End of Summer Feelings - An August Recap and Tips for September
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August has always felt like a slightly magical month to me. Maybe it’s because everything slows down a little.
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Category
Lifestyle
Date
31/08/2026
Length
6 min read
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August has always felt like a slightly magical month to me.
Maybe it’s because everything slows down a little. The mornings feel softer, the evenings stretch on, and there is still enough light at the end of the day to make you believe summer might last forever.
I am very much a summer person. I love the heat, the long days, the bare legs, the smell of sunscreen, the sound of an ice cream wrapper being opened and the feeling that there is still plenty of time left. So when August comes to an end, I feel a little bit of grief.
Not the dramatic kind. Nothing that requires a black veil or a violin playing somewhere in the background.
But still… a little sadness.
Because saying farewell to summer can feel like saying goodbye to a version of life that I really enjoy.
August was good to us
We spent half of August on holiday in Italy and France, which is not something I will ever take for granted. What’s not to love about being away with the people you love? There were long lunches, beautiful views, slow mornings, warm evenings and all the usual holiday moments that somehow feel more special simply because nobody is rushing towards the next appointment.
Holiday has a way of making ordinary things feel extraordinary. A coffee tastes better when you’re sitting outside somewhere beautiful. Dinner becomes an event when it stretches into the evening. Even a simple walk feels different when you have nowhere you urgently need to be.
I loved being together. I loved the change of scenery. I loved the feeling of having a little more time for each other. And, of course, there is always something to grieve when a holiday ends.
Not in a heavy way. It is more like a small ache. The suitcase is unpacked, the laundry is finally under control and suddenly you realise that the long, unplanned days are over. The holiday has become a memory before you are quite ready for it to do so.
The beauty of coming home
The second half of August was spent back home, with Finn still off school and me slowly, very slowly, finding my way back into work. I say “slowly”, but we all know what that means in reality. A few emails here. A meeting there. A quick look at something that definitely does not stay quick.
Still, being at home during the summer holidays has its own kind of beauty. We don’t always have to be somewhere else to enjoy ourselves. Sometimes the best place to be is simply at home, without too many plans.
My pink couch has been my best friend.
She doesn’t ask anything of me. She is always there. She supports me when I’m tired, when I’m reading, when I’m scrolling, when I’m working and when I am pretending to work while actually staring into space. The pink couch understands me.
We also visited an amusement park, which was exactly as chaotic, noisy and fun as you would expect. There were rides, snacks, queues and the particular kind of tiredness that only comes after a day spent walking around an amusement park.
Finn also had a cosy sleepover at his grandparents’ house.
I love these moments for him. The excitement of packing a small bag. The anticipation. The stories he brings home afterwards. The feeling that something very ordinary has quietly become a childhood memory. And perhaps that is one of the loveliest things about summer holidays. They are not only about the big trips. They are also about the small moments that stay with us.
A sleepover at your grandparents’ house. A late breakfast. A day at an amusement park. A lazy afternoon on the sofa.
The kind of memories that may not seem important at the time, but somehow become part of the fabric of family life.
When summer ending feels like grief
If you are also someone who finds the end of summer difficult, I want you to know that you are not being ridiculous.
Seasonal transitions can affect us more than we realise. We move from freedom and lightness back into routines, school runs, deadlines, packed calendars and earlier mornings.
The change can feel emotional because it is emotional. We are not only saying goodbye to the weather. We are saying goodbye to a certain rhythm of life.
So, how do we deal with the end-of-summer dip?
When summer ending feels like grief
If you are also someone who finds the end of summer difficult, I want you to know that you are not being ridiculous.
Seasonal transitions can affect us more than we realise. We move from freedom and lightness back into routines, school runs, deadlines, packed calendars and earlier mornings.
The change can feel emotional because it is emotional. We are not only saying goodbye to the weather. We are saying goodbye to a certain rhythm of life.
So, how do we deal with the end-of-summer dip?
Keep a few summer rituals
Just because September has arrived does not mean every lovely summer habit has to disappear overnight.
I want to keep eating outside whenever the weather allows it. I want to continue taking evening walks, buying flowers, reading on the couch and making time for slow coffees.
Perhaps the weather will not always cooperate, especially here in the Netherlands.
But I can try.
When summer ending feels like grief
If you are also someone who finds the end of summer difficult, I want you to know that you are not being ridiculous.
Seasonal transitions can affect us more than we realise. We move from freedom and lightness back into routines, school runs, deadlines, packed calendars and earlier mornings.
The change can feel emotional because it is emotional. We are not only saying goodbye to the weather. We are saying goodbye to a certain rhythm of life.
So, how do we deal with the end-of-summer dip?
When summer ending feels like grief
If you are also someone who finds the end of summer difficult, I want you to know that you are not being ridiculous.
Seasonal transitions can affect us more than we realise. We move from freedom and lightness back into routines, school runs, deadlines, packed calendars and earlier mornings.
The change can feel emotional because it is emotional. We are not only saying goodbye to the weather. We are saying goodbye to a certain rhythm of life.
So, how do we deal with the end-of-summer dip?
When summer ending feels like grief
If you are also someone who finds the end of summer difficult, I want you to know that you are not being ridiculous.
Seasonal transitions can affect us more than we realise. We move from freedom and lightness back into routines, school runs, deadlines, packed calendars and earlier mornings.
The change can feel emotional because it is emotional. We are not only saying goodbye to the weather. We are saying goodbye to a certain rhythm of life.
So, how do we deal with the end-of-summer dip?
Look for the beauty that belongs to autumn
As we gently move into autumn, I am trying to remember that every season brings something healthy and necessary.
Nature is always evolving. Nothing stays exactly the same. The flowers bloom, fade and return in another form. The trees let go of their leaves. The light changes. The world slows down, rests and prepares for what comes next.
There is something comforting in that. Although I must admit that autumn in the Netherlands does not always arrive gently.
It has been raining ever since we got back from France. Not a romantic little drizzle, either. Proper Dutch rain. The kind that hits the windows sideways and makes you question whether you really need to leave the house after all.
At the moment, I am still looking for the beauty in it. Ask me again after three consecutive weeks of grey skies.
A softer way into September
I don’t think we need to choose between loving summer and welcoming autumn.
We can miss the warmth and still enjoy the first crisp mornings. We can feel sad that the holidays are over and still be grateful for the memories they gave us. We can be tired from going back to work and still feel excited about what is waiting for us in the months ahead. Life is always moving into its next season.
And perhaps that is not something to resist, but something to trust. The end of summer is not the end of joy. It is simply a change in the way joy arrives. Maybe it will be found in a warm bowl of soup instead of a cold glass of wine.
In a cosy jumper instead of a linen dress. In an early night instead of a late dinner. In the golden light of September. In the first autumn leaves.
In coming home, closing the door, putting on your softest clothes and returning to your pink couch.
That, honestly, does not sound too bad to me. So goodbye, summer.
Thank you for Italy, France, long lunches, amusement parks, family time, slow mornings, warm evenings and all the memories we made. I will miss you.
But I will try to welcome autumn with an open mind, a good coat and perhaps an unreasonable number of candles.
And if you are also finding the transition difficult, be gentle with yourself.
You do not have to be ready for the next season all at once. Just take it one day at a time. There is still beauty here.
Love, Dee
