Between Mercury and Venus retrogrades, eclipses in Virgo and Aries, and Neptune’s entrance into Aries, it has been an intense month astrologically. Today, though, the skies are calmer: The waxing moon moves through steady, dependable Taurus, and there’s virtually nothing in the way of cosmic shake-ups or planetary drama. Take the day to slow down, catch your breath, and find your balance.

Usually, you prefer to dive into new situations headfirst; if you don’t give yourself the chance to overthink things, you won’t have the chance to waffle or second-guess yourself. But today, slow down. Give yourself a chance to plan ahead; break your big ideas down into smaller pieces and tackle one at a time. You may worry you’ll lose your nerve if you take a more measured approach, but if anything, racking up smaller successes will help you grow bolder and more assured.

Sometimes, you’re hesitant to be too honest with others about what you’re feeling. If you’re having a hard time, you worry your friends will secretly scorn you; if you’re angry, you fear they’ll want to keep their distance. But chances are they’ve got struggles of their own, even if they haven’t let you in on them. By opening up today, you’ll make it easier for them to be honest with you in return and you’ll be better able to support one another.

You tend to have a hard time pacing yourself. Once you have an idea, you want to put it in motion right away and you get discouraged if you don’t see immediate results. Today, remind yourself that the most worthy goals often take the longest to realize. Try to expect that progress will come slowly — maybe so slowly you don’t even notice it’s happening. The more you can settle in for the long haul, the easier you’ll find it to enjoy yourself along the way.

You sometimes worry you’re too selfish — if you were a better person, you imagine, you would put your loved ones first and set aside your petty desires. But while it’s important to keep your ego in check, chances are you’re only being unfair to yourself right now. Your needs don’t matter any less than anyone else’s, and trying to disregard them will only make you frustrated and bitter. Today, everyone will be happier if you stop putting yourself last.

Sometimes you hesitate to try new things — not because you don’t want to but because you feel such pressure to stick with everything you start. Maybe you worry others will think you’re a flake if you abandon a new hobby, or maybe you’ve set the bar too high for yourself. Either way, it’s unreasonable. You can’t be sure ahead of time what will and won’t work for you. So today, give yourself permission to experiment.

Moments of crisis occasionally give you the greatest sense of clarity: In the heat of the moment, everything unimportant falls away and you’re able to see what truly matters. Just as often, though, the stress only further muddles everything and it’s only later that you can figure out what to do next. If you’re feeling confused right now, do your best to have a low-key day. If you can rest and let the dust settle, you’ll be able to make stronger, wiser decisions.

When you look around at the people in your life, it sometimes seems they’re all accomplishing so much more than you are — and even if you don’t think of yourself as a rabidly ambitious sort of person, it still makes you feel a little insecure. It can be tempting to ramp up your own goals in an attempt to catch up, but try to resist that impulse. Your efforts don’t need to be flashy and dramatic to matter.

You don’t usually accept things at face value — you understand that people contain hidden depths and that seemingly ordinary situations are often much more complex than they appear. If you sense someone is withholding the truth, you’re not afraid to pry. But today, be careful not to make life more complicated than it needs to be. Sometimes, people are exactly who they appear to be; don’t let your curious nature lead you to see secrets where none actually exists.

When you’re lacking in confidence, the answer is often to fake it until you make it; chances are you’ve already got the right skills and experience and you just need to shift your mind-set. Occasionally, though, that can feel like too much pressure. You worry you’ll sign on for work you’re unqualified for and will end up disappointing everyone and embarrassing yourself. So today, be honest about how you’re feeling and ask for help when you need it.

People always tell you not to compare yourself to others, and while part of you understands where they’re coming from, another part doesn’t see the harm — you need something to measure yourself against. The trouble is you’ll always find someone who’s better off, or who has climbed higher in your field, or who simply seems happier. There’s no winning, so today, listen to your friends when they encourage you to forget about everyone else and focus on yourself.

You may be a tad irritable today. It feels as though everywhere you go, people seem intent on making your life harder — to the point that you wonder if they’re doing it on purpose. But try to assume everybody is doing their best. You may have your doubts that they deserve your generosity, but that isn’t the point: The world will become more personally bearable if you can convince yourself that people may be frustrating but they aren’t all bad.

While some people seem to treat every conversation like a battle to be won, you tend to be uninterested in debate and prefer to take a more open-minded, collaborative approach. Today, just make sure your approach isn’t so relaxed that you end up getting steamrolled. If you disagree with something your friend said, speak up. If you think someone’s opinion is missing important context, say so. No matter how laid-back you feel, don’t forget to advocate for yourself.

Buy Claire Comstock-Gay’s book, Madame Clairevoyant’s Guide to the Stars, here.