By Cassandra Marie Vella

Do you ever have a gut feeling or a hunch about something without any logical facts to back up where you’re heading on a decision? But you just know the answer.

Charles Darwin — yes, that Charles Darwin — did some research to back us up on the idea that our hunches are instincts. He once stated, “What we see is what we know before we looked.” This quote can certainly be taken in so many directions.

But this time, it’s about that gut feeling we should be following when it comes to life, love, and happiness.

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What we’re talking about here is that phenomenon when you have a feeling about something and it nags at you until you can’t stand it anymore.

This feeling may be that tingly situation, like when you get “the creeps.” Likewise goes for “lucky” or just those strong good/bad urges you feel in a particular place, or around a particular person, and you turn out to be right about it after all when you trust this gut feeling.

Sometimes we get caught up in what we know and what is comfortable, but this tends to hold us back more than we can imagine. When we get too comfortable in our simple life bubble, we begin to reject any idea of trying something new.

Sometimes what we are used to seeing isn’t what is truly right for our lives. As people who are consistently growing and changing, we have to learn that sometimes we have to listen to what our hearts are trying to tell us when it is time to make a change.

Whether it is finding a new job, moving to a new town, making new friends, saying goodbye to old friends, or ending a relationship, we have to do these things for ourselves.

A lot of the time we get a feeling that we need to start something new or say goodbye to something old, but we are too scared because we are stuck in the comfortability of our life.

But I promise you that one of the best things you can do for yourself and your health is to actually listen to that gut feeling that is telling you to do something. If you listen to your heart, you can explore an entirely new world that you didn’t even know existed.

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However, it’s not wrong to go against that gut feeling of wanting more when timing just isn’t working out for you. Whether that timing might be missing out on a love that could’ve been or a what-if scenario from a big life-changing decision, it’s okay to feel something that isn’t happiness.

Regret loves to creep its way into our lives at the worst of times, to kick us while we’re down. But regret over choosing something other than your initial gut feelings shouldn’t keep you from moving forward in your life.

For instance, if you choose not to date that boy after your last relationship left you feeling like a sad little puddle, there will be other boys and you will know when you’re ready for them.

Sometimes the timing isn’t right, but if it is, don’t make a decision you will regret. If you listen to your gut and make a big decision that doesn’t work out, try to treat it as a learning experience.

No matter what happens, at least you were able to learn something about yourself or the world. Therefore, Darwin may have been onto something when he told us to listen to that gut feeling that we get. So, don’t be afraid!

Make a decision, listen to what you know you need in your life, and you will either learn something valuable or find a new way to be happy.

In collaboration with Christina Donati

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Cassandra Marie Vella is a writer, blogger, and managing editor for Unwritten. She writes primarily about pop culture, lifestyle, love and relationship topics. Visit her website for more of her work.

This article was originally published at Unwritten. Reprinted with permission from the author.