September 2026: When Everyone Else Seems to Be Getting Back on Track
September often brings a familiar sense of returning to routine. The summer holidays come to an end, schools return, diaries begin to fill and there can be a feeling that it’s time to get organised and settle back into everyday life. After the slower rhythm of summer, you might even hear people talking about September as a chance for a “fresh start”.
But what if you don’t feel ready for one?
If August gave you a moment to ask yourself “How am I, really?”, September might be the month when the answer becomes a little harder to ignore. Perhaps you’re getting back into your usual routine on the outside, while inside you’re still feeling low, overwhelmed or disconnected. Maybe your relationship with food has become more difficult. Or perhaps you’ve realised that something in your life or relationships simply doesn’t feel quite right. Sometimes everyone else appears to be moving forward while we feel as though we’re standing still.
“I Should Be Back to Normal by Now”
September can bring a surprising amount of pressure , as we are back to work, back to school, back to routines, back to eating “properly”, back to exercise, so basically back to normal right?
However, emotional wellbeing doesn’t work to a timetable.
If you’ve been struggling with depression, grief, relationship difficulties or binge eating, the arrival of September doesn’t automatically make those difficulties disappear. You may still be functioning. You may be going to work, looking after your family and doing everything that needs to be done. However, functioning and feeling well aren’t always the same thing. Sometimes the person who appears to be coping is using an enormous amount of emotional energy simply to keep everything going.
What If You’re Not Sure Why You Feel This Way?
One of the things I often hear from people considering therapy is: “I don’t really know what’s wrong. I just know I don’t feel like myself.”
You don’t need to arrive at therapy with the answer.
In Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT), we become curious about what has been happening around the time your mood changed. I will ask has an important relationship become difficult? Maybe you have experienced a loss? Or could it be that something significant has changed in your life or your role within it? All of which may have led you to gradually become more isolated or disconnected from other people?
Rather than looking at you as though something is “wrong” with you, IPT considers your mood within the context of your current life and relationships. Sometimes beginning to understand those connections can help things start to make more sense.
When “Getting Back on Track” Becomes About Food
September can also bring renewed messages about food, weight and exercise. After holidays, meals out or a change in routine, there’s often talk about compensating, dieting or “being good again”. For someone struggling with binge eating, that pressure can be particularly difficult. You may find yourself thinking:
“I’ll be stricter from Monday.”
“I just need more willpower.”
“This time I’ll stay in control.”
However, binge eating is more complicated than simply lacking discipline. For some people, difficult emotions and interpersonal experiences can become part of the picture too.
Loneliness.
Conflict.
Feeling rejected or misunderstood.
Stress.
Changes in important relationships.
Food may temporarily offer comfort or relief when those feelings are difficult to manage.
That doesn’t mean every binge is caused by a relationship or an emotion. However, becoming curious about what was happening before the urge to eat can sometimes reveal something important. Consider this instead of asking:
“Why can’t I get myself back on track?”
ask…
“What has been happening in my life that I might need some support with?”
That small change in language matters. It moves us away from criticism and towards understanding. You might begin noticing that your mood drops after certain conversations. That you feel more alone than you realised or that you’re struggling with a change you thought you should have adjusted to by now. Or that food has gradually become one of the main ways you comfort yourself when things feel difficult. These aren’t reasons to judge yourself. They’re things worth becoming curious about.
Mood, Relationships and Eating Can Become Connected
One of the reasons I value IPT is that we don’t look at emotional difficulties in isolation from everyday life. Our mood can affect our relationships, and our relationships can affect our mood. When we’re depressed, we may withdraw from other people. When we withdraw, we can become more isolated. When we feel lonely, rejected or overwhelmed, we may look for ways to soothe ourselves. For some people, food becomes one of those ways.Then if binge eating is followed by guilt, shame or further withdrawal, another difficult cycle can develop.
Recognising these patterns isn’t about blaming yourself or the people around you. It’s about understanding what’s happening well enough to consider what might help.
Support for Binge Eating Doesn’t Have to Focus on Food Alone
This is also why the binge eating pathway I have developed alongside Martyna a dietitian whom i’ve worked with for many years brings together psychological and dietetic support. Rather than expecting you to piece different parts of your care together yourself, the pathway considers both the emotional and nutritional aspects of binge eating.
As an Interpersonal Psychotherapist, my role is to help you explore mood, relationships and the interpersonal experiences that may be relevant to what’s happening. Dietetic support (Martyna) provides a compassionate, practical space to explore your relationship with food and eating.
There are no promises of quick fixes. Instead, the aim is to provide joined-up, non-judgemental support that considers you as a whole person rather than simply focusing on the behaviour you’re trying to stop.
You Don’t Have to Wait Until You’re Certain
Perhaps you’ve been wondering about therapy for a while. You might have visited a website, read a few posts and then thought:
“Maybe I’m not struggling enough.”
“I should be able to sort this myself.”
“What if therapy doesn’t help?”
It’s understandable to have questions before investing your time, trust and money in therapy. You also don’t need to be certain before making an enquiry. An initial conversation is an opportunity to talk about what’s been happening, what you’d like help with and whether IPT might be an appropriate approach for you.
And if it doesn’t seem like the right fit for what you’re looking for, it’s important to be honest about that too.
A Gentle Thought for September
September doesn’t have to be about getting yourself “back on track”. Maybe it can simply be about noticing where you are. Ask yourself:
How am I, really?
What has been happening in my relationships?
What am I finding difficult at the moment?
And what might feel different if I didn’t have to work it all out by myself?
You don’t need a dramatic fresh start. Sometimes moving forward begins much more quietly, with recognising that something has been difficult and allowing yourself to consider support.
If you’re experiencing depression, relationship difficulties or binge eating, and you’d like to understand more about how I work using Interpersonal Psychotherapy, you’re welcome to explore my website or send me an enquiry via janetaylormadeipt@gmail.com or telephone 01470514217.
You don’t have to struggle alone, together we can navigate a way forward.