Self-Trust is an important trait to have and foster, but if you really don’t have it or at least not much of it, how can you build it? One quick result is this: bring it into whatever kind of prayer or meditation experiences you already have or are willing to engage in. What would that look like? Really, it could be anyway that feels right for you. (Ha! You can go with your gut!) To get you started in the right direction, think about the following ideas, and know that you have permission to change them to better suit your situation. And when you do change them because it just feels better that way – that’s you trusting yourself, so well done! 

• Before you do your silent meditation (walking, sitting, yoga, qigong, running, knitting, whatever kind of meditation you prefer), bring an intention into it, perhaps something along the lines of: I am increasing my self-trust moment by moment, day by day. Or, It is safe to trust my gut. Or, I am learning how to trust myself. Whatever intention you use, keep it positive, keep it affirmative.
• In your prayers, you can pray for a greater trustworthiness of your own self. You can pray for a deeper sense of knowing. You can pray for the gift of discernment (knowing which way to go, which voice to listen to, how to be).
• Stop the negative self-talk. Stop repeating to yourself and others that you just don’t trust your gut, or telling stories about how much you can’t trust your own instincts. While that may have been true in the past, if you must mention it, put it clearly in the past tense. ‘I used to be unable to trust my gut, but I’m changing that these days.’ If you’re having difficulty stopping the negative self-talk when you decide you want to, that means you just need to practice a bit more to be able to put a collar and leash on your mind (so you can take it for a walk, rather than have it drag you anywhere it wants to go).