Five Thoughts on a September Reset

“We all get so caught up in the moment of what we're doing every day, it's hard to hit that reset button and get pulled away from all that and see life from a different perspective.”

—Tony Stewart

While we often think of January, the technical first month of each year, as a time for reflection and renewal, I think these opportunities for a reset present themselves in a natural way throughout the year depending on the current rhythm of our lives. For many of us, September marks the beginning of a new year of school for the children in our lives and a return to perhaps a more structured routine after slower days and time spent away from work. The shift from a summer slowdown back to your regularly (over) scheduled daily life can be exciting, overwhelming, and maybe even sad. It can also be a time to take some moments to think about how to set yourself up for a mentally successful “new” year and the holiday season that will be upon us faster than the stores’ back to school displays shift to Halloween displays. Here are some of my thoughts on a September reset: 

1. Set intentions, not resolutions. 

Sometimes a simple tweak in language can change your perspective and plans in positive ways. New Year’s resolutions are often set as very specific, concrete, long-term goals that in my mind can be easier to “fail” at completing. If your resolution is to go to the gym every day and you miss a day, it can be easier to become discouraged and maybe even throw the whole goal out the window. However, if you set an intention of embracing and increasing (and hopefully enjoying) physical activity from where you are now,  you’ve just given yourself more flexibility to reach this goal and build on your success, even if you start by going from zero days of intentional physical activity to one day, or from walking the dog around the block to walking a mile. Be creative and have fun with your intentions, and build as you go (and grow). 

2. A content and well-balanced life cannot be built in a day. 

This reminder is a bit of a throwback to a previous post, but bears repeating. When we decide it’s time to make some changes, we often try to change or improve everything about our lives all at once. While this may seem greatly appealing, it’s usually highly ineffective and discouraging. We don’t build our best selves in one day. Grant yourself the gift of grace and patience and trust that the pieces will fall into place for you while you prioritize and address one intention at a time.  

3. Embrace help.

Why not kick your reset off with a commitment to seek and accept help when you need it and when it’s offered; as well as reaching out to provide help to others when you can? All research points to humans being social creatures who thrive in supportive communities, yet the messaging is also that our sense of accomplishment is strongest when we go it alone. Push back against our internalization of this messaging and double down on the idea of help as being instrumental to our contentment and well-being.    

4. Schedule rest.

We often categorize rest as something we do when every item on our to do list is crossed off and our email inbox is at zero (so never). But, being intentional about rest and building it into your schedule helps you maintain the emotional and physical energy to tackle your list, and feel more positive and at ease about accomplishing these tasks. Rest can look different for everyone, so I again recommend you get creative here. It may mean scheduling an evening to read a book, watch a movie, go for a walk with your family, do some yoga, to go to bed earlier than usual, etc. Think about how you can fit rest into your routine and add it to your weekly to do list. (See what I did there?) 

5. Accept where you are at this moment. 

You may be reading this thinking, September reset? I don’t know if I have the capacity to even think about this right now. And I’m here to tell you that you are a worthy human just as you are. I cannot overstate how important this is. Contemplating and making changes is challenging. It is even more challenging when you attach the ability to make the changes you want with your inherent sense of self worth. Change is most likely to happen from a place of acceptance of who and where you are.