When a Pisces is under stress, all they want to do is hide under a banana leaf and hope the world disappears. The last thing you need is a highly structured life-style when you feel your nerves on edge–Pisces does not like to be confined. Ruled by Neptune, Pisces is a sign which absorbs the feelings of the world around them like a sponge. As such, Pisces needs to drop off cares of the world in much the same way they would drop a heavy coat from their shoulders. You are the only mutable sign of the water signs, and therefore the most flexible. Your very flexibility can give you problems coming to closure and making that final decision. Symbolized by a dual sign of two fishes swimming upstream and downstream at once, Pisces always sees both sides of every issue. Decide on an amount of time that you will devote to the decision-making process, then set a deadline for action.
Some will call you escapist, but it is your secret weapon in a sometimes cruel and uncaring world. You need to create your own reality when life just gets too hard to take. As long as you don’t find solace in alcohol and drugs (two substances ruled by now-you-see-it-now-you-don’t Neptune) your ability to daydream and visualize better times is your strongest suit. Creative visualization is one of the most positive ways to deal with change and Pisces is more adept at this than most signs. Give yourself private time every day to indulge in daydreaming–and make it a playful process rather than “work.”
While Cancer offers food to show their love, and Scorpio offers sex, Pisces offers friends, family, and even people they hardly know, the deepest compassion from the very depths of their soul. Few signs would be as willing to forgo personal pleasure on behalf of another. Yet all this giving can wear out a Pisces over time, and sometimes they simply don’t know how to stop giving. When you feel stretched, take private time to go to a place near water. A perfect place to go would be to an island like Nantucket, where few distractions of modern life intrude, a place where you can hear the sea at night. There you will find time to meditate and center yourself. Go alone or with one person who supports you emotionally. Give yourself space to breathe.
Can’t get away? Then take frequent baths or sensuous showers (complete with a good, rich body shampoo), swim regularly in a heated pool, soak in a Jacuzzi or hot tub. Or buy some brilliantly colored tropical fish to stare at now and then during the day. Pisces regains their sense of self and regains their inner motivation when near water–nothing else is as powerful a natural tranquilizer.
Many Pisces love the movies (Neptune rules film and photography) and quite a few feel jittery if they can’t regularly duck into the Cineplex. The character Mia Farrow played in Woody Allen’s Purple Rose of Cairo must have been a Pisces, so dearly did she love the stories and the characters in the movies! Pisces loves them all–current blockbusters, foreign flicks, American classics.
Pisces rules the feet, quite fittingly because this sign bears the weight of the entire body (zodiac) on their feet. Pisces loves to buy shoes–treat yourself to a new pair for an instant lift. Women Pisces should treat themselves to a pedicure, and either sex should ask their lovers to gently rub their feet with peppermint cream at night before they sleep. If you can get a professional reflexology treatment, all the better. Dancing is another great idea, even if you only dance a slow dance (like to Natalie Cole’s ‘Unforgettable’) with your lover in your living room. Pisces likes romance, complete with candlelight.
Your sign rules the subconscious and dreams. If you feel stressed-out, make your bed more comfortable. If you haven’t treated yourself to a squishy goose down pillow, get one. Some new sheets–crisp cotton in the summer or cozy flannel in winter–could make sleeping enjoyable again and stop you from pacing the floor. Keep a dream journal near your bed–Pisces should rely on their dream diaries for clues to solving everyday dilemmas. Women Pisces love lingerie, so perhaps treat yourself to a new nightgown. Neptune also rules liquids of all kinds, so spraying on a light fragrance or rubbing on a body cream after your shower could help you sleep more restfully.
Music is also under the domain of Father Neptune, so don’t discount the mood-enhancing possibilities of man’s oldest form of tranquilizer–or energizer. One Pisces we know is energized and soothed at the same time by listening to the latest top 40’s tunes, turned up full volume. The point is that the music doesn’t have to be classical (but it could be). Try out a jazz, country, or anything you haven’t been listening to lately.
If you decide to try exercise to unwind, your sign doesn’t usually like competitive games or sports. Do something with music attached to the activity, such an aerobics class or step video. Your spiritual side might enjoy t’ai chi chuan, the gentlest of the martial arts, and the one which has been called mediation in motion. It involves exercising your inner energy (“chi”) which results in strengthening both your mind and body. This discipline is said to cure insomnia and stress, and build flexibility, muscle strength and overall balance.
When tense, Pisces usually does not like to fuss too much in the kitchen. Choose a restaurant that will transport you to a new locale. (Pisces has a very rich imagination). Try Indian, Thai, Vietnamese, or other Asian cuisine (Pisces rules the Orient), and be sure the restaurant has great ambiance. A highly visual sign, the environment will have as much effect on you as the food. If the restaurant is softly lit, even dark, and plays music of the particular culture, so much the better.
Hang out with people who are as sympathetic as you are when you are going through a hard time. Sagittarius may be too direct for you now, and both Aries and Leo may lack the patience to hear you talk things out. Choose instead a fellow water sign (Cancer, Scorpio) or a serene earth sign (Taurus, Capricorn or even Virgo if the latter isn’t too critical of you). Air signs will tend to be too analytical and too cerebral for your mood. What you need most is heart–someone to give you the support and confidence you need to help you help yourself. Biting realism will only hurt your feelings, adding to your anxiety.
A highly creative sign, Pisces excels with symbols because it is a very right-brain sign (unlike their opposite sign of Virgo, which is highly left-brain.) Pick up your camera and try to express your feelings on film. Working in a darkroom can be a sensuous experience, where time flies as you work in the cool, dark room with your photographs. Alternatively, you could also try your hand at poetry–with surprisingly fine results. Researchers have found poetry can send the brain profound messages through symbolism and can be actually therapeutic. If you don’t feel like writing poetry, reading it can also have a the same effect. Scan the bookstore for a poetry book by someone new, or take an evening class (Spanish poets, modern poets, a class on Yates or romantic poets, for example). Read it slowly and let the images and symbolism touch you, stimulating your thinking. Anything too literal is not going to help you in times of stress, so poetry could be the perfect anecdote.
Pisces, the last sign of the zodiac, is thought to be highly spiritual. Find peace in prayer and mediation. Go on a retreat, whether a traditionally religious one or one of the new age retreats complete with instructors who will teach you how to meditate or offer soothing massage. Don’t feel compelled to leave a string of phone numbers for your boss and family to reach you. Or to get out of yourself, volunteer your services at a local charity, perhaps something that will bring you in contact with children or those confined to hospitals. Refocusing on the plight of others is a sure way for Pisces to forget their own troubles.
