The season of transition

There’s something about this time of year that can feel a little like whiplash.

Summer is a season of fullness. Long evenings, plans that spill into one another, more time outside and that lovely feeling that there is still plenty of day left, even when it’s getting late. We live a little more expansively, with festivals, gatherings, long lunches and last-minute plans that somehow turn into whole evenings. We stay out later, say yes to spontaneous plans and let our usual routines loosen around the edges.

Then September arrives and, almost overnight, the pace switches. Even if we feel ready for a change, there can be an ache in saying goodbye to summer. 

Perhaps this is a memory, stirred up from childhood. When we were young, September came with the sadness of the end of holidays mingled with the excitement of a new chapter (and a new pencil case!). So even when those days are long behind us, the season can still carry a kind of emotional memory. The particular look of the morning light, the smell of the air or the return of familiar routines can take us back, briefly, to those earlier autumns and to that very particular feeling of one chapter closing and another beginning.

For some, that might show up as melancholy, nostalgia or even a feeling of grief. For others, the return to structure can feel like a relief after the intensity of summer. There can be something reassuring about having a little more rhythm to the days, and about letting some of that outward summer energy settle.

Perhaps that is what makes September such an interesting threshold. We are still holding onto the last of summer while autumn is already making itself known. The season is changing whether we are ready for it or not, and perhaps that is part of what makes it feel so poignant. We notice the passing of time in a way that nature doesn’t seem to. We remember summers that have gone before, feel the sadness of something ending and find ourselves imagining what might come next.

Maybe this is part of what the changing seasons remind us of: that we are human. We are always moving through change, carrying memories with us while making room for whatever comes next. There is no way to hold onto summer forever, just as there is no need to rush towards autumn. We can simply experience the strange, beautiful in-between of the two.

Notice the shift

To help the change in season feel a little less abrupt, it can be helpful to practise the art of noticing.

Step outside. Pause. Look up, down and around. Over time, you’ll begin to witness the transition happening gradually. The changing of the light, the colours of the landscape and the cooler feeling in the air. The deeper shades of autumn are beginning to appear, while the hedgerows are still offering up the last of their summer abundance.

Take a moment to look inwards, too. Notice how your own body is responding to the changing season. Light is one of the strongest environmental signals that helps to set our circadian rhythm, our internal body clock. Morning light helps signal that it is time to wake and be alert, while fading light in the evening helps the body prepare for sleep. As September progresses, with sunrise getting later and sunset arriving earlier, that rhythm begins to shift.

Perhaps you notice that you’re ready for an earlier night, less inclined to make plans late into the evening, or simply more drawn towards quiet as the light fades. After months of long summer evenings, it can feel natural for our pace to begin changing too.

That doesn’t mean September is telling us to stop and slow down before we’re ready. It’s an invitation to pay attention, and to allow our own rhythms to shift alongside the season.

Nature as our teacher

If you find yourself feeling a little unsettled at this time of year, there is something reassuring about looking to the natural world and seeing how it responds to change.

September is a month of gathering and movement. Some birds are preparing to leave for warmer wintering grounds, while others are beginning their journeys towards us. Hedgerows are heavy with blackberries, elderberries, hawthorn, rosehips and sloes, offering food to birds and mammals as they prepare for the months ahead. Jays gather and bury acorns, creating stores for a future they cannot see.

Nature doesn’t suddenly stop when summer ends. There is a period of gathering, preparation and adaptation before the quieter months arrive. The landscape is changing, but it is still busy with life.

Perhaps we can borrow some of that wisdom for ourselves. Rather than seeing autumn as a time when we need to quickly slow down or let go, perhaps it can be a time to gather what we need for the season ahead.

What do you want to carry with you from summer? What would you like to make more space for? And is there anything that has run its course and no longer needs to come with you?

There’s no need to have all the answers now. September is a threshold, and sometimes a threshold is simply somewhere to pause for a moment and notice where you are.

Your September rituals 

What I love about seasonal rituals is that they don’t have to be complicated or elaborate to become meaningful. 

Start with the light

Even on a cooler morning, stepping outside with your first cup of brew or taking a short walk gives your body the chance to experience natural daylight early in the day.

And perhaps this is the month to create a simple evening ritual of your own. Light a candle, run a warm bath, read a few pages of a book or simply sit somewhere quiet for a while. Add a comforting cup of True Nightcap+ and let the moment become something you look forward to rather than another thing to tick off.

Move with the season

You don’t need to abandon the movement you enjoy, but September can be a good time to become a little more responsive to what your body is asking for.

Some days, a long walk through the changing landscape might feel more appealing than an intense workout. On others, you might find yourself ready to return to a strength routine that slipped away over summer. There is no perfect autumn routine. It’s simply about making a little more room to notice what feels supportive now.

Make a little space

There is also something so satisfying about a small seasonal clear out. Not the kind that requires an entire weekend and several trips to the charity shop, but simply choosing one space that has been quietly asking for your attention. Your bedside table, your kitchen cupboard, your work bag or the corner of your desk. Sometimes making a little physical space can help us feel ready for a change that is happening internally too.

Bring warmth back in

As the weather cools, warming meals and seasonal ingredients naturally begin to feel more appealing. Soups, roasted vegetables, slow-cooked dishes and warming spices bring a different kind of comfort after the lighter meals and long days of summer.

A morning cup of Cacao + Collagen can be another lovely way to welcome the change, particularly on those cooler mornings when you want something warm to hold onto as you start the day.

And perhaps, before rushing into everything that September brings with it, take a little time to reflect on the summer that has passed. What lessons came up? What memories do you want to hold on to? What do you want to carry forward?

You could even take five quiet minutes (under your favourite autumnal tree in your cosy knit jumper) and write down what you’re grateful for, what you’re ready to leave behind and what you want to make space for next.

The seasons remind us that change doesn’t always need to be organised or managed. The light changes, the trees change, the birds adapt and eventually, so do we.

So as summer begins to soften into autumn, perhaps there is nothing to force and nothing to hold onto too tightly. We can simply pay attention to what is changing, gather what we need and make a little space for what comes next.