You’ve decided to start manifesting the life you dream of. You’ve read the books, maybe watched The Secret, perhaps even listened to Abraham Hicks. You’re ready, thinking positive, focusing your thoughts, and opening yourself up to abundance, love, and joy. Lately, you’ve even noticed angel numbers or other little synchronicities, the kind that feel too perfectly timed to ignore.
But then something unexpected happens. Instead of life improving, it feels as though things are falling apart. Work becomes stressful, money seems tighter, and your love life feels emptier than before. It’s confusing, even discouraging. Why would things get worse when you’re trying so hard to make them better?
Part of the Process
When you start manifesting, it’s common to experience challenges before breakthroughs. That’s because manifestation isn’t about magically skipping to the good part. It’s about change. And change often feels uncomfortable.
As you align with new desires, the universe begins clearing away what no longer fits. Old patterns, limiting beliefs, and stagnant situations (or even people) surface so they can be released. From the inside, this can feel like everything is unraveling. In truth, it’s preparation. You’re shedding what no longer belongs to make space for something new.
Things often feel worse before they get better because you’re being tested and realigned. Not as punishment, but as life’s way of asking if you’re truly ready for what you want and whether you’ll keep going when things feel uncertain. To step into a new life, some old things have to fall away. They can’t come with you, because they no longer align with who you’re becoming.
It may feel difficult now, but when you look back, it all makes sense. So much sense. And then, almost suddenly, things begin to shift. Doors open. The right people appear. Life starts to flow.
The “Dark Night of the Soul”
Many people describe this stage as a “dark night of the soul.” It’s a period of discomfort, but it serves a purpose:
- It tests your commitment. Do you truly want this, or only when it’s easy?
- It builds resilience. Growth often requires strength you didn’t know you had.
- It deepens your trust. When everything feels uncertain, you learn to lean on faith.
- It raises your vibration. Letting go of resistance allows you to step into alignment.
- It clarifies your path. Struggle has a way of showing you what really matters.
If you’re in this stage, take heart, the dawn always follows the dark. I remember feeling as though the universe was against me. I was anxious, exhausted, and even biting my nails without realizing it. At the time, I didn’t understand what was happening. It felt like punishment, when in reality it was preparation, a period of growth, not rejection.
Why Things Get Harder Before They Improve
- A test of resolve. This phase often asks you to stay steady when it feels tempting to quit. Your persistence proves your readiness.
- Preparation for more. If you can move through smaller challenges now, you’ll be stronger when your bigger manifestations arrive.
- Clearing space. Sometimes, the old has to fall away: relationships, habits, even jobs, before the new can enter. It feels unsettling in the moment, but it’s clearing the ground for growth.
The Breakthrough
It’s often just when things feel most difficult that the shift begins. Life has to unravel a little before it can be rewoven into something better. What feels like an ending is usually the beginning of a new reality.
What to Take With You
If it feels like everything is crumbling, know this: you’re not failing at manifestation. You’re moving through a natural part of the process. Old patterns and attachments resist change, but they don’t last forever. Maybe those friends drifted away because they weren’t meant to walk this path with you. Maybe that job wasn’t aligned with where you’re heading. Maybe that relationship wasn’t meant to stay.
Stay rooted in gratitude, take small inspired steps, and trust that your vision is closer than it seems. The challenges are temporary, but the growth and rewards are lasting. Soon enough, the sun rises again, and you’ll find yourself living in the reality you once only dreamed of.
