Spring Equinox is wildly accepted as a generally pleasant time of year, but let’s be honest- the most depressing months of the year fall into this humdrum category. The weather feathers back and forth between leftover winter chill, the weekly (but expected) April Showers fall, and a 75-degree Saturday sprinkles itself into the mix every so often, but just enough to hold you over until Mother Nature has fully balanced herself out.

In reality, Spring Equinox is far from the true definition that is the equilibrium, and so as the weather goes, my ability to stay mentally sound is challenged. As if this isn’t rough enough, here comes Mercury in Retrograde riding the coattails of early spring, ready and willing to literally fuck your whole up.

In these months, I’m not myself. It takes every ounce of my willpower to get going each day and the entirety of my functional human existence is affected. Have you found it harder to find your creative flow lately? Have you struggled with feelings of loneliness, disappointment, and self-worth? Has the job you love felt more like the paycheck is the trophy and you’re all but dragging yourself across the finish line to obtain it?

You’re not alone.

I’ve had to put myself in check every single day this week and remind myself that this season will pass, and everything will work out as it should.

But it’s not easy.

I’ve found myself burrowing further and further into my own reclusion and setting up camp there, and what a dark and weird place it is to be. Astrologically speaking, Mercury rules many different areas of our life including communication and formal/informal contractual agreements. That said, it’s encouraged to steer clear of any binding decisions like closing on a house or signing a lease.

Want to know what I’ve chosen to do?

I’m signing a lease on a home and moving in- right in the middle of madness. Perhaps it’s so intrinsically engrained into my chaotic being to thrive on this sort of rationality, but maybe it’s as simple as boiling down to this: living with your parents as an adult is rough, and I’m going with the first opportunity of an out that I can find. Whatever it may be, I’m going on a whim and making a drastic life change, all during the retrograde that is Mercury.

But maybe it is these very changes that help dig us out of the rut that this season dumps us into. I’m an actual queen at throwing myself into uncomfortable situations, but usually the result of them leave me refreshed and in a better place than I was before.

Additionally, while Mercury is in Retrograde it is encouraged not to transition into a new job as it may not be all you thought it was going to be while your planetary alignments were out of whack. Launching a website or publicity campaign should also wait (if you’re able to hold off) as Mercury rules all aspects of communication. As a writer, I FEEL THIS IS ON A DEEPLY PERSONAL LEVEL.

On paper, things are going well for me, but untangling the negative notions that have my thought-process held so tightly is the tricky part. If you’ve found yourself in a similar mentality, I can’t tell you what will work for you, but I can tell you what works for me.

Self-care.

Self-care is important. And beautiful. And absolutely necessary.

Draw a hot bath. Pour a glass of wine. Put on a facemask and a record. Do something mindless that brings you enjoyment.

WASH YOUR BEDDING AND THEN BASK IN IT. With the window drawn open and a mug of your favorite hot tea.

Take a day trip. Go it alone. When you’re lonely, the thought of the leaving town with just your own thoughts to keep you company can seem daunting, but I can promise you it has been the most effective way to re-center my headspace and find myself all over again.

FIND YOURSELF AS MANY TIMES AS POSSIBLE. Lose your mind, find yourself, rinse, and repeat.

All these things are life’s little gems that I implement into my weekly practice of getting my mental back into check. It’s painfully hard to even care for yourself, let alone love yourself, in any (or all) of the right ways when you’re emotionally spent, but the reap is worth the sow when it comes to self-care.

Because at the end of the day, better days are ahead, and things will return to their regularly scheduled programming soon enough. Sunshine is literally ON THE HORIZON- roll the windows down and let it on in.

The magic really is in all of us, we’ve just got to work a little harder to channel it this time of year.