Give yourself more time for travel

If you know a journey usually takes an hour, perhaps give yourself a little bit of a cushion on either side. Leave 15 minutes earlier than you think.

Why? Because Mercury retrograde has a rep for really messing with all things travel related. Expect cancelled buses, trains stuck at stations and a puncture in your bike tyre. Giving yourself a little extra time in case of any bumps in the road will lessen the stress.

Triple check all messages

Mercury retrograde also tends to mess with communication. To avoid any mishaps, make this a time you’re super stringent with checking, checking and checking one more time. That goes for emails, texts, WhatsApps, the lot. Watch out for embarrassing typos, important emails landing in your spam folder, and texts sent to the wrong people. Better safe than sorry.

Don’t have any big, important conversations during this time

On the topic of communication, perhaps consider holding any big, important chats until Mercury’s back to normal. This is a time when misinterpretation is rife and communication might hit blocks.

Triple check all your travel tickets and timings

We’ve already warned you about travel issues, but here’s a reminder. Have a proper look at any booked tickets and planned trips to ensure you’ve got everything nailed. If there’s a time when you’ll turn up for a flight on the wrong day, it’s Mercury retrograde.

Remain calm

Please remember that all this Mercury retrograde chat is highly theoretical, and could well be total nonsense. Even if it actually does have an impact, stressing about the potential chaos won’t help matters. Don’t catastrophise, don’t assume everything’s doomed, and take some time for deep, slow, calming breaths when any issues rear their head. Remain laidback and you’ll be far better equipped to deal with whatever mix-ups occur.

Mercury retrograde is back again on 4 August: this is your need-to-know guide to survive it