If you've been feeling a little weird for the last week or so, it might have to do with the fact that Mercury went into retrograde on Dec. 3. As you probably know by now, Mercury goes into retrograde about three to four times a year, and the event generally causes mayhem and confusion across the planet. With that said, it might benefit you to have a few tricks up your sleeve so you know how to get through Mercury retrograde and make it to Dec. 23 unscathed.
Mercury goes into retrograde when it speeds past Earth in its orbit, and things tend to get a little wonky during this time period, hence everyone around you blaming weird events and situations on the smallest known planet in our solar system.
Aside from being the smallest, Mercury is also the planet of communication, which means that you can expect general miscommunications and confusion with your relationships while the planet is in retrograde. What's more, you might want to watch out for sudden bursts of emotion and irrational thoughts (both from you and from those around you). You might even feel like you're totally unhinged for a few weeks.
Look, there's no need to stress about all of this. And even if Mercury isn't affecting your life, the weeks leading up to the holidays and the new year can be stressful in general. Either way, here are seven self-care strategies to help you get through Mercury's latest retrograde period (or just plain life in general).
With holiday travel being a nightmare in general, and Mercury retrograde affecting the execution of plans, you should expect a few aspects of whatever journey you're taking to go awry. Do yourself a favor and plan ahead: Give yourself an extra hour to get to the airport on time, or make sure you actually booked that train ticket when you thought you did.
The best way to deal with any sort of travel delay or issue is to be proactive about the situation. And, FYI, remember not to yell at customer service reps, because they essentially hold your life in their virtual palms.
This is an excellent life strategy in general, but especially right now while Mercury is in retrograde, you might want to give people five strikes instead of the usual three before you freak out on them. If someone says something unkind, or they're being unusually inconsiderate, you might want to let it slide. After all, everyone's dealing with Mercury retrograde together.
Give yourself the same extra leniency you're giving to everyone else. If you have a bunch of deadlines piling up, or you overbooked yourself with friends on the weekend, don't let Mercury win by having a total meltdown.
Take a deep breath, and think about what's causing the most stress for you, and how you can take steps to relieve that stress (even if it's just through those 10 minutes of meditation). Everyone deserves a little bit of a break at this point in the year, and that absolutely includes you, too.