How to Manage End-of-Summer Stress
Summer is often seen as a season of fun, travel, rest, and making memories. But as the days grow shorter and routines shift, many working parents find themselves feeling a wave of end-of-summer stress. If you’re already juggling work, family responsibilities, and your own well-being, the transition into fall can feel overwhelming. You’re not alone—and there are ways to move through this season and into the fall with more ease and support.
EMDR Therapy for parents in Massachusetts to help support transition to fall
Why the End of Summer Can Feel Stressful
While summer may feel more carefree in some ways, the end of it often brings a mix of pressure and stress. Some common reasons include:
Back-to-school prep: From shopping for supplies to managing kids’ complicated schedules on top of your own, the logistics can feel endless.
Changes in routine: Shifting from flexible summer days to structured fall schedules can be jarring. Your kids might struggle to return to routines and that stress falls back onto you.
Shorter days: Less daylight can impact energy levels and mood, leading to stress or even seasonal dips in motivation.
Unfinished summer goals: Maybe you didn’t mark of the items on your summer bucket list or spend as much time being present with your kids. This can bring feelings of guilt or “not enoughness.”
All of these layers can build up, leaving parents feeling anxious, exhausted, and disconnected from themselves.
Practical Coping Strategies
The good news is that small, intentional steps can make a big difference in seasonal stress management. Here are a few practical strategies:
Maintain routines where you can: If you’ve fallen out of routines with sleep, meals, and exercise, see if you can start integrating these back in slowly now, before the season change. Regular routines help regulate your nervous system and reduce overall stress.
Reduce unreasonable expectations: Notice if you’re trying to do everything at once. Instead, pick one or two priorities for yourself and your family. Give yourself permission to let the rest wait.
Prioritize self-care: Even brief moments of quiet, movement, time outdoors, or connection can help regulate your nervous system and replenish your energy.
Practice self-compassion: Remind yourself that transitions are challenging for everyone—it doesn’t mean you’re failing if you feel stressed.
How EMDR Therapy Can Help
Sometimes, stress around seasonal changes isn’t just about logistics—it can also stir up old patterns of anxiety, perfectionism, low self-esteem, or people-pleasing. That’s where a holistic therapy approach like EMDR can make a difference.
Through EMDR therapy for stress relief, clients gain tools to:
Reduce the intensity of anxiety around transitions
Break free from unhealthy relationship patterns that get triggered during stressful times
Reprocess old experiences of anxiety and overwhelm that get triggered during the fall, back-to-school season
Build resilience and coping skills so that future transitions feel smoother and less daunting
EMDR Therapy isn’t just about coping—it’s about helping you feel more grounded, confident, and present, no matter what season of life you’re in. With kids returning to school, you may have more time in your schedule for yourself. Now might be the perfect time to schedule an EMDR intensive. With an EMDR therapy intensive you get all the benefits of anxiety and stress relief of weekly sessions, but with deeper change at an accelerated pace. You can learn more about EMDR therapy intensives here or reach out to Rachel to schedule a free, 30-minute consultation to learn more.
Get the Support You Need to Have a Great Fall
If you’re finding the end-of-summer stress especially heavy this year, you don’t have to carry it alone. I’d love to help you find more ease, clarity, and balance as you transition into fall. Reach out today to schedule your free consultation and see how EMDR therapy or EMDR therapy intensives can support you in creating a calmer, more resilient season ahead.
Rachel Duvall, LICSW, holistic EMDR and trauma therapist for women and parents in Massachusetts and Florida
Rachel Duvall, LICSW is an EMDR, holistic, trauma therapist who specializes in working with trauma, perfectionism, burn out, relationship anxiety, and low self esteem. Whether you're struggling with parenting issues or looking for therapy for women, Rachel would love to help.
Rachel provides in-person therapy in Great Barrington, MA in addition to providing online therapy for women located in the areas of Springfield, MA | Boston, MA | Newton, MA | Hingham, MA
Online therapy for residents of Florida including Miami, FL | Tampa, FL | Sarasota, FL | Orlando, FL
