Most of us have heard of the Mercury Retrograde that temporarily turns our lives and brains into slow-motion, but the Venus Retrograde can affect our lives as well, just not in the same ways.

The Venus retrograde phase began on July 25th this year. And then, it happens every 18 months. With it comes dealing with any issues in your love life that you’ve brushed under the rug one too many times, as well as examining your own emotions and feelings.

The retrograde might call for totally revamping your relationship, and even if it feels like you are going through a time warp that you can’t seem to find a way out of, these tips will help you get through Venus Retrograde without completely losing your mind (and love life)…

How to Survive Venus Retrograde With Your Love Life Intact:

1. Make sure to take time for yourself and reflect on your inner self.

Any retrograde calls for us to venture inwardly and examine our innermost thoughts and feelings. During the Venus Retrograde, these emotions will likely center around your relationship, so let them flow. Don’t let any corner of your soul go untouched as you make the journey within to uncover any hidden feelings you may have overlooked before.

It might feel uncomfortable at first, but honoring and recognizing your emotions will go a long way in helping you understand yourself and connect on an even deeper level to your partner.

2. Expect communication with others to be a bit turbulent, but try your best to create harmony.

During retrogrades, communication with other people can seem a bit awkward or unpleasant. Expect disagreements and misunderstandings, but do your best to exercise patience and compassion when listening to others (aka your partner). He or she might seem more on edge or just not in the mood to verbalize clearly, but you don’t have to let this take away your mojo. Respond rather than react, and make sure to have rational, civil discussions before jumping to any conclusions.

Patience and understanding are crucial for making it through the Venus Retrograde, and these are wonderful virtues to apply in every area of your life, anyway.

3. Take this time to find the gorgeousness within yourself, as well as the natural beauty we all possess outwardly.

Feeling less than perfect and lacking self-esteem lately? The Venus Retrograde will pull you back into yourself and make you realize that your supposed imperfections make you unbelievably beautiful. It doesn’t matter what size jeans you wear, how many pimples you have on your face, or the fact that you just can’t seem to tame that hair of yours.

While people do see your physical self first, your true beauty lies within. No one can ever take that away from you, just like no one can wipe away your confidence in both your inner and outer beauty.

4. Talk through any relationship struggles with your partner, and be open to their point of view.

Right now, talking through any sort of problems can feel like World War III, but don’t let this stop you from hashing things out if you need to. Also, just because you might disagree on something, doesn’t mean you can’t listen to your partner’s opinions fully and openly before stating your case.

While this time doesn’t provide the best energy for dealing with conflict and finding resolutions, you can still have meaningful conversations with your partner – it might just take more effort to find a middle ground.

5. Now isn’t an ideal time to welcome an old flame back into your life, so resist the temptation.

Maybe an old flame has recently gotten back in contact with you and wanted to find that spark with you once again. However, the Venus Retrograde isn’t the best time to rekindle romance with an ex, simply because your mind won’t be operating at full capacity. In general, any retrograde doesn’t give us the best hand of cards when it comes to making big decisions; it’s best to avoid making any sort of commitment during these times, if at all possible. Otherwise, you might make a decision looking through distorted lenses, and you will have to deal with the repercussions of that choice once the retrograde passes.

You will likely realize that your mind temporarily left the building when you decided to get back with an old flame, but at least you can blame it on the retrograde, right?

Are you experiencing any of these events through this period of Venus retrograde?  Share your experience below…