September Stress: How to Pause Before Routine Overwhelm Takes Over
Does September feel like a treadmill that starts moving before you’ve even stepped on?
The kids are back at school, uni terms begin and work ramps up. Suddenly, you’re back in routine before you’ve even had a chance to breathe.
That’s the hidden danger of September stress. It sweeps you back into structure so quickly that you can miss the chance to notice what’s working and what isn’t. Without that pause, you carry the same unspoken weight into another season.
The September That Stopped Me in My Tracks
Three Septembers ago, I didn’t slide back into routine. I was forced to stop.
Long Covid gave me four months of deep rest. And in that stillness, I realised something had already been shifting in me. I wasn’t “just” a Stress and Anxiety Coach anymore. My work had grown into something far more transformational. I just hadn’t paused long enough to notice.
That pause - unwelcome as it was - became a mirror. It showed me what needed to change. And from there, The Radiant Retreat was born.
September as a Mirror for Stress and Overwhelm
That’s what this season really is: not just a reset, but a mirror.
It shows us where we’ve slipped back into old habits. It points to the places that feel heavier than they should. It reminds us where stress and overwhelm start to creep back in if we don’t catch them early.
Some common signals:
Saying yes before you mean it.
Skipping the rest you promised yourself you’d take.
Filling the calendar to the brim.
Ignoring that restless “something’s off” feeling, even though life looks fine on the outside.
These aren’t failures. They’re signals. And signals are useful because when you pause to notice them, you can shift before they become something heavier.
Finding Calm in the Chaos of Routine
The truth is, September can feel like a treadmill that starts moving before you’ve even stepped on. The temptation is to sprint along and say yes to everything. But that’s exactly how we run straight into stress, overwhelm, and overthinking.
What if this month you practised doing the opposite?
Not overcommitting. Not automatically saying yes. Not sprinting back into full speed without first checking if it’s what you actually want.
Think of it as building your pause muscle. The more you practise it now, the stronger it will be by the time December rolls around - that famous season of overcommitting.
Small Shifts That Ease September Stress
Pausing to notice isn’t indulgent. It’s practical. Because small shifts, done early, stop stress piling up.
Here are a few to try:
Keep one evening a week free - a built-in breathing space.
Run the freezer or cupboards down - it makes meals calmer and reduces waste.
Say no to one thing that doesn’t light you up, and yes to one that restores you.
Leave ten minutes between meetings instead of cramming your diary.
Reclaim your bedtime rhythm - notice what your body actually needs now.
For me, it’s bedtime. All winter I’m tucked up by 10–10.30pm, but over summer with the long light evenings I tend to slip later - closer to 11–11.30pm. That works when the sun’s out but I can already feel my body craving that extra hour of rest again. So I’m easing myself back into my winter rhythm.
None of these are life-changing on their own. But they change the texture of your days. They create calm in the middle of chaos. And they build confidence too. Every time you pause, notice, and adjust, you remind yourself you’re capable of steering your own life instead of being swept along by it.
A Final Reflection
You don’t have to take four months off, like I did. But you can carve out a little space this week to pause and ask yourself:
What’s working for me right now?
What isn’t?
What one small shift could I make to bring more ease?
Because pausing to notice isn’t about being perfect. It’s about being kind to yourself.
And the earlier you do it, the lighter life feels.