You Still Have Time: The Self Care Reset I’m Taking Into the Final Months of 2026

You don’t have to have everything figured out to make the rest of this year count.

It is officially September, which honestly brings a different energy.

I don’t know what it is about September, but it always feels like the final push into everything you wanted for the year. Maybe it’s the kids going back to school. Maybe it’s the weather starting to change. Or maybe it’s just knowing that summer is quickly coming to an end.

Whatever it is, September feels like the perfect time to reassess the things you said you wanted.

If you scroll social media right now, you’ll probably see people talking about their “90 day run,” “locking in,” or recommitting to the goals they set at the beginning of the year.

And I feel like you either fall on one side of the spectrum or the other.

On one side, you have people who have completely checked out of the year and have pushed everything to 2027.

On the other side, you have people trying to accomplish EVERYTHING in these last four months.

But I think there’s a healthier middle ground.

Why September Feels Like a Reset

I think our bodies have been trained since childhood to associate September with a reset.

For over 12 years, September meant summer was ending, school was starting, and we were getting back into a rhythm and routine.

So it makes sense that, as adults, September can feel like a refresh, restart, or reset month.

Last year, I wrote a post about locking in on what matters to you because society and social media will have you doing all these things that don’t necessarily align with your goals. CLICK HERE TO READ

Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with waking up early and hitting the ground running. But you don’t have to do all the things to have a productive, healthy, well rounded life.

I think sometimes we confuse doing more with actually doing what matters.

And those are two very different things.

What Do You Actually Want?

In this weekends newsletter, I talked about how trying to do what everybody says is good or cool will only leave you coming up short.

I shared how I thought I needed to wake up at 5 AM, when during that season of my life, it wasn’t actually beneficial to me. It was leaving me depleted by noon.

Social media and other people will have you thinking you have to do all these things in order to be successful, when they aren’t necessarily true for you.

I’m at a point in my life where I only want to do the things that are most effective toward the goals I’ve set for myself. But the only way to get to that point is by sitting down and truly asking yourself: What do I actually want?

I feel like so many times we have visions, goals, and dreams for our lives, but somewhere along the way, they get lost.

Maybe people told us to be more practical.

Maybe life knocked us down.

Maybe we started comparing our lives to other people’s lives.

Or maybe we minimized the things we wanted because it seemed easier than admitting we still wanted them.

Over the last couple of weeks, I took some time to sit, reflect, and dream about who I want to be.

And I was honest with myself.

More importantly, I gave myself permission to change my mind.

You’re Allowed to Change Your Mind

At one point, I had a very specific idea of what I thought my life would look like. And it doesn’t look that way anymore.

So I had to readjust my vision because some of the things I once wanted no longer serve me.

I had to confront things like relationships and ask myself: Do I actually want to be in a relationship, or have I just convinced myself I don’t because I enjoy being alone and it feels easier?

The woman I wanted to be years ago may not be the woman I want to be now.

And that’s okay.

How I thought my life would look, even a year ago, has evolved and changed.

The more you grow, live, experience, and are exposed to different things, the more your perspective starts to change. I think sometimes we forget that we’re allowed to change our minds simply because we’ve changed.

Leaving Atlanta was one of the hardest things I’ve had to do, but it also forced me to confront a question I hadn’t really allowed myself to ask: Is Atlanta where I want to be forever?

And although there’s still a part of me that loves Atlanta and could see myself there, there’s another part of me that wants to experience multiple places.

If you’ve known me for years, you know I used to say I wanted to live in multiple major cities throughout my life.

Somewhere along the way, I started thinking Atlanta was going to be forever simply because I had built a life there. Leaving forced me to think bigger and get back to things I had once said I wanted.

And that can happen with anything.

For years, I said I didn’t want a relationship because I didn’t have the capacity to care about somebody else.

But as I’ve gotten older, lived a little more, and started loving the woman that I am, my desires have changed too.

It’s okay to say, “Maybe I could see my life with someone.”

It’s okay if what you want changes.

You Don’t Have to Hate Your Current Life to Want More

Here’s the thing:

Saying what you want doesn’t mean you have to make yourself miserable until you get it. You can enjoy your life while you’re becoming the person who gets there.

For example, I really think I want to live in the DMV, Chicago, and Miami one day.

Does that mean I hate my life until I get to live in all of those places?

Absolutely not.

I can enjoy where I am while still wanting more.

Just like I really want to lose 20 pounds.

Does that mean I wait to be happy until I lose those 20 pounds?

No.

I can enjoy my body, my life, my food, my workouts, and the process while still working toward my goal.

And it’s the same when it comes to a romantic partner.

Do I sit around thinking about the man of my dreams every day until he comes?

Heck no.

I have fun with my friendships. I enjoy my relationship with myself. I live my life.

And when that time comes, I know I’m open to it. You don’t have to put your life on hold while you wait for the life you want.

This Is Self Care Too

I think this is the part of self care that we don’t talk about enough. Self care isn’t just bubble baths, Pilates, matcha, spa days, or having a “soft life.” Sometimes self care is sitting down and being honest with yourself.

Sometimes it’s therapy.

Sometimes it’s going to the doctor.

Sometimes it’s meal prepping instead of ordering DoorDash again.

Sometimes it’s getting off your phone and getting quiet enough to hear your own thoughts.

Sometimes it’s setting a boundary.

Sometimes it’s changing your routine because the one you have isn’t serving you anymore.

Sometimes it’s admitting that you’ve changed.

Sometimes self care is doing the uncomfortable thing today that makes your life better tomorrow.

And sometimes self care is deciding that you want more for yourself and actually doing something about it.

Don’t let social media trick you into thinking self care has to look a certain way.

Your self care might not look aesthetic. 

It might look like making a doctor’s appointment you’ve been putting off.

It might look like going back to therapy.

It might look like getting serious about your finances.

It might look like going to the gym consistently.

It might look like protecting your peace.

It might look like getting closer to God.

It might look like finally admitting that something you once wanted isn’t what you want anymore.

That counts too.