Published: August 13, 2025 | Reading time: 6 minutes
Anyone else feeling that September energy starting to creep in... in mid-August?
I swear it gets earlier every year. One minute you're savoring peak summer, the next minute everyone's talking about back-to-school shopping and fall prep like summer is already over.
But here's the thing: it's still August. Late summer has gifts to offer, and rushing toward fall means missing them entirely.
As a holistic nutritionist who's spent years helping busy women find balance, I've learned that the transition periods are where we either thrive or merely survive. The difference? How intentionally you choose to embrace what's actually happening right now.
The Psychology Behind Late Summer Anxiety
That restless feeling you're experiencing? It's not just you. Research shows that seasonal transitions trigger stress responses in most people, even when the change isn't directly affecting them.
Here's what's happening in your brain: As daylight subtly shifts and cultural energy changes (hello, back-to-school marketing everywhere), your nervous system picks up on these cues and starts preparing for "busy season." Your body is literally getting ready for stress that hasn't happened yet.
The problem? When we live in future-focused anxiety, we miss the abundance that's available right now. And late August? It's peak abundance season.
When Life Gives You Too Many Tomatoes: A Lesson in Slowing Down
Last week, I found myself drowning in garden tomatoes (great crop year - YAY). Instead of letting them rot (and feeling that familiar guilt about waste), I decided to try something I'd always been curious about: homemade ketchup. Recipe here
What started as a "what do I do with all these?" moment turned into an unexpected afternoon experiment. My family became enthusiastic taste-testers along the way, and honestly? It was delicious!
But here's what struck me: making ketchup wasn't on my late-summer to-do list, but maybe it should have been.
The Science of Slow: Why Unhurried Moments Matter
There's actual research behind why that spontaneous ketchup-making afternoon felt so good. Studies on "flow states" show that when we engage in present-moment activities - especially ones that use our hands and create something tangible - our stress hormones decrease and feel-good neurotransmitters increase.
The magic ingredients for stress reduction:
- Focused attention (stirring, checking consistency)
- Tangible results (actual ketchup at the end)
- Sensory engagement (smells, tastes, textures)
- No time pressure (it takes as long as it takes)
This is why gardening, cooking, crafting, and similar activities are so therapeutic. They anchor us in the moment while creating something useful.
The Mental Health Benefits of Seasonal Cooking
When we cook with seasonal abundance, we're doing more than just making food. We're practicing mindfulness, reducing waste anxiety, and connecting with natural rhythms - all proven stress reducers.
Tomatoes in late August aren't just ingredients; they're:
- Peak nutrition - highest heart healthy lycopene content of the year
- Natural stress relief - cooking with fresh produce reduces cortisol (stress hormone)
- Connection to place - whether from your garden or local farm
- Abundance mindset - appreciating what's available now
Simple Homemade Ketchup Recipe: Blend fresh tomatoes, apple cider vinegar, garlic and onion powder, and a touch of brown sugar. Simmer for 40 minutes until thick. That's it.
The process is as valuable as the product. The slow time stirring, tasting, adjusting - it's moving meditation disguised as meal prep.
5-Minute Reset Rituals for Transition Anxiety
When that September energy starts creeping in (because it will), having quick reset tools makes all the difference. These aren't complicated wellness practices - they're practical strategies you can use anywhere.
Morning Grounding (2 minutes)
Before checking your phone, put your feet flat on the floor and take three conscious breaths. This simple practice activates your parasympathetic nervous system (the rest and digest one) and starts your day from a calm place instead of reactive mode.
Transition Breathing (1 minute)
Between tasks, pause and exhale longer than you inhale. This physiologically signals safety to your nervous system and prevents that building tension that accumulates throughout busy days.
Evening Release (2 minutes)
Write down three things that went well today. Gratitude practices literally rewire your brain for noticing positive aspects of your experience, counteracting anxiety's tendency to focus on problems.
The secret? Small, consistent practices beat grand gestures every time. You're not trying to become a meditation expert - you're just giving yourself tools for when life feels overwhelming.
Movement That Fits Real Life
September doesn't have to mean abandoning your body's needs for productivity.
The research is clear: Even 10 minutes of movement significantly impacts mood, energy, and cognitive function. But here's what wellness culture gets wrong - it doesn't have to be a formal workout.
Energy Boosters That Work:
Morning stretch routine while your coffee or tea brews. Your body has been horizontal for 8 hours - gentle movement helps circulation and energy flow.
Midday walk around the block. Natural light exposure helps regulate circadian rhythms, and changing your environment resets mental focus.
Evening dance session while making dinner. Music + movement releases endorphins and transitions you from work mode to home mode.
The goal isn't fitness perfection - it's maintaining that summer vitality when schedules start getting crazy.
The Productivity-Mental Health Balance
Here's something I wish more people understood: productivity doesn't need to come at the expense of your mental health.
In our culture's rush toward fall efficiency, we often sacrifice the very practices that keep us resilient. But discipline in wellness isn't about doing more - it's about protecting what matters most.
This means:
- Maintaining stress-relief practices even when busy
- Choosing nourishing foods even when convenient ones are easier
- Moving your body even when schedules are packed
- Staying present with late summer instead of rushing toward fall
Your Late Summer Action Plan
This week, try this approach:
Day 1-2: Practice one 5-minute reset ritual daily
Day 3-4: Try one of the movement boosters
Day 5-7: Cook something with late summer produce (mindfully!)
The goal? Stretching these warm weeks instead of rushing past them toward fall's demands.
The Bottom Line
You don't need to shift into fall mode yet. Late summer still has gifts to offer - abundant produce, warm evenings, and the luxury of slightly less structured time.
The best preparation for busy season isn't cramming more tasks into these final weeks. It's developing the practices that will sustain you when life gets overwhelming.
Making homemade ketchup taught me something important: sometimes the best way to handle abundance is to slow down and savour it, rather than rushing to the next thing.
That's true for tomatoes, and it's true for the rest of late summer too.
Ready to ease into fall without the overwhelm? Download my free Pantry Reset Guide to stock your kitchen for busy season, or try my Reset Meditation for when transition anxiety hits. Both are designed to help you stay grounded while life shifts around you.
