August 24: Looking After Your Own Mental Health Too
Looking After Your Own Mental Health Too
As September approaches, much of the focus naturally turns towards children. Parents begin thinking about new school years, changing routines, uniforms, childcare, earlier mornings and how to help their children feel ready for the transition ahead. We listen to their worries, reassure them when they feel uncertain and try to make the return to school feel as calm and manageable as possible.
But parents experience transitions too. The end of the summer holidays can bring a complicated mixture of emotions. There may be relief at the thought of routines returning after weeks of juggling work, childcare, meals, activities and the constant demands of family life. At the same time, there may be sadness that the summer has passed so quickly, guilt about the things that did not happen or worry about how the family will manage the pressures of a new term.
For some parents, September also brings practical concerns about childcare, work, finances and the increasing demands of everyday life. The return to routine might not feel like a fresh start at all, it might feel like another period of adjustment, with new responsibilities waiting before the summer has had time to settle. These feelings can exist alongside one another.
It is possible to feel ready for the holidays to end while also missing the slower moments they created. It is possible to be looking forward to having more structure while feeling emotional about another stage of childhood passing. Relief does not mean that you have not enjoyed the summer, and sadness does not mean that you are not ready for routine to return.
Parents are often so focused on helping their children manage change that their own emotions become something to deal with later. Yet the way adults feel can shape how the whole family experiences a transition, which is why caring for our own wellbeing matters too. This doesn’t mean that parents must remain calm and positive at all times. Children do not need adults who never feel worried, tired or overwhelmed. They benefit from seeing that emotions can be recognised and managed with honesty and care.
Looking after your mental health may be as simple as noticing when you are carrying too much, making space for a quiet moment or speaking to someone you trust rather than trying to manage every feeling alone. It may mean lowering expectations during the first few weeks of term and accepting that everyone may need time to adjust.
As the summer comes to an end, allow yourself the same patience and understanding you are offering your children. You have spent weeks balancing family life, responsibilities and the emotional needs of those around you, and it is reasonable that you may need support and care as the next chapter begins. A new term is a transition for the whole family, and parents deserve space to feel, adjust and find their footing too.
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