Snap Out of It! Was Your Accident Really a Wake-Up Call?

Accidents are part of life. You’ve probably done things like bake a cake using salt instead of sugar or left your car windows open during a rainstorm. Sometimes small mishaps are totally random—you happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time—but more often than not, “accidents” occur in order to call your attention to something important that may be damaging to your health, like wake-up calls from the universe. Large “accidents” like an injury or trauma are particularly strong warning signs from the cosmos. It’s up to you to decide if you’re going to heed those warnings and snap out of the detrimental behavior.

Hello? You might be in trouble.

What is usually the first thing that goes through your mind when you realize you’ve left the oven on overnight or drove two hours in the wrong direction because you were on your phone and missed a turn? First, you probably get angry with yourself for forgetting to check that all appliances are off before going to bed, or allowing yourself to get so distracted while driving. Second, you probably make some sort of vow not to do it again. Imagine if that vow not to text while driving is just in time to prevent you from getting in a near-fatal car wreck or hitting a pedestrian? Even these small mishaps can help you be more aware of a behavior that is currently a potential hazard, like texting while driving, or help you notice an action, like leaving your oven on, that could possibly become unsafe down the road, especially if it is part of a larger pattern of repeating types of accidents.

How do you know when an accident isn’t really an accident?

Even small occurrences are not just accidents. Maybe you just happened to step in dog doo. But when it “just happens” to your new expensive shoes that you really couldn’t afford, perhaps the wake-up call is a reminder that material goods aren’t as important as peace of mind. Or if you trip on a curb trying to walk and read your phone at the same time after a long day in which everything has gone wrong, it might be a sign that you need to slow down.

Use your gut to determine the meaning of the early warning sign. Does it make you zero in on some activity or mental state that might not be in your best interests? If you spill milk on your outfit, knock over the trash can with your car, and then get rear-ended on the way to work, your Higher Self is trying to tell you something. Are you too stressed to concentrate properly and need to meditate or take a rest day to reset your system? Are you distracted by an emotional issue that needs to be addressed?

 
Deal with the underlying issue.

If you have recently had an unfortunate occurrence, and especially if you’ve had a progression of small accidents, you may want to figure out how to tackle the root problem. Journaling can help you access ignored emotions that may be creating roadblocks in your chakras, therefore affecting your health and wellbeing. Writing your true feelings can release the negativity, and help each chakra to flow in the right direction. Meditation can significantly reduce your stress and increase concentration, productivity, and happiness. Meditation also makes you generally more aware of yourself and your surroundings, which will make you less prone to accidents.

Big accident equals big wake-up call.

All large accidents are messages designed to grab your attention and snap you out of a behavior pattern that is no longer serving your best interests.

I’ll give you an example from my energy healing work. I had a student named Cora who, when her mother developed terminal cancer, moved to her mother’s home, vowing to stay there until the end. While her motive was altruistic, in fact, her own husband and children needed her.

One evening as she drove back to see her husband and kids, she skidded in an oily puddle on the highway and crashed into the concrete divider. Cora wasn’t seriously hurt, but she was shaken to her core. She realized how much worse the accident could have been, and she realized her life was not worth risking, trying to be the ideal daughter. This accident illuminated how stressed she was, and woke her up enough to get her back on track. There was a way for Cora to be supportive to her mom, without totally abandoning her obligations to her other family members and herself.

Illness is no accident.

As a spiritual teacher and energy healer, I often see people like Cora who have unexamined emotional issues that have created destructive behavioral patterns. Some attendees at my healing courses have such deep wounds in their energy fields that their wake-up calls have come in the form of a serious illness or injury. One of my biggest wake-up calls from the universe was my own diagnosis of cancer in my twenties. Hearing that I had the big C forced me to reevaluate the harmful actions I was engaged in: drinking, drugs, and promiscuity, and through journaling, meditation, and energy medicine, I was able to deal with my suppressed emotional issues so that I could live a life in light rather than darkness.

An accident could save your life.

When accidents happen to you, whether they are large or small, from falling down the stairs to a terrifying car crash, try not to beat yourself up. Instead, recognize that the universe is trying to take care of you and keep you safe and healthy. That accident is saying, “Hey, you. Listen up.” If you heed these warnings and examine your behaviors to find the problem, you can make a change that just might save your life!