make them better.
Other people may say if you encounter difficulty in your current relationships, you should walk away from them and find relationships that are less problematic.
See, there are positive elements to both of these outlooks.
And there’s wisdom to be found on both sides of the coin.
However, deciphering which option is best for you can sometimes really be an issue.
Therefore, it’s always in your best interest to trust yourself and to see what your instincts are telling you about the information you’re receiving.
As a general rule, there are three steps that you can take to help you navigate this delicate and perplexing issue.
1. Do Your Research
It’s a great idea to learn and expand your knowledge on the topic that you’re trying to understand better.
For example, if you’re researching friendship, it’s a great idea to gather more information on that topic from trusted experts in the field.
The same is true of health, fitness, business, mental health, etc.
Whatever it is you want to learn about, doing research is an important part of that process.
2. Always Examine Your Sources
Whenever you’re trying to learn how to navigate a particular field of interest, you must consider the source.
For example, did you read some tips in a simple, unresearched blog post?
If so, you may want to take those tips with a grain of salt.
By contrast, if you read a book that was written by an industry professional, who’s been in the field for decades—well, you can probably trust that source of information a little bit more.
This is really important.
3. Trust Your Instincts
Whenever you read a piece of information, your instincts and feelings are going to give you some information about it.
Now, the tricky thing about this is that sometimes our feelings and instincts don’t exactly know what’s right and what will work.
However, those instincts can give you insight into what your body is telling you about the information.
If you get a weird feeling about something you’re reading, it could be because you’re reading something that’s just straight-up wrong for you.
Or, it could mean that your preconceived ideas are being challenged and that you need to learn some new things.
Try your best to navigate all of these complexities with some forward-thinking, intuitive action.
This will generally yield the very best outcome for what you’re trying to accomplish.
