It’s Mercury Retrograde season which means you should expect communication breakdowns faster than you can say, “I’m not ready for this!”

Mercury RetroWHAT? You’ve probably heard the terminology before, but what does it mean? Here’s a quick breakdown: Mercury is the planet of communication and intellect. We’ve been mapping the orbit of Mercury for thousands of years and three to four times per year it appears to be orbiting backwards (though it’s actually not). That is when Mercury is in retrograde.

When Mercury is retrograde, the normal flow of energy is reversed. Since we know Mercury rules over thoughts, perceptions, and conversation, we experience glitches in these areas during retrograde. This time around, Mercury is going retrograde in Libra, the sign of relationships and harmony, so you may be seeing the disruptions popping up the most with your partner.

That’s the “bad” news…the good news is that this is the last Mercury Retrograde of 2021 (yay!) and there is a way to move through Mercury Retrograde season more easily. Here are some tips to overcome communication breakdowns you may encounter:

Think first.

When you’re speaking in person to your partner, pause and think through what you’re going to say before you respond. What’s worse—a somewhat awkward pause or letting the wrong words fly out in frustration?

Reread your texts.

If you’re chatting via text or email, reread what you’ve written before you press send. Emotional context is already lost when we are communicating behind a screen. It’s important to make sure what we’ve written is going to come across as intended.

Be helpful and truthful.

Ask yourself if what you’re contributing to the conversation is helpful and true. This is ALWAYS a good tip to practice, retrograde season or not.

Listen.

Listen more than you speak. One of Mercury Retrograde’s less-than-desirable effects is a no-filter way of speaking. Curb the collateral damage by opening your heart and ears more than your mouth.

Mercury Retrograde doesn’t need to be all doom-and-gloom. This is a great time for inner reflection and review, especially around what you need in your partnership and what you bring to the table. Use this reflective period to identify where and how you can tip the scales to create better balance.