Why Your Anxiety Spikes During Mercury Retrograde (And How to Work With It Instead of Against It)
If you're a highly sensitive person, you've probably noticed that your anxiety doesn't follow a predictable pattern. Sometimes you feel fine for weeks, then suddenly you're spiraling over what seems like nothing. Your thoughts feel scrambled, communication goes haywire, and that familiar knot in your stomach appears out of nowhere. What if I told you that some of your most challenging anxiety episodes might actually be connected to planetary movements—specifically, Mercury retrograde?
Before you roll your eyes and click away, hear me out. As an art therapist who works with highly sensitive people, I've witnessed this pattern repeatedly: clients will come in during Mercury retrograde periods reporting sudden spikes in anxiety, communication breakdowns, technology failures that send them into panic, and a general sense that their world is falling apart. When I mention the astrological timing, there's usually a moment of recognition—a deep exhale and an "Oh, that makes so much sense."
What Mercury Retrograde Actually Does to Your Nervous System
Mercury, the planet of communication, technology, and mental processes, appears to move backward in the sky about three to four times per year. During these periods, which last roughly three weeks each, the areas of life that Mercury governs tend to get scrambled, slowed down, or completely disrupted.
For most people, this might mean a few missed emails or traffic delays. But for highly sensitive people and empaths, Mercury retrograde can feel like your entire nervous system is short-circuiting.
Here's why:
Your Sensitive System Picks Up Collective Confusion: As an empath, you're naturally attuned to the emotional and energetic environment around you. During Mercury retrograde, there's more collective confusion, miscommunication, and technological frustration happening. Your nervous system absorbs this ambient chaos and interprets it as a threat, even when nothing specific is wrong in your personal life.
Communication Breakdowns Trigger Attachment Wounds: If you have a history of relational trauma, miscommunications and misunderstandings can activate your nervous system's alarm bells. That text that goes unanswered, the email that gets lost, the conversation that goes sideways—these Mercury retrograde classics can trigger deep fears about being misunderstood, abandoned, or rejected.
Mental Processing Gets Glitchy: Mercury retrograde affects how we process information, make decisions, and organize our thoughts. For sensitive people who may already struggle with overthinking or racing thoughts, this planetary influence can amplify mental overwhelm exponentially.
Technology Failures Feel Like Personal Attacks: When you're highly sensitive, a crashed computer or lost document doesn't just feel inconvenient—it feels like the universe is working against you. During Mercury retrograde, these technological hiccups happen more frequently and feel more emotionally charged.
The Shadow Side of Fighting Mercury Retrograde
Most advice about Mercury retrograde focuses on prevention: back up your files, avoid signing contracts, expect delays. But what happens when you spend three weeks trying to control everything that could possibly go wrong? Your anxiety skyrockets even higher.
I've worked with clients who fall into Mercury retrograde periods as one would fall into an extended panic attack, constantly vigilant for the next thing to go wrong. They become hypervigilant, which is exhausting for a nervous system that's already sensitive. They try to prevent every possible miscommunication, which leads to over-explaining and people-pleasing. They avoid making any decisions, which creates stagnation and more anxiety.
This isn't working with Mercury retrograde—it's fighting it. And when you fight an astrological transit, you usually lose.
Working With Mercury Retrograde Energy Instead of Against It
What if, instead of seeing Mercury retrograde as something to survive, we viewed it as an invitation to slow down and turn inward? What if these periods of external chaos were actually cosmic permission to pause, reflect, and reconnect with your inner wisdom?
Mercury Retrograde as a Nervous System Reset: Think of Mercury retrograde like your computer needing to restart after running too many programs. Yes, it's temporarily inconvenient, but the system works better afterward. Use these periods to intentionally slow down rather than fighting to maintain your usual pace.
The Gift of Forced Reflection: When external communication gets scrambled, you're invited to turn inward and listen to your own inner voice. What have you been too busy to hear? What decisions have you been avoiding? What needs to be reconsidered or revised?
Permission to Be Less Productive: In our achievement-obsessed culture, Mercury retrograde gives you cosmic permission to be less efficient, less productive, and less "on" all the time. For sensitive people who often struggle with perfectionism, this can be deeply healing.
Somatic Practices for Mercury Retrograde Anxiety
Here are some body-based techniques I use with clients to help their nervous systems navigate Mercury retrograde periods with more ease:
The Mercury Retrograde Body Scan: When you notice anxiety spiking, pause and scan your body from head to toe. Where are you holding tension? Often during Mercury retrograde, we tense our jaw (communication anxiety), shoulders (carrying others' stress), and stomach (processing overwhelm). Breathe into these areas and consciously soften them.
Grounding Through Earth Connection: Mercury is an air sign energy—mental, fast-moving, scattered. When it's retrograde, that scattered energy gets amplified. Counter this by connecting with earth element: walk barefoot, garden, hold stones, or simply place your hands on the ground and breathe.
The Technology Pause Practice: Before checking your phone, computer, or any device during Mercury retrograde, take three conscious breaths. Set the intention to remain calm regardless of what you find. If something frustrating happens, pause before reacting and ask: "Is this actually urgent, or does it just feel urgent?"
Communication Nervous System Check: Before having important conversations during Mercury retrograde, check in with your nervous system. Are you activated or calm? If you're activated, do some regulation work first—shake out your body, do some breathing exercises, or take a walk. Communicate from a regulated state whenever possible.
Art Therapy Practices for Mercury Retrograde
Sometimes what we can't communicate in words can be expressed through creative practice. Here are some art therapy approaches for working with Mercury retrograde energy:
Stream of Consciousness Art: Set a timer for 15 minutes and create without thinking—let your hands move colors, shapes, and lines without trying to make anything recognizable. This helps process the scrambled mental energy that Mercury retrograde brings up.
Communication Mapping: Draw or paint the communication breakdowns you're experiencing. What do they look like as colors, shapes, or symbols? Often this reveals the emotional truth beneath the surface frustration.
The Mercury Retrograde Mandala: Create a circular drawing that represents your current mental/emotional state. Start from the center and work outward, letting whatever wants to emerge come through. This can help organize scattered thoughts and feelings.
Technology Relationship Art: Create a piece about your relationship with technology and communication. How does it feel in your body when your phone crashes or an email disappears? What would healthy boundaries with technology look like as an image?
EMDR and Mercury Retrograde Trauma Triggers
For trauma survivors, Mercury retrograde periods can activate specific triggers around communication and being misunderstood. If you notice intense reactions to miscommunications during these periods, it might be worth exploring with a trauma-informed therapist.
Common trauma responses during Mercury retrograde include:
Catastrophizing small communication mishaps
Feeling abandoned when people don't respond quickly
Rage reactions to technology failures
Dissociation when overwhelmed by too much information
Hypervigilance about potential misunderstandings
These aren't character flaws—they're nervous system responses to perceived threats. With proper support, you can learn to recognize these patterns and respond differently.
Creating Your Personal Mercury Retrograde Ritual
Instead of dreading these periods, create a ritual that helps you work consciously with the energy:
Pre-Retrograde Preparation (Week before):
Back up important files (practical preparation)
Clear your schedule as much as possible
Set the intention to move slower and be more mindful
Gather art supplies or journaling materials for creative processing
During Retrograde Practice (Daily):
Morning nervous system check-in
Afternoon technology pause and breath
Evening reflection: What am I being asked to reconsider?
Creative expression time for processing the day's energy
Post-Retrograde Integration (Week after):
Reflect on what insights emerged during the retrograde period
Make any necessary changes or decisions that became clear
Appreciate how you grew in patience and self-compassion
Prepare for the next retrograde with lessons learned
When Mercury Retrograde Anxiety Needs Professional Support
While Mercury retrograde can explain some patterns in anxiety, it's important to recognize when you need additional support. Consider reaching out to a mental health professional if:
Your anxiety during these periods significantly impairs your daily functioning
You're having panic attacks triggered by minor communication issues
You find yourself isolating completely during retrograde periods
The anxiety doesn't improve once Mercury goes direct
You're using Mercury retrograde to avoid addressing underlying trauma or mental health concerns
Mercury retrograde awareness should enhance your self-care toolkit, not replace proper mental health treatment.
Ready to Transform Your Relationship with Mercury Retrograde?
If you're tired of feeling like you're at the mercy of planetary movements and want to learn how to work with your sensitive nervous system during these periods, I'd love to support you. As an art therapist trained in EMDR and somatic approaches, I understand how astrological transits can amplify existing trauma patterns and anxiety responses.
In our work together, we might explore:
Somatic practices specifically designed for your nervous system
Art therapy processes for working with trauma
EMDR techniques for resolving retrograde-triggered responses
Creating personalized rituals that support you during these periods
I'm offering free 15-minute consultation calls where we can discuss how trauma-informed astrological therapy might support your journey toward greater nervous system resilience and self-understanding.
Book Your Free Consultation Call Here
You don't have to dread Mercury retrograde anymore. With the right tools and understanding, these periods can become opportunities for deep healing, creative expression, and nervous system regulation. Your sensitivity is a gift—let's learn to work with it skillfully.
