11 Practical Tips and Tricks for Thriving During Mercury in Retrograde

Mercury goes into retrograde tomorrow, April 21, and will continue this motion all the way through May 14—and that's not great news for adherents to astrology.

During this period, when it appears that the planet is rotating backward in its orbit, it's believed that different areas of life governed by Mercury can go a bit haywire. Mercury is the planet of conveyance, whether that refers to communication, technology or transportation, so the period is associated with communication breakdowns and technological malfunctions. Whether that's true or not, it doesn't hurt to be careful, which is why we've put together a list of all the things you should do in order to survive and thrive while Mercury is in retrograde.

1. Get Your Computer Files Organized

Whether your whole desktop is a mess of unorganized folders and files or you haven't been remembering to sort anything into its proper categories, now would be a great time to do so. Most importantly, you want to make sure that everything important or essential is someplace that makes sense to you, so it can easily be found when you need it. If you can't locate something, make the time to find or replace it! We also recommend putting old, unneeded stuff in one place to review before you toss it in the trash, so you don't accidentally delete something you'll come to regret. In fact, you may want to hold off on trashing those files at all until retrograde ends.

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2. Double-Check Before You Send Any Emails

Mercury in retrograde is the season of crossed wires, so before you hit send on that important email, double-check to make sure the right name is in the "send" field. You definitely don't want to send an important assignment to a random person and have it marked as incomplete, or message a complaint email directly to the person who's been bugging you. Two extra seconds can save you a whole day's worth of grief.

 

Also read about: 7 Things You Actually CAN'T Blame on Mercury in Retrograde

 

3. Do a Back-Up of Your Computer and Phone

If you've got important stuff on your computer or phone, whether that's essential work or just photos of memories you can't bear to lose, you should do regular back-ups for them. Phones can be backed up to the cloud, as well as to your computer, while for computer info, we recommend both an online backup and a physical one in the form of a hard drive. Maybe that's overkill, but in the case that anything goes wrong with your tech during Mercury in retrograde, you can rest assured knowing your files are safe and retrievable.

 

4. Give Yourself Some Buffer Before Video Meetings

Maybe it's just us, but in the two-week "shadow period" ahead of Mercury in retrograde, we've had all kinds of issues around our video meetings, whether that's mics not working properly, or Zoom taking forever to load up. That's why we recommend booting up whatever you're using to access the meeting a few minutes early. If there are any tech issues, this will give you some time to sort them out, and if not, you don't have to properly join the meeting until you're good and ready.

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5. Wait to Upgrade Any Devices

If you've been eyeing that new iPhone or hoping to upgrade to a new computer, we advise that you wait until after May 14 to make that leap. Even if you're sure it's the product you want, you'll have more clarity if you can consider it fully outside of Mercury in retrograde—and you definitely don't want to lose everything if something goes wrong during the transfer process between your current device and the next one.

 

Also read about: What You'll Deal With During Mercury Retrograde, Depending on Your Zodiac Sign

 

6. Carry Backup Energy for Your Phone

Phones die unexpectedly all the time, but this problem is likely to be an even bigger issue during Mercury in retrograde. If you don't want to get stuck without access to your precious phone, you should be carrying an extra power bank with you during this time. In addition to charging up before you head out, check and double-check that the power bank is actually charged some time before you're set to leave the house, and don't forget the charging cord if it's not a conductive charger.

 

7. Avoid Major Travel

Mercury is also the planet associated with travel, so many things that can go wrong will go wrong during Mercury in retrograde, whether that's late arrivals, cancellations or just misunderstanding something about the trip and making a mistake because of it. If you do have to head somewhere, try to be as flexible as possible, and create some wiggle room and backup plans for things that can go amiss.

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8. Postpone Major Purchases

Now is also not the time to be spending a lot of money on something important. Because of the garbled communication during Mercury in retrograde, chances are that there will be details you miss, whether it's something major or in the fine print, that make the purchase less than ideal.

 

Also read about: 7 Instagram Captions to Use While Mercury Is in Retrograde

 

9. Manage Money Carefully

Mercury also rules banking, so it would be wise to be extra careful with your money during Mercury in retrograde. Keep an eye on financial statements, like your bank account and any cards, to ensure that nothing fishy is going on with your finances, and hold off on making any investments until Mercury goes direct.

 

10. Be Extra Patient With Friends and Loved Ones

Of course, Mercury in retrograde doesn't only have to do with communication in terms of technology and finances. It's also critical when it comes to our interpersonal relationships, and it's likely that miscommunications will abound. No matter how clear you are, there are going to be times you'll be misunderstood, and you're not going to fully be on the wavelength of the people around you, either. That's why it's extra important to be patient with the ones you love at this time, and hopefully, that inspires them to be a bit more patient with you, in return.

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11. Save Important and Emotional Discussions for Later

This communication breakdown is also a good reason to hold off on any heavy and important discussions, for the time being. The more a conversation matters, the more critical it is that both parties fully understand each other, and that's not simply going to happen during this time. There may be some urgent conversations that will be unavoidable, but in that case, you need to be extra aware of the current energies, and do what you can not to fall victim to them.

 

Birthdate Candle Co. also has a new candle made specifically to combat the nasty energies of Mercury in retrograde. Click HERE for our full review of the Survive Mercury Retrograde Candle.