We’ve all experienced the dilemma of being caught between listening to our gut and dismissing it as a typical case of overthinking. So, to unblur these lines, experts determined four criteria for when you should trust your instincts: when it pertains to your health, when you feel like something’s off in a relationship, when you doubt yourself, and, as this list shows, when it concerns your safety.
People on Reddit shared their experiences about how heeding their inner voice saved them from danger. They’ve been spared from potentially fatal attacks, freak accidents, or “wrong place at the wrong time” moments.
If you’ve been in similar situations, feel free to share your story in the comments below.
#1
Does that 'I need to go home now' feeling count? It wasn't me, though—it was my mom.
I was about 12, and my mom left to run an errand, leaving me home alone. Not long after she left, the doorbell rang. This was strange because we lived on a hill with only two neighbors, and we were all pretty reclusive. We just didn’t get random visitors. Thanks to some conveniently placed picture frames, I was able to look out without being seen. I saw a young man I didn’t recognize, dressed in a t-shirt and jeans, and something about him just felt... off. So I decided to ignore him and hoped he’d leave.
But he didn’t. He hung around and started smoking. Again, we were on an isolated hill, I was alone, and I started to feel really scared. I went and hid, planning to wait for my mom to return. But she’d only just left, had a few errands to run, and I couldn’t reach the phone without him seeing me.
As I was trying to figure out what to do, my mom came home. She rushed inside and asked if I was okay. Apparently, she’d gotten an overwhelming 'go home NOW' feeling, so she hadn’t even made it to her first errand. She turned around right away, found the guy in our yard, and asked what he wanted. He muttered something about looking for someone, and my mom told him to leave. He was acting strangely, which made her nervous.
To this day, I have no idea what he wanted or how my mom knew to come home. But I’m extremely grateful that she did.
I was about 12, and my mom left to run an errand, leaving me home alone. Not long after she left, the doorbell rang. This was strange because we lived on a hill with only two neighbors, and we were all pretty reclusive. We just didn’t get random visitors. Thanks to some conveniently placed picture frames, I was able to look out without being seen. I saw a young man I didn’t recognize, dressed in a t-shirt and jeans, and something about him just felt... off. So I decided to ignore him and hoped he’d leave.
But he didn’t. He hung around and started smoking. Again, we were on an isolated hill, I was alone, and I started to feel really scared. I went and hid, planning to wait for my mom to return. But she’d only just left, had a few errands to run, and I couldn’t reach the phone without him seeing me.
As I was trying to figure out what to do, my mom came home. She rushed inside and asked if I was okay. Apparently, she’d gotten an overwhelming 'go home NOW' feeling, so she hadn’t even made it to her first errand. She turned around right away, found the guy in our yard, and asked what he wanted. He muttered something about looking for someone, and my mom told him to leave. He was acting strangely, which made her nervous.
To this day, I have no idea what he wanted or how my mom knew to come home. But I’m extremely grateful that she did.
Report
147points
#2
I had pulled up to a three way stop in Indiana. It was early August, and the corn was high, making it hard to see cars at the other two stop signs. I started inching my car out, and clear as day, I heard my Granny say”stop!”
I hit my brake, and a car flew through the intersection without stopping. I would’ve been hit had I not listened to her voice.
She had died two years before this happened.
I hit my brake, and a car flew through the intersection without stopping. I would’ve been hit had I not listened to her voice.
She had died two years before this happened.
Report
140points
#3
Not me,but my parents. My parents were in Thailand on their honeymoon on December 25 2004. They were by the beach. My parents say they had a feeling they should advance the tickets a day ahead. 8:00 am on the morning on 2004,they took off and saw the waves come in and destroy the resort they were in.
Report
109points
#4
I lived in the States (Australian) for 7 years. One morning I woke up in a panic with the thought, 'I have to go home NOW' and booked flights.
Managed to get back to Australia 2 weeks later.
1 week later, COVID hit and the riots ensued near my old residence in the U.S.
Managed to get back to Australia 2 weeks later.
1 week later, COVID hit and the riots ensued near my old residence in the U.S.
Report
109points
#5
I can think of many times at parties/clubs/events/ etc where I’ve felt the stare of a guy/group or guys and felt uncomfortable and that gut feeling of being uneasy and scared
Where I’ve been like “we need to leave now”
Not something uncommon when you are a girl.
Where I’ve been like “we need to leave now”
Not something uncommon when you are a girl.
Report
108points
#6
I didn't need to leave, but he sure as s**t did. I was doing yard work in my front yard with my young daughter (4-6). She was inside the picket fence. I was just around the side of the house where I could still see her but wasn't visible from the street. Some creepy old white dude in a rusty panel van (by the gods, it was so stereotypical) drove by and slowed way down and was staring hard at her. I got this pit in my stomach when I saw him do all this. I came charging out from the side, like, I'm going to jail for murder, but worth it. When he saw me come around the corner, he laid about ¼ inch of tire in the road as he sped off. She was oblivious to the whole thing, thankfully. I called the cops and gave them the lowdown and a description. I never saw that rig again, but by Grabthar's Hammer, if I did, I'd shoot first and ask questions later. F**k that guy.
Report
93points
#7
Not my story but my brother's. When he 20 he was with a friend of his and had just met a girl at a bar. He and the guy followed her into her flat where about 10 minutes later they heard the girl speaking in Spanish. All of my family can speak Spanish so when he heard her say "I got two for you" he quickly grabbed his friend and left. Don't know what she had planned for them but I don't like it.
Report
90points
#8
I was walking home from school alone back in the early 80’s, and noticed a man in a truck was following me. I got a gut feeling to run as fast as I could, which I did. He sped up as well, but I managed to duck behind a big group of bushes.
I watched from the bushes as he slowed down in his truck scanning the bushes to see if, I was in there.
He drove off after about 5 minutes, and later that night my parents had the t.v on and the police were looking for that same man for an attempted kidnapping a few streets away.
I watched from the bushes as he slowed down in his truck scanning the bushes to see if, I was in there.
He drove off after about 5 minutes, and later that night my parents had the t.v on and the police were looking for that same man for an attempted kidnapping a few streets away.
Report
85points
#9
Was in a bar on the rooftop deck. Some dudes started getting rowdy near the entrance to the deck. I could see the escalation happening and I told the gal I had been talking to to follow me and we went down the back stairs through the kitchen.
Two things happened that night. First, one of the guys got stabbed... In the head... Like through the top of his skull. Super glad I got out of there when I did. Second, I got laid that night. She thought it was super cool to "escape through the kitchen".
Two things happened that night. First, one of the guys got stabbed... In the head... Like through the top of his skull. Super glad I got out of there when I did. Second, I got laid that night. She thought it was super cool to "escape through the kitchen".
83points
#10
Me and a girlfriend were making out in my car somewhere in downtown. Some empty parking lot at night. I happened to look out the window and see a guy walking up to us in the dark from a distance. I decided not to wait around. As soon as I started the car, he started running towards us. I took off as fast as I could.
Report
81points
#11
Riding with brother in law to help him buy a couch he found on Craigslist.
Pull into a very shady looking apartment complex and notice a few people up front watching us pull in and suddenly calling someone with their cell. Bad body language all around.
Lizard brain says it's an ambush.
Tell BIL and we turn around and leave.
That night on the news there was a shootout because dudes were setting people up to be robbed at the back of the complex.
Pull into a very shady looking apartment complex and notice a few people up front watching us pull in and suddenly calling someone with their cell. Bad body language all around.
Lizard brain says it's an ambush.
Tell BIL and we turn around and leave.
That night on the news there was a shootout because dudes were setting people up to be robbed at the back of the complex.
Report
72points
#12
Was in Oaxaca, Mexico during the protests/violence that occurred. One day my dad and I were in the central plaza. It's mid-afternoon and about to rain and he's on the phone with my mom. I look around and realize we're alone. Nobody is in the plaza. We're a couple of Americans and also the only people there.
I tell my dad to get off the phone we meed to go. He waves me off. I tell him to turn around and look. He realizes were alone, hangs up and we need to go.
20 minutes later the local resistance takeover of tv and radio stations in the city started.
I tell my dad to get off the phone we meed to go. He waves me off. I tell him to turn around and look. He realizes were alone, hangs up and we need to go.
20 minutes later the local resistance takeover of tv and radio stations in the city started.
Report
68points
#13
At a big college party. Talking to a guy. He leaned in and whispered, “things are about to get r**e-y.” I laughed to defuse the situation. Then I politely excused myself, found my friend and we immediately left.
Report
66points
#14
I woke up to the smell of burnt rubber and it turned out to be that my garage was on fire. I woke up everybody in the house (9 people including a baby) and we got the hell out of there. Luckily the fire didn't make it into the house and we had it covered by insurance but it was scary as hell.
65points
#15
I was at a party and saw some girls rushing out of the house. I was drunk and got freaked out and left. While sitting in my car attempting to sober up, i hear screaming and gun shots from inside the house and book it down the street for a couple blocks until someone came and picked me up.
Report
61points
#16
A few instances from mountain climbing/backpacking:
On the summit of Mt. Adams, a 12,500 foot (dormant) volcano in Washington state. The wind suddenly picked up ***very*** strongly as we were packing up lunch and about to descend. We looked up and saw what I can only describe as two horizontal tornadoes sucking up loose snow from around us. We basically ran/fell down the 50-foot snow slope from the small summit to a larger plateau below as the vortices descended to where we were just a minute before. We booked it across the plateau to the main slope, and then did a glissade (controlled sitting descent using an ice axe for rudder/brake) down a 3,000 vertical foot snow field in 15 minutes (it took us four hours to climb up the same snow field).
On a 13,000+ foot ridge in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, in Sequoia National Park. Light puffy clouds in the morning quickly built up to thunderstorms as we crossed the pass to get to the camp for that night. We could actually feel and smell the static electricity in the air as lightning began to strike. Again, descended as fast as humanly possible.
On the summit of Mt. Adams, a 12,500 foot (dormant) volcano in Washington state. The wind suddenly picked up ***very*** strongly as we were packing up lunch and about to descend. We looked up and saw what I can only describe as two horizontal tornadoes sucking up loose snow from around us. We basically ran/fell down the 50-foot snow slope from the small summit to a larger plateau below as the vortices descended to where we were just a minute before. We booked it across the plateau to the main slope, and then did a glissade (controlled sitting descent using an ice axe for rudder/brake) down a 3,000 vertical foot snow field in 15 minutes (it took us four hours to climb up the same snow field).
On a 13,000+ foot ridge in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, in Sequoia National Park. Light puffy clouds in the morning quickly built up to thunderstorms as we crossed the pass to get to the camp for that night. We could actually feel and smell the static electricity in the air as lightning began to strike. Again, descended as fast as humanly possible.
Report
58points
#17
I went to college in downtown Chicago and took the El tracks home after an evening class, it wasn't too late, maybe like 8p? This one time there were only a few other people in the train car I was in and so everyone was spread out. At one of the stops this shady looking guy gets on and even though there were plenty of empty rows where he could sit alone he goes and sits next to a woman. Not 2sec later that woman gets up and immediately goes to another car.
This same guy then gets up from the seat turns around towards where I'm sitting, mind you like the woman, I was sitting near the window and had my backpack on the seat next to me. He sits down on my backpack without saying a word. Shocked I yank my bag from under him and thats when I see that he has this weird silver finger cover thing over his entire pointer finger. This ornament finger thing looked heavy and it had intricate carved dragons all over it except at the end where a nail would be there was like a long claw-like dagger. I look at this guy and he is just staring straight ahead, didn't even flinch with me pulling my back pack, plus he reeked of alcohol. I then noticed this other guy who was seated across from us and was staring right at me mouthing: "GET UP NOW". So thats what I did, I used my back pack to kind of buffer me from him and pushed myself out of the aisle as the train was approaching the last stop, I left that car and had so much adrenaline pulsing that I kept going through other train cars to get as much distance as I could, until the train came to a stop and I ran the f**k of of there and down the stairs where I alerted a cta employee about him. It was really scary and after that my boyfriend got me a taser and pepper spray that I would literally hold in my hands so that everyone could see when I rode the trains at that hour.
This same guy then gets up from the seat turns around towards where I'm sitting, mind you like the woman, I was sitting near the window and had my backpack on the seat next to me. He sits down on my backpack without saying a word. Shocked I yank my bag from under him and thats when I see that he has this weird silver finger cover thing over his entire pointer finger. This ornament finger thing looked heavy and it had intricate carved dragons all over it except at the end where a nail would be there was like a long claw-like dagger. I look at this guy and he is just staring straight ahead, didn't even flinch with me pulling my back pack, plus he reeked of alcohol. I then noticed this other guy who was seated across from us and was staring right at me mouthing: "GET UP NOW". So thats what I did, I used my back pack to kind of buffer me from him and pushed myself out of the aisle as the train was approaching the last stop, I left that car and had so much adrenaline pulsing that I kept going through other train cars to get as much distance as I could, until the train came to a stop and I ran the f**k of of there and down the stairs where I alerted a cta employee about him. It was really scary and after that my boyfriend got me a taser and pepper spray that I would literally hold in my hands so that everyone could see when I rode the trains at that hour.
Report
57points
#18
Several years ago, 6 of my friends and I were out of state for a wedding. We rented an Air BnB for the group. Immediately after getting there we learned that the guy who rented out his house had a roommate who was almost never home, but happened to be there for the first time in weeks, and didn't realize the house was going to be occupied. The owner insisted that he spoke with him and he was planning to pack up and stay at his girlfriends so we could have the home to ourselves as planned. Sure enough, he was gone that afternoon.
We went out that night and came home intoxicated, as 20-something's do from time to time. One of our guy friends came up from the basement looking shocked. Apparently the roommate was back..and based on him being asleep..it was clear he planned to stay.
We quieted down and rearranged where we'd all planned to sleep. But this was only the beginning.
The next morning we were woken up by excruciatingly loud death metal blaring from the common living area/dining room upstairs. Two of the people who'd slept in the living room came down immediately and told us we needed to pack our s**t and get out FAST. We didn't ask many questions. Just sort of grabbed all our stuff, tries to clean up, and piled into an uber XL to head to the closest hotel.
Apparently before the music started earlier that morning they woke up to a bunch of clank/banging only to open their eyes and see this dude sitting at the table cleaning a shot gun and a hand gun.
Needless to say..i don't think he wanted us in his house.
We went out that night and came home intoxicated, as 20-something's do from time to time. One of our guy friends came up from the basement looking shocked. Apparently the roommate was back..and based on him being asleep..it was clear he planned to stay.
We quieted down and rearranged where we'd all planned to sleep. But this was only the beginning.
The next morning we were woken up by excruciatingly loud death metal blaring from the common living area/dining room upstairs. Two of the people who'd slept in the living room came down immediately and told us we needed to pack our s**t and get out FAST. We didn't ask many questions. Just sort of grabbed all our stuff, tries to clean up, and piled into an uber XL to head to the closest hotel.
Apparently before the music started earlier that morning they woke up to a bunch of clank/banging only to open their eyes and see this dude sitting at the table cleaning a shot gun and a hand gun.
Needless to say..i don't think he wanted us in his house.
52points
#19
Driving a friend home after a group dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings. We pull into friend’s apartment and I notice a car following us. They pull in the apartment and park beside us. We sit a coupe of minutes just talking when I realize the guy in the next car who is alone still hasn’t got out. I told my friend something didn’t feel right. We back out and the car follows us. I knew a bunch of back road and hit those quick enough to lose the guy. One he was gone I took my friend back home and watched her go in safely.
Report
51points
#20
Alabama.
My wife (we were engaged at the time) and I were considering moving there because her dad had his business there and was offering to provide us lodging and jobs to come work for him.
He's a great guy, but we stayed with his at-the-time business partner who turned out to be a virulent, vocal, unapologetic racist who was also quick to yell at his wife. He also looked like a d**n ogre, which didn't help. Between him, the food (still scarred by the memory of a Chinese buffet outside of the Muscle Shoals/Florence region...) and the general feel of the place, we both just looked at each other on the second night and agreed we couldn't do it. We packed our bags that night, and the next morning she feigned illness and we took off as fast as we could. It meant giving up the prospect of easy work and affordable housing, but it was worth it.
My wife (we were engaged at the time) and I were considering moving there because her dad had his business there and was offering to provide us lodging and jobs to come work for him.
He's a great guy, but we stayed with his at-the-time business partner who turned out to be a virulent, vocal, unapologetic racist who was also quick to yell at his wife. He also looked like a d**n ogre, which didn't help. Between him, the food (still scarred by the memory of a Chinese buffet outside of the Muscle Shoals/Florence region...) and the general feel of the place, we both just looked at each other on the second night and agreed we couldn't do it. We packed our bags that night, and the next morning she feigned illness and we took off as fast as we could. It meant giving up the prospect of easy work and affordable housing, but it was worth it.
41points