11 Signs The Universe Is Actually Protecting You From Harm
The power of the universe will never steer you wrong.
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A | Shutterstock There's so much in life that's out of our control, as much as we might wish otherwise. It's easy to find fault with the world when things don't go your way, when they could be signs the universe is actually protecting you from harm. These signs often show up at the intersections of our lives, when we're poised to make changes and shift directions.
The universe's protective forces often appear as we're stepping into the unknown, offering us a moment of pause before we leap. Transformations take many different forms. Our lives won't always unfold as we planned, showing that the universe knows what we need even when we're unsure.
Here are 11 signs the universe is actually protecting you from harm
1. You experience unexpected delays
Stock-Asso | Shutterstock
When you face unplanned delays or roadblocks you weren't expecting, it's a sign you're being protected from harm you can't see right away. These delays often arrive as small inconveniences, like losing your keys or realizing your car won't start when you're already running late. At the moment, these delays seem like an indication that you're doing something wrong, but really, the universe is watching out for you.
Maybe you find out later on that there was an accident on your route to work and misplacing your keys kept you safe. Shifting your perspective helps change the way you see things, so that you no longer think of unexpected delays as annoyances, but rather, as messages from the universe that keep you safe.
2. Missed opportunities turn out for the best
fizkes | Shutterstock
They say that when one door closes, another door opens. No matter how disappointing a missed opportunity might feel at the time, it's usually a sign the universe is actually protecting you from harm. If you find that the things you want don't pan out for you, it's a message that there's something else in store for you.
Kim Peretz, host of the "Claim Your Power" podcast, explained how the things we miss out on end up benefiting us later on.
"Every single time life took something away from me, removed a person, removed me from a certain experience or situation, moved me someplace new, took away that opportunity, every single time I experienced that sense of loss or rejection, life has always shown up in a later stance and replaced it with something even better than I could have ever imagined," she shared.
"If you're experiencing that rejection, that loss right now, that confusion — you don't understand why it didn't work out — I promise you, there is a reason behind it that you're going to understand later on," Peretz added.
It's not always easy to trust the process, but you might find that a missed opportunity is actually divine guidance in disguise.
3. You feel uneasy
Krakenimages.com | Shutterstock
If you feel a sense of uneasiness that you can't explain, it could be a sign that your intuition is sending you a message from the universe to protect you from harm. You might get butterflies in your stomach before making a major life decision or feel shaky when it comes to choosing between two options. Usually, these physical sensations are examples of your intuition reaching out to you.
As intuitive life and transformation coach Ronnie Ann Ryan shared, "Many people end up ignoring their gut feelings completely, primarily because they feel they cannot trust themselves. For others, the ability to understand and act on their intuition shows up out of nowhere to provide surprisingly accurate clues and information about their life."
Ryan pointed out that "there is no single defined way [intuition] can come into your life," noting that intuition sends missives in various ways, and most people channel their natural inclination to access that essential information.
"Some people see images, which is called clairvoyance," she explained. "Some hear words or someone speaking, and this is clairaudience. There are those who just know, which is called claircognizance. Lastly, there are people who sense or feel the information, which is called clairsentience."
However your intuition presents itself, paying attention to what you're feeling is a crucial part of learning how to trust yourself and the universe's protective forces.
4. Your life changes suddenly
Prostock-studio | Shutterstock
Facing life's changes can be challenging, especially if those changes appear without warning. No matter how much you plan, our journeys are never linear, which is why learning it's so important to accept abrupt changes as signs the universe is actually protecting you from harm.
Expecting your life to move in a specific direction is a standard emotional response to uncertainty, yet part of the human experience involves recognizing that we don't have control over anything, except how we feel and our corresponding actions. When a sudden change occurs, you can either push against it or move according to its current.
Shifting your path might be scary, but it's not always a bad thing. You might discover that you feel way more at ease on the other side of a major change than you did before it.
5. You get the same advice from different sources
fizkes | Shutterstock
One of the clearer signs the universe is actually protecting you from harm shows up when you get similar advice from different sources. Our lives aren't meant to be faced alone. No person is an island, which means we need to gather our communities around us in times of hardship and joy. By surrounding ourselves with people we love who love us back, we welcome connectedness and guidance into our existence.
You might not know how to tackle an issue that keeps recurring for you, but your therapist, your bestie, and your older sister will have some ideas. When those ideas echo each other in an eerie way, it's not just for any random reason; rather, it's because the universe is leading you to find the solution that truly fits you best.
6. You get help you didn't ask for
stockfour | Shutterstock
Sometimes, we're so accustomed to our own routines and patterns, we don't notice that they're not helping us move forward. If this is the case for you, help might show up in a form you never expected.
You might wonder why you feel lost, or stagnant, or any combination of the two. You might wonder why nothing seems to work out the way you want it to. More often than not, this is the universe's way of protecting you from harm, and it's also how the universe helps you out, especially when you're not entirely open to that help.
It's hard to accept help when your sense of what you need feels hazy, which is why staying open to all avenues of support is so important. Psychologist Judith Tutin spoke to the power of having a support person in your life, especially when you're not sure what to do. She shared that feeling stuck is a "great reason to enter a helping relationship. Your problems may be difficult, but finding answers is at the heart of helping."
"Whether it's leaving a partner, a job, or returning to school, it may be difficult to accomplish for a variety of reasons," Tutin explained. "My job is to help you understand your reluctance to move forward, support you in doing it, and provide the requisite nudge."
The help you get might not always line up with the help you thought you needed, but that's just one more way the universe is actually protecting you from harm.
7. People leave your life without warning
Inside Creative House | Shutterstock
Breakups are painful, even when they're your decision, even when they're expected. It doesn't matter if it's a friend breakup, a romantic breakup, or some other relationship in your life is ending — it's going to be painful and you have to let yourself feel all your feelings, without judging yourself for them.
Part of fully loving people means acknowledging that we could lose them, yet you're still allowed to miss them when they go. When people leave your life without warning, it can feel especially hard to move on, but their sudden absence means the universe is making space for you to enter relationships in a new way.
When someone drops out of your life, it means they weren't meant to be one of your forever people. As hard as that feels, the universe is actually protecting you from future harm by helping you avoid toxic situations and keeping you open to make stronger, more authentic connections.
8. You keep facing rejection
voronaman | Shutterstock
It's hard to get yourself unstuck when you're in a rut. It's equally as hard to slow down when you're moving at full speed, which is one reason the universe sends rejections your way.
You might not understand why you can't find work, despite sending out hundreds of applications. You might not know why every first date ends with them turning you down. But the universe holds the answer and you just have to be patient enough for it to reveal its magic. After all, as speaker and author Steve Maraboli says, "Everytime I was being rejected from something good, I was being redirected to something better."
Rejection might be painful, but it's a sign the universe is actually protecting you from harm. If you feel like every door slams shut in your face, it could mean it's time to think about what it is you really want. Rejection is the universe's way of giving you time to reassess, reevaluate, and realign.
Shift your narrative when it comes to the way you think about rejection. Instead of missing out, you're waiting for the right opportunity to arrive, and you're doing the work to improve yourself, so you're ready to meet it once it comes.
9. You delay making decisions
fizkes | Shutterstock
We live in a chaotic, fast-paced world, where instant results and immediate gratification are prized more than ever. If you find yourself pausing before making decisions, it usually means the universe is protecting you from harm you can't yet see. Your hesitation isn't a sign that you can't make up your mind; rather, it's a sign that your quieter instincts are coming into play.
In an episode of the American Psychological Association's podcast, marketing professor Dr. Hannah Perfecto touched on the way that emotions guide decisions in both positive and negative ways.
"When things are going well and things are feeling great, you're more likely to just go with your gut and go with that initial response," she explained. "Sometimes that's fine, but a lot of times that then leads us to... misinterpret the information we're dealing with," which then leads to making a damaging decision.
"People just sometimes go too fast," she added. "It feels right, they go with what they see, and then they end up somewhere they don't want to be. Whereas if they had taken a little bit more time and sat with it, they wouldn't have made those errors."
Over the course of a lifetime, you'll stand at many different forks in many different roads, wondering which one you should walk down. Remember, you don't have to rush into anything. You're allowed to take your time to decide.
10. You have a strong urge to say 'no'
Krakenimages.com | Shutterstock
Setting boundaries and sticking to them is often equated with a sense of rigidity, but in reality, having firm boundaries keeps you flexible and ready to receive whatever gifts the universe wants to bestow upon you. It might seem counterintuitive, but saying "no" actually nurtures your "yes."
Marriage transformation specialist Nicola Beer revealed just how powerful and protective boundaries can be, sharing, "Establishing boundaries not only prevents us from getting frustrated and hurt, but is also a form of self-love and self-respect. Having the courage to communicate our needs and set healthy boundaries is far more loving than pretending that everything is OK when it isn't."
Deciding where your boundaries lie means "means you are fair and honest with what you lovingly offer to others." Saying "no" isn't always negative. It can also serve as a way for you to stay open, so that you can say "yes" in a way that honors your needs and aligns with your values.
11. You feel a sense of peace
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A | Shutterstock
Self-doubt is a common thread of the human experience, but getting overwhelmed by your doubts will only pull you down. If you're able to recognize your doubts and then release them, it's a sign the universe is actually protecting you from harm.
Psychologist Rick Hanson, PhD pointed out that feeling as peace involves feeling "engaged with life while also feeling relatively relaxed, calm, and safe." He described a particular kind of peace, the peace of tranquility, as a "deep quiet in mind and body."
"When mind and body are this settled, there is no sense of deficit or disturbance, and no struggling with anything, or grasping after it, or clinging to others. There's an inner freedom, a non-reactivity, that is wonderful," he shared.
"Inner peace must be protected," Dr. Hanson concluded. "When you experience it, enjoy it, which will help it sink into you, weaving its way into your brain so it increasingly becomes the habit of your mind."
Pay close attention to the moments when you feel a calm, quiet knowing, because those are the moments when you are your fullest self.
Alexandra Blogier, MFA, is a staff writer who covers psychology, social issues, relationships, self-help topics, and human interest stories.