"The Second Judge"

Thoughts are judged more than once.

Coffee from 7 Brew in Newport News, VA.

First, by you, your body, the "ego" if you will;

Then, by your intuition, your spirit, the mind that knows it has a mind.

Journaling allows you to review how you feel through what I'll call the second judge.

The second judge may make its judgment when you go back and read your journals or in real-time as you write down feelings that the second judge finds qualms with.

What does the second judge feel like? And now do you know the difference?

That's pretty subjective ( I know that's disappointing to read, but I am weary of conflating my experiences and their bodily textures with how others may experience them).

For me, the second judge radiates discomfort through my body. This discomfort distinguishes itself differently from emotional pain, acting like a signal rather than a reaction.

This is similar to how you can tell the difference between a "gut feeling," a deep hunch, and a sour feeling in your stomach generated from nervousness, shame, sorrow, etc — one acts as a signal, the other a reaction, though they're physically located in the same place.

The Second Judge (I feel the need to make it a proper noun now) isn't necessarily better than the first one, it is simply the voice of something in you that doesn't quite agree with your body's reaction or what your brain is first mind is suggesting...

Journaling, specifically "This ⇄  That journaling" about the sensations and subtle differences between feelings, has grown my ability to distinguish between the first and 2nd Judge. I also have an intuition journal where I journal when I feel the most clarity. (That journal is particularly helpful for calming me down.) When I'm disconnected from my more clear and unburdened state.