The Problem You’re Having Trouble Articulating, Based On Your Zodiac Sign

Aries

You’re tired of fighting.

It feels like every aspect of your life is like another round in the ring, Aries. Like you have been facing adversity both personally and professionally and the only thing holding you up right now is the backbone you call self-respect. And while there is something noble about your “Cut me, Mick” attitude, the way you keep going when you know there’s no way to win, it’s also not serving you. You’re so afraid of being accused of having thin skin that you can’t distinguish continued abuse for what it is. Just because life isn’t easy doesn’t mean it should be this hard. Just because you’re a fighter doesn’t mean you have to win every battle.

Taurus

You want to drink the Kool-aid.

You’ve been judging the people who actually try, Taurus, but it’s not your best look. Part of your negativity is coming from a place of envy. It’s your job now to do the work of figuring out what about their success you actually admire and give props where it’s due. Some of your criticism may be justified—we all know your fine taste can spot a fake a mile away—but instead of remaining a critic, take your own stab at the artform and do it your own way. Find the cocktail umbrella that adds your unique point of view to the conversation and drink that Kool-aid with style.

Gemini

You feel suffocated by responsibility.

You function at a high capacity, Gemini. You can take on more than the average person. But the field you’ve chosen to pursue also comes with more restrictions and responsibility than those of your friends. Maybe you’re a teacher whose social media is scrutinized, or you are a medical professional who needs to be militant with sleep to cover long shifts at odd hours. Whatever it is that’s suffocating you, it’s time to put it into perspective. Sit down with those pens and paper and draw a Venn diagram. You know you love pros and cons. Remind yourself of all the positives that come with the parts of your life that are demanding—the reasons you chose this path in the first place. 

Cancer

You’re struggling to find a diplomatic way of wording something.

You’ve been asked for your opinion, Cancer, and whoever it is on the receiving end is not strong enough to handle what you really think. Whether it’s your closest friend or a coworker, you’re finding it next to impossible to handle a conversation with someone you come in close contact with. It’s come to a point where you can’t hear them complain about the same thing again, where you can’t enable whatever behavior or point of view you have taken such offense to, but there doesn’t seem to be a good way of putting your actual opinion on the topic. You’re going to have to make a judgment call: whether this person values you enough to hear the truth, and whether you value this person enough to tell it to them.

Leo

You’re afraid of becoming a big fish in a small pond. 

You’ve reached a plateau, Leo. Not your peak, but a comfort zone that comes from experience, like the arrogance that comes with senior year. You’ve been with the same friend group, or at the same job, or in the same work out class for a long time. You’re well known and liked, and you draw much of your identity from it. But you know there are bigger things to do with bigger groups of people who know nothing about you, to whom you don’t matter at all. And you also know that’s where the bigger opportunities are. It’s natural to not want to leave what feels safe, to resist change when things are going so well, but it’s also sometimes the time we need change most. Your fear comes from a part of you that knows you are capable of more.

Virgo

You’re afraid of underachieving.

You are good at so many things, Virgo. You are envied by many, which is why you’re having such a hard time articulating this fear. Because no one understands where it’s coming from. How could you be bad at anything when you’re so great at everything? But you know that the things you secretly want most are the things you imagine to be the hardest. You’re so intimidated and attracted to them at the same time that you are afraid to take that first step because you’re terrified of ruining that perfect track record. But sometimes the things we don’t get right on the first try, the ones that take the most hard work and practice, are the things we end up being proudest of of all. 

Libra

You’ve been admiring some self-destructive qualities.

You are responsible, Libra. You get eight hours of sleep, moisturize and hydrate daily. But you find yourself envying people and professions that border on obsession. There is something about listening to Nancy Silverton talk about staying up all night after night to learn how to bake the perfect loaf of bread or Michael Phelp’s militant training schedule that you are really attracted to. You wish you had a “thing” of your own to dedicate all of your time and energy to instead of a job that pays the bills and a handful of hobbies in your free time. Single-mindedness is a one-way ticket to success for some and a recipe for disaster for others. There is nothing you could love so much that it would be worth sacrificing your physical and mental health over.

Scorpio

You’re lonely.

When you say you hate the dating apps, Scorpio, you really just mean that you haven’t found anyone you’ve been interested in for a long time. You really mean you’ve been missing that genuine connection. You haven’t pulled anyone aside at a party full of people for one of those penetrating interviews you know how to conduct with strangers. You haven’t flirted with a barista or posted an Instagram story to grab a certain someone’s attention in weeks, and now you just don’t know what to do with yourself. You need to learn how to reach out to your support system and find that companionship in close friends and how to be alone with yourself. Carve out time to explore your interests. It will give you more ammo to connect with people over once you eventually find that spark again.

Sagittarius

You’re too intimidated to put that plan into action.

There’s something you don’t think you’re capable of doing alone, Sagittarius. Starting that business, planning that trip to India, renovating your living room. Just because something requires time, research, and multiple steps doesn’t mean it’s outside your wheelhouse. It just means you need to approach it one step at a time. Challenge your natural curiosity and lean on the experts around you. Don’t stigmatize asking people to share their knowledge, especially about topics we tend to see as taboo. Seeing that others have had to coach themselves through similar circumstances will give you the confidence to approach them yourself.

Capricorn

You’re worried about how other people will respond to your idea of success changing.

You took the red pill, Capricorn, and now your whole world has been turned upside down. This event, whatever it was, has redefined the way you see yourself in relation to your profession, has recalibrated your work-life balance, and it’s such a big change for you that you’re terrified how others will accept this deviation from the norms. The truth is you’re rattled and feeling a little deceived by things that provided the foundation for your previous beliefs. You resent the efforts you made toward reaching those goals and the feelings you thought they would bring you. The inner calm your new path brings you will also provide confidence, and the lingering qué dirán will dissipate into a relief that you made the discovery when you did.

Aquarius

Your growth is unlocking past guilt.

You’ve learned so much, Aquarius, it’s only natural for you to look back on past behavior with newer tools in your toolkit and wish you could have applied them sooner. It’s okay to recognize the areas you have improved in and acknowledge past mistakes. But try not to dwell too long on what you didn’t do when you didn’t know better. Or even if you did, try to dig deeper and recognize what was driving you to make those choices at that time: I acted out because I was angry. I hurt someone because I was hurt. I retreated inside myself to protect myself. Instead of feeling remorse over the choices you made, acknowledge how your ability to recognize and respond to these emotions has improved. It’s not just your behaviors that have changed, it’s the motivation behind them.

Pisces

You’re having a hard time justifying reservations that are founded on intuition.

Something or someone is giving you the ick, Pisces. And you feel guilty because you can’t put your finger on it. You feel something deserves chance after chance because you can’t bring substantial evidence in front of the jury of public opinion to prove otherwise. But just because you don’t have a smoking gun doesn’t mean you shouldn’t follow your gut. Is there subtext that is bothering you? Passive aggression? Subtle conflict? Be honest with yourself, and if the simple truth is that something just doesn’t make you feel good, that is reason enough for you to walk away from it.