Is Mercury Retrograde Stressing You? Here’s How to Deal

Some people (like me, an easily frazzled Gemini) count cracked iPhones, awkward conversations, and inconvenient transportation delays as part of daily life. Others are quick to consider Mercury retrograde—the notorious astrological occurrence believers say happens several times a year and allegedly ruins lives communication, contractual matters, and more for about three weeks at a time.

Whether you’re chatting with friends who warn you not to buy that new laptop or you’re consoling someone who just had a major email fight with an ex, odds are you or someone you know has muttered, “Mercury retrograde,” to explain a misfortune or the need for acting with extra caution. Since yet another Mercury-retrograde period just started on February 17, now’s as good a time as any to talk about this phenomenon.

We at SELF fall all over the map when it comes to astrological beliefs. Some of us harbor a not-so-secret fascination with the stars and planets (there might be a staffwide spreadsheet with our sun, moon, and rising signs), while others among us are committed skeptics. It’s all good. But given how pervasive Mercury-retrograde conversations can be, we wanted to explore how public fascination around it (i.e., tweeting, chatting, meme-ing, and muttering) might actually influence our experiences during this time (and what you can do to make things a little easier if you’re pretty freaked out about Mercury ruling your life for a bit).

First, let’s talk about what Mercury retrograde is from a scientific perspective. Mercury retrograde means the planet appears to be moving backward instead of following its usual forward trajectory. “Retrograde is an optical illusion,” Aliza Kelly, a celebrity astrologer and host of the podcast Stars Like Us, tells SELF, adding that all planets have periods of this seemingly retrograde motion. But, as Kelly explains, “Planets don't ever really go backward in the sky.” Then what’s actually happening?

Every planet in the solar system travels around the sun, but they each make the full journey at different speeds. Planets closer to the sun, like Mercury, have a shorter orbit than the ones farther away from the sun, like Earth. So, when Mercury laps Earth, it looks as if Mercury is traveling backward, according to the Farmers’ Almanac. To account for the difference between our perception and the reality, astronomers call this illusion “apparent retrograde movement,” per the Farmers’ Almanac. Even though this happens with every planet, Kelly posits that Mercury gets the most attention because it goes retrograde more frequently than other planets. Astrological interpretations of Mercury’s role in our lives also play a part.

“Mercury is the planet that governs communication and expression,” Kelly says. “Any conduit for transmission or expression is going to be ruled by Mercury. This includes communication, technology, [and] transportation.” For those who believe that Mercury governs certain aspects of our lives, when the planet appears to be moving backward, we shouldn’t count on any of these parts of our lives moving forward at a normal pace.

Kelly says that since mercurial energy governs such big parts of our daily lives, these retrogrades don’t bode well for the natural order of our overly communicative world. This is why it’s not unusual for horoscopes to warn against making major decisions during this time.

Even if you don’t really believe in astrology, ubiquitous conversations about the retrograde planet might still make you feel like life is a bit more chaotic than usual in these times. This is especially true if your more astrologically inclined friends are blaming your life mishaps on Mercury retrograde.

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