How to survive mercury retrograde
Pop astrologers love fear mongering about mercury in retrograde. Yeah it can feel heavy at times, not gonna lie, but retrograde periods are nothing to fear once you shift your perspective from, “what’s gonna happen to me?!” to “what exactly is this experience trying to teach me about myself?”
It’s been cartoonishly textbook mercury in retrograde since it began two days ago [I wrote this November 13, 2025]. In my personal experience, old employers and people associated with old jobs love coming out of the woods during mercury retrograde seasons.
On Tuesday alone, I woke up to an email from a client from 2022. Later that day, my partner and I went to the Chinese garden to enjoy his day off, where I ran into another old coworker at the tea house. It was weird, because I’d met her during one of the lowest, most chaotic points in my life; working at a restaurant during that period (where I met her) practically felt like heaven - a total escape from my reality for a few hours at at time.
I’m in a completely opposite place in my life now. My relationship is amazing, and we’re about to hit two years. It made me think as we enjoyed our teas in the beautiful autumn sun. Water glistening with fallen leaves, and the brilliant red trees. We giggled as we watched two squirrels plopped from tree branch to rooftop. Life is truly amazing!
…fast forward two days and I literally can’t stop doomscrolling and feeling weird physically and mentally…
Anyway, sometimes retrograde just be like that. When the energy is shit, you just have to keep going - what other choice do we have? Here’s my retrograde survival tips from one human to another.
Let yourself reflect on the past, good or bad.
I often find myself wanting to clear up phone space during retrograde periods, which leads to me spending hours looking through photos of the past. Normally I dislike thinking too deeply about the past, but it sort of feels right with the retrograde energy. After all, the energy asks us to pause and reflect before the energy moves forward again, right? So… pause and reflect! Feel all the feels. Last time I did this, I cried a little and my boyfriend bought me chick-fil-a. There is a light at the end of the tunnel - but first, we must walk. And that’s okay.
Don’t read too hard into whatever’s coming back from the past.
Mercury retrogrades will bring up old shit. Maybe your car will break down and need maintenance, or you reject another job that isn’t aligned with you anymore but brings up old feelings about self worth. Whatever it is, view those things as symbols instead of reading so much intowhy that particular person texted you again, or whatnot (probably don’t get back with your ex). Let these symbols show you how far you’ve come, or what loose ends need attention before you go-go-go again, and then release it. I see it as riding the wave, instead of fighting or questioning it.
Hold off on big launches, announcements, important correspondences, and stay flexible!
This is a period better spent honing and reviewing, not rushing out on a strict deadline. I actually had my business cards printed during mercury retrograde and despite spending hours making sure it was perfect KNOWING we were in retrograde season - the font size was too small when they arrived. It was actually kind of funny, but lesson learned. Quadruple check your digital things!! And maybe wait until mercury goes direct to make important decisions…
That being said, sometimes life happens and you’ll find yourself needing to go through with something (like a new lease, or signing a contract at a new job). It doesn’t mean the new thing is doomed! In this case, see it as an invitation to spend extra, extra time combing through the contract before signing or going through with the new thing, and seek some outside perspective.
Clean up your clutter. Do it!!
I actually did this last night and it was a game changer, especially when I woke up this morning and it felt soooooo pristine. Even if I feel sort of blah today, it’s like scribbling on a blank slate vs. a messy one. A thousand times easier to digest and handle. Cleaning your space is also a form of energetic cleansing, so if it’s something you’ve been holding off, it’s worth asking yourself why. Open a window while you’re at it!
Drink some tea and let your body do whatever it needs to do.
A few weeks is a long time but it’s also not very long at all. Take a rest and stay in your lane. It can even be fun!! :)