Back to school: a few habits to take with you
There is something about September that makes us reflect on our routines and consider them with fresh eyes.
The earlier mornings have returned, the school bags are back out, the diary has started filling up again. Packed lunches, after-school activities, work, appointments, exercise classes and all the other little things that make up ordinary life have started to slot back into place. It can feel like a natural moment for a reset. As a true virgo, I absolutely love September. But I've never been convinced by the idea that it needs to be the month we suddenly become a more organised, healthier, fitter version of ourselves.
Perhaps instead, it's simply a good time to pause and ask: what does my life need from me now?
Summer has a funny way of changing our rhythms. We sleep differently, eat differently, move differently. We stay up later, spend more time outside, perhaps drink a little more, walk a little more, exercise a little less. Our days have more spontaneity and, hopefully, a little more space. None of that needs fixing. But it can be useful information.
Because the habits that worked for us in July might not be the habits that work for us in October. And rather than trying to force ourselves back into an old routine, September gives us an opportunity to create one that fits the life we're actually living now.
Your daily routine is a little love letter to your future self.
Every positive, constructive, mindful little thing, however small, takes you closer to where you want to be. So instead of a September overhaul, here are a few habits worth bringing with you…
Give your mornings something for you
I'm not talking about getting up at 5am to meditate, journal, drink lemon water and complete a workout before the rest of the house wakes up. For most of us, a healthy morning can be much simpler.
Open the curtains. Step outside. Make a cup of coffee and actually sit down to drink it. Take a few deep breaths before the day begins. Give yourself ten minutes before you start answering messages and working through your mental to-do list.
I've been trying to reduce my screen time lately, and one of the most effective things I've tried is charging my phone downstairs.
It's such a small change, but it means my phone isn't the first thing I see when I wake up. I'm not immediately pulled into other people's lives, opinions, news and notifications before I've even got out of bed.
Those first few minutes belong to me.
And I think that's really what this is about. Not necessarily creating a morning routine, but being a little more intentional about how you enter your day.
You don't need a complicated ritual. Just a better beginning.
2. Put movement back into your week
September can bring that familiar feeling that we need to “get back into it”. Perhaps the summer was less structured, perhaps you missed a few workouts, perhaps your usual routine went completely out of the window. That's okay. You don't need to make up for it.
Instead, ask yourself a slightly different question:
What kind of movement would make this version of my week feel better?
Maybe it's returning to your weekly class. Maybe it's two strength sessions, a walk after the school run or even booking in a weekend retreat to look forward to.
It doesn't need to be complicated. The best exercise routine is rarely the one that looks the most impressive on paper. It's the one that fits into your life well enough that you actually want to keep doing it.
And remember that movement isn't something we have to earn through food or use to compensate for a weekend. It's simply one of the things our bodies (and our minds) really need and will really thank us for.
3. Make nourishing yourself easier
September is busy. The diary fills up, the evenings get shorter and suddenly we're expected to be in three places at once.
When life feels full, looking after ourselves can become something we promise we'll do when things calm down. But there is always another busy week and actually, it’s the hectic, stressful weeks when you’re most in need of some self love.
So rather than completely reinventing the way you eat, make a few things easier. Cook a little extra at dinner and have the leftovers for lunch. Keep fruit where you can see it. Put something homemade in the freezer for the evenings when the day hasn't quite gone to plan.
Healthy eating doesn't need to be complicated, and it certainly doesn't need to be perfect. Sometimes it's simply making the nourishing choice the easy choice and letting go of the guilt that comes with a freezer tea once in a while.
4. Notice your energy, not just your time
This is something I'm trying to get better at myself. We're very good at asking whether we have time for something. But perhaps the more useful question is whether we have the energy for it.
September diaries can fill very quickly. We say yes to things because there is technically a space for them, without necessarily considering what that commitment will ask of us.
Start noticing what gives you energy and what quietly takes it away. Which activities leave you feeling lighter? Which ones leave you feeling depleted? When do you feel most like yourself?
And perhaps most importantly, where could you create a little more space? Because sometimes a healthy habit isn't something you add to your day.
It's something you decide not to do.
5. Keep something from summer
And finally, don't let September mean leaving everything you loved about summer behind.
Perhaps it was eating outside. Walking more. Swimming. Reading before bed. Sitting in the garden with a cup of coffee. Taking your time over dinner. Going somewhere without needing to make it productive.
The season will change, of course. But not everything has to. There is something lovely about carrying a little of summer's slower pace into autumn rather than closing the door on it completely.
September doesn't need to be a reset. You don't need a new body, a new routine or a new version of yourself. Perhaps it's simply an opportunity to look at the rhythm of your life as it is now and ask:
What would make this feel a little better?
Start there.
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