How to Trust Yourself Using Human Design and Body Wisdom
Trusting yourself isn’t something that happens overnight. It’s a process of incremental steps, small choices, and a growing awareness of the signals your body sends you. But what if you don’t know how to recognize those signals? What if self-trust feels like an abstract concept rather than something you can actually cultivate?
This is where Human Design comes in. Your Human Design authority is your inner wisdom keeper, the part of you that’s designed to guide you toward decisions that are in your best interest. It’s not about external validation or following the path that someone else has chosen for you. Instead, it’s about tuning into the signals your body naturally gives you. The three most common authorities—Emotional, Sacral, and Splenic—all rely on some form of body wisdom.
But let’s be real: most of us weren’t taught to listen to our bodies. Maybe you grew up in a culture that shamed bodily awareness. Maybe trauma disconnected you from your body’s signals, making it feel unsafe to tune in. Maybe you’re neurodivergent and you don’t always notice or interpret yur body’s signals. Maybe you’re exhausted from capitalism fatigue and don’t have the capacity to feel anything beyond survival mode.
If any of this resonates, I want you to know: you can still learn to trust yourself. Reconnecting with your body’s wisdom is possible, and Human Design can be a powerful tool to help you get there. Let’s talk about how.
Step One: Get Grounded
Before you can build self-trust, you need to create an environment where you can actually hear and feel yourself. This is why I emphasize practicing grounding techniques so much. These practices help you reconnect with your body and clear out the noise that keeps you disconnected.
Grounding doesn’t have to mean meditating for an hour every morning (unless that works for you!). It can be as simple as:
- Walking barefoot on the earth
- Taking deep belly breaths
- Shaking out stagnant energy from your body
- Using sensory tools like aromatherapy or sound healing
- Engaging in repetitive, rhythmic movement (dancing, stretching, etc.)
Energetic cleansing is also key. If you’re constantly absorbing other people’s stress, fears and emotions, it’s no wonder your own inner voice feels muffled. Whether it’s through “woo woo” rituals, or simply setting boundaries in your relationships, finding ways to clear your energy can help you create space to actually hear your own signals.
But let’s be real again—you can’t aura spray your way out of an inherently toxic situation. If your environment, relationships, or habits are actively working against you, major changes may be necessary.
Step Two: Understand How Your Authority Communicates With You
Each Human Design authority communicates in a different way. If you don’t know what to listen for, it can be easy to overlook or misinterpret your signals.
Here’s how to start tuning in based on the three most common authorities (if your authority isn’t listed below, click here to learn more):
Emotional Authority (Wait for Clarity)
Your body communicates through waves of emotion. The key is not to make decisions in the heat of the moment but to ride the wave and see how you feel once it settles. In other words, don’t make decisions when you’re in your feelings!
- Pay attention to how your feelings shift over time.
- Give yourself permission to wait. “Sleep on it” can be your mantra.
- Notice what feels consistently true no matter your mood rather than what feels urgent or reactive.
Even if you’re only 80% sure, that’s often enough to move forward.
Sacral Authority (Wait to Be Turned On)
Your body communicates through non-verbal and gut responses. You may feel a full-bodied yes or no. It may feel like a power switch has been turned on inside you and you’re ready to use your energy. But if you’re not used to feeling those sensations, they can be easy to miss.
- Practice asking yourself yes/no questions or multiple-choice questions and noticing your body’s response.
- Pay attention to what excites or energizes you versus what drains you.
- Honor your yes/no responses, even if they don’t seem logical.
Splenic Authority (Direction from Instinct & Intuition)
Your body communicates through instant knowing, which is always intended to keep you in safe and healthy circumstances. Splenic wisdom is quiet, fast, and subtle. It can often come out of nowhere as a soft whisper or a fleeting sense of certainty, like receiving an instruction or a direction.
- Reflect on times when you “just knew” something. How did that feel in your body?
- Differentiate between instinct and fear: instinct is clear and direct, while fear is usually repetitive and anxious.
- Trust the first hit of knowing before your mind starts overanalyzing.
Step Three: Strengthen Your Relationship With Yourself
Trust is something that grows through experience. The more you practice listening to your authority, the more confident you’ll become in your own wisdom. Here are some ways to strengthen that relationship:
- Track your decisions. Keep a journal of when you followed your authority versus when you ignored it. Notice the outcomes and any patterns that emerge over time.
- Experiment with small choices. You don’t have to start with life-altering decisions. Practice with everyday, mundane choices like what to eat or how to spend your free time.
- Be patient yourself. If you’ve spent years (or decades) overriding your own signals, it will take time to rebuild that connection. That’s okay.
And most importantly, you don’t have to do it alone. Having someone to hold space for you, help you navigate self-doubt, and remind you of your progress can make a huge difference.
How I Can Support You
If you’re ready to deepen your self-trust and reconnect with your body’s wisdom, I can help in a few different ways:
- Human Design Session: A one-time session where we discuss your authority and other themes in your chart, and create a personalized plan for tuning into your body’s signals.
- Energetic Coaching: Ongoing support to help you integrate your Human Design into daily life and work, develop sustainable practices, and stay accountable.
- Personalized Human Design Guide: A self-guided deep dive into your chart, designed to help you understand and work with your natural decision-making process.
At the end of the day, trusting yourself is about more than just knowing your Human Design—it’s about living it. And I’m here to help you do exactly that.
If this resonates, let’s connect and find the best way for you to start building that trust today.
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Article By
Karyn Paige
Karyn is a mindset coach and certified Informed Practitioner of Human Design. Her work centers the experiences of Women of Color from an intersectional perspective, blending the personal and the professional to imagine the possibilities of a liberated world.
*Disclaimers: Content created for this website may have been assisted by AI, and may contain affiliate links.
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