The September Shift: Navigating Seasonal Changes with Care

Someone recently said to me, “Even if you aren’t in school, or don’t have kids in school, there’s something different about life from June to September.” And it stuck with me, because it feels so true.

I notice it in myself every year. Summer holds this lightness, with longer days, less urgency, and a sense that things can stretch out just a little more. Then September arrives, and something shifts. The air feels different, the light changes, and there’s this quiet sense of returning to routine, even if nothing in your schedule technically changes.

For me, September always carries mixed feelings. There’s a part of me that loves the steadiness of getting back into rhythm, and another part that resists, wanting to cling to the looseness of summer evenings. Sometimes there’s even a bit of grief, I feel like I didn’t quite soak up enough of the freedom before it slipped away.

I share this because I know I’m not alone. Many of the people I work with notice the same thing. We talk about how September brings up a blend of comfort, resistance, excitement, and even a little heaviness. It’s a reminder that transitions aren’t always simple. They hold both loss and possibility at the same time.

If you’re feeling that tug right now, I encourage you to pause and ask yourself:

• What parts of summer do I want to carry forward?

• What rhythms feel supportive to return to?

• What emotions does this change stir up in me?

  
  

These questions don’t need quick answers. Sometimes just noticing is enough.

As the season shifts, my hope is that you give yourself permission to feel it all—the pull toward routine, the longing for rest, the nostalgia, the anticipation. Therapy can be a space to sort through those layers, to find steadiness within yourself while life continues to change around you.

Looking forward to seeing you!