5 tips to use Mercury retrograde to improve your relationship

While Mercury retrograde has been spoken about almost since the 60s, it’s only recently that people have realised it’s the reason behind the hiccups in their lives, at times. Sadly, you can’t use the Mercury retrograde card always: sometimes, it’s just you! This time around, the Mercury retrograde started on December 29 and will go on till January 18. Of course, if it were possible, most people would just get under a blanket and hibernate until it’s safe to be out and about. 

Yes, Mercury retrograde affects your relationships and your communication and forces you to look inwards. But it can be a good thing too! Here’s how you can use it to improve your relationship.

Practise being as clear as possible

If you’ve been having fights for reasons that are as insignificant as the coin pocket in your pair of denim, it may be because of Mercury retrograde. You may be feeling like you are unable to express yourself clearly, or when you do, it’s not getting through. “If you are in a steady relationship, there can be misunderstandings when Mercury retrograde is on because it is the planet of communication. Small things may be taken out of context, a fight can happen out of nowhere, and your communication may even decrease for some reason,” Jigyasa Chandani, a tarot reader, explained. 

The cosmic phenomenon also ends up causing your communication channels to glitch, sometimes more literally. Your communication modes and devices may fail as well.

So what do you do? You ensure that you are not making assumptions. First, think about what you want to put across the table and then say it in clear, concise words, without hoping they will read your mind. And you can practise this even otherwise, not just when all hell is breaking loose! 

Reflect on your response to conflict 

As mentioned earlier, this is a period when overthinking and overreacting may be as common as little black dresses at a party. And with that, you should think about how you generally respond when miscommunication takes place with your partner. Do you snap? Do you distance yourself from your partner? Or do you sit and talk it out? Use the pressure of Mercury retrograde to develop healthier ways of conflict resolution because, by all means, you are going to need them.

Slow down

Have you ever been in what seems like a never-ending heated discussion with your bae? The conversation keeps going on, none of you being able to see each other’s point and instead, just piling on more reasons to want to scream into your pillow after it.

Yes, sometimes, especially during a Mercury retrograde, you have to take a step back and let time do the healing. “In Mercury retrograde, sometimes, the more you try to communicate the more complicated it may get. So it’s also important to take a breather. Take a step back depending on your situation,” Chandani advises. 

Have a grip on your temptations

Since, Mercury retrograde is a period when you may find yourself getting attracted to people other than your partner, to avoid crash landings, tread these risky areas carefully. This gives you the time to reflect on your boundaries (define them clearly, maybe?) and also to think about what is it that is missing in your relationship.

Centre yourself

They say you can’t pour from an empty cup. For being able to be a pleasant person in a relationship and not seem like you need an exorcism, you have to be calm and composed on the inside. But life throws lemons, almost on a daily basis. And with Mercury retrograde, you are all over the place—feeling emotional, vulnerable, unable to express clearly, etc. Meditate or do anything that helps you centre yourself. Once you start doing that, you will realise so many fights could have been avoided only if you or your partner were feeling more collected.