Why Am I Already Dreading September When This School Year Isn’t Over Yet?
You have not reached the summer holidays, but September is already appearing in your thoughts.
You might be imagining the first inset day, the new timetable or the moment the emails begin building again. Instead of looking forward to the break, you are wondering how you will make yourself go back.
This can happen when September does not feel like a fresh start. It feels like a return to the same pressure you have spent the year trying to manage.
Why am I worrying about September already?
Your mind is looking ahead because it remembers what returning to school has meant before.
Perhaps it meant losing your evenings again. Perhaps it meant becoming the person who always says yes, worries about everything and keeps working because there is never a clear point when the job is finished.
September may only be a date in the calendar, but your mind has connected it with workload, expectations and having less space for yourself.
That is why telling yourself to “enjoy the summer first” does not always work.
The worry is not really about September. It is about what you expect September to bring back.
What part of returning am I actually dreading?
Try to move beyond the general thought:
I can’t face another school year.
Ask yourself what you are picturing when that thought appears.
Is it:
checking emails every evening?
being given another responsibility?
working with someone who makes you doubt yourself?
feeling behind from the first week?
becoming consumed by the job again?
Naming the specific concern matters.
“I am dreading September” feels huge and difficult to change.
“I am worried that work will take over my evenings again” gives you something clearer to consider.
It may be useful to look at which work–life boundaries need to change before the new term.
Does dreading September mean I should leave teaching?
Not automatically.
It could mean you are exhausted at the end of a demanding year. It could also mean that something about your role, school or working pattern no longer feels sustainable.
You do not need to force yourself into a stay-or-leave decision before the term has ended.
However, it is worth noticing whether the same worry returns each year, whether it eases during the holidays and whether you can imagine teaching feeling different under different circumstances.
When the question becomes less about September and more about whether you still want to teach, my article about wondering whether to leave teaching explores that decision in more detail.
Try this before the holidays begin
Take a piece of paper and complete these three sentences:
The part of September I am most worried about is…
One thing I would need to do differently next year is…
The part I keep going around in circles about is…
Do not try to create a complete plan.
The aim is to separate the things you might be able to change from the thoughts that need more attention.
What if the worry follows me into the summer?
Time away from school can help you recover physically, but it does not automatically settle the thoughts you have been carrying.
You may find yourself counting how many weeks are left, checking emails “just in case” or repeatedly imagining the first day back.
That can make the summer feel less like a break and more like a countdown.
Therapy can give you somewhere to work out what you are actually dreading, why work continues to take up so much mental space and what you want to do differently.
I work with teachers who look capable and organised at school but find it difficult to switch off once they leave. You can read more about my therapy for teacher stress and burnout.
Are you already spending your summer worrying about September?
A free 20-minute introductory call is a chance to tell me what has been happening and ask any questions about working together.