Reinvent Yourself This Fall With a ‘September Reset’
Fall sits between summer’s long, sunny days and winter’s long and cold nights, with the autumnal equinox arriving in late September. September is also a month of new beginnings as children return to school and parents dust off their own briefcases after vacation and return to the office.
This transition season provides a perfect opportunity to pause, reflect, and set new goals for the months ahead, Vogue reports. Here’s why September is such a great season to reset and how to get started.
A New Start
The September reset trend has gained popularity. It reflects the natural inclination to seek a fresh start during the season.
“September is the month we’re naturally used to getting in the ‘back-to-school’ swing as we were accustomed to picking classes, setting academic goals for the year, and — of course — reinventing ourselves for the school year ahead,” self-help expert and author Tam Kaur tells Vogue. “Because of this, it’s actually psychologically easier to reset now than it is in January.”
A Season of Reflection
Fall ushers in shorter, colder days, when people tend to spend more time indoors. Kaur explains this shift can make it easier to set aside time for reflection and goal-setting. “It feels genuinely more achievable to carve out time to sit down and ‘reset’ within our busy day-to-day lives,” she adds.
According to Stylist, fall marks the end of summer, a season when people may step away from their typical schedules. “Summer is usually a time where we can relax, break away from our routines and just be spontaneous,” Raquel Martos tells Stylist. “But doing this for a long period of time can make us bored and complacent, causing us to lose our sense of purpose and pick up bad habits.” That makes September a perfect time to recalibrate after summer’s more relaxed routines.
How to Start Your September Reset
Begin by setting achievable goals. Martos explains that it’s important to make self-improvement sustainable. “Set yourself up for success by setting small goals one at a time so it takes minimal effort to apply them and doesn’t become an overwhelming task,” she advises.
Building structure can also go a long way, according to Vogue. “A reset like this won’t stick unless it’s supported by routine,” Kaur explains. This can mean utilizing tools like habit trackers, calendars, and checklists to map out goals and set reminders. It can also mean doing a “digital declutter” by physically moving apps off your phone’s home screen and making tools and apps for meditation or organization easier to access.
It’s also important to prioritize self-awareness. “Watch your habits closely. Notice what distracts you, what throws off your momentum? When do you procrastinate, and why?” Kaur explains. Paying attention to these small patterns can help reveal which routines are beneficial and which ones are not.
Introspection, goal-setting, and self-growth should also be ongoing. “Similarly to New Year’s resolutions, it’s not going to work unless you make a commitment to yourself,” says Kaur. “Allow this to be your long-term strategy for creating the life you want for yourself.”
September offers a fresh chance to pause, refocus, and move forward with intention. This reset can help you step into winter and the new school year motivated, refreshed, and ready.
