Retrograde got me like

Woah I’m feeling this.

I felt 100%% ready to maneuver through this Mercury retrograde. I mean I PREPARED dammit. And here I am 1 day in asking myself, wtf just happened.

Seeing as retrogrades can lead to a lot of issues around communication, which is also not my strongest suite, I mentally & emotionally tried to prepare myself in the days leading up. I went through it all in my mind, the ways in which I could respond when disagreements arose, walking into every situation with an open & understanding mindset, reminding myself not to jump to conclusions, etc etc.

And it’s helped, don’t get me wrong. I started out great. For example, I tend to assume things, assume I heard something, don’t get clarification, and then things don’t go great because I misheard or misunderstood. I have been extra diligent about ensuring I am 100% sure I not only heard what was said but understood what was said. This has helped. What hasn’t helped however is how the many little things which have yet again eroded my patience leading to me becoming angry & short in my communication. Small things that add up, like running an errand across town for which I need my check book (yes apparently the real world still operates on fucking checks, don’t ask me WHY), forgetting said check book, getting stuck in traffic on 84 to get said checkbook, low gas light comes on for the third time this week (I guess $8 doesn’t get you far these days), losing WiFi at my business meaning credit cards don’t work (retrograde, right?), shattering a glass full of product you could have sold, over drafting your bank account, etc.

The one thing I did not prepare for was the one thing I should have KNWON to prepare for. But it’s often those things we like to neglect or forget about that like to rear they’re ugly head when we feel at our best. While I don’t yet have all the answers to curing lack of patience nor the worlds communication problems, here are a few things that help ease it a bit for me.

〰️Communicate with yourself first. Do you have a healthy internal dialogue? I highly recommend you work on this first. If we can’t understand ourselves, our reactions, our triggers, how can we learn to understand others’? Great questions to start: what is causing me to be so angry? Can I reflect back on the one thing that started this chain reaction of impatience/anger/sadness? You may start to notice patterns in these triggers. Once you know these areas, when they arise the next step is to prepare for them.

〰️Prepare yourself mentally. Walk through it all in your brain. If this thing appears, how would I prefer to respond instead of anger/impatience/sadness? What would this look like to respond in such a way? What would I say or do differently? Part of this response process should also be to 1. Breathe 2. Become aware of the present moment. Don’t over complicate this! Literally take a few slow breaths with a long exhale, take a moment, become objectively aware of what is going on in your head and around you. Literally just observe. THEN, how would you like to respond?

〰️Beginning with an open mind. This for me starts before I really begin my day. Whether while I’m brushing my teeth, making coffee, going pee, whatever, there is usually at least one moment early in my day where I remind myself I will be open & understanding. I work to be understanding by constantly putting myself in others’ shoes. Someone cuts you off? Maybe they didn’t see you, maybe their mother is dying, maybe they’re just an asshole because they were raised by assholes which doesn’t sound too great and maybe they too need help? Have a disagreement with your partner, you suggested ramen for dinner but they would rather have pizza and you think it’s because they never like your ideas when really maybe they saw an ad for pizza on their phone and now they’re really craving pizza? Either way, there is usually always an explanation that has absolutely nothing to do with us personally so maybe we don’t take it as such? Don’t bring that burden upon yourself so unnecessarily. We can begin by being understanding of others and being willing to have compassion for them rather than jumping to conclusions. Aren’t sure you understand? Ask!

〰️Patience of a saint. Alright, this is an area I am not always the best at but if there is one thing that has helped me the most with impatience it’s taking a breath, closing my eyes and saying to myself, “It’s okay Destiny. You’ve survived worse. You’ll be okay”.

And here's the biggest trick of all. Realize you have so much to LEARN here & that this isn't just about "getting through it", it's about evolving from this. Mess up & lash out even though you TRIED so hard to react differently? Move on. Learn and see how far you can get next time without lashing out. Pretty soon your instinct of anger will be disappear altogether, just like this round of retrograde.

I hope these little things can help ease retrograde and beyond. These are in fact needed for every day life just as much as these astrological upheavals. So remember, this too shall pass and we’re sure to come out the other side stronger than ever. Keep your pretty head up my dear.