🧘‍♀️ Busting Pre-September Panic

Your do’s and don’ts for going into September — in 5 minutes.

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Flocus
August 24, 2025

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Hey there! Welcome back to The Flow by Flocus. If you’re new around here, welcome! 👋  You can catch up on our previous editions right here.

This week: August is winding down, which means back to school, work, and life for a lot of folks. If you’re feeling anxious ahead of back-to-routine season, this one’s for you! Where the pressure comes from, plus do’s and don’ts for starting your September on the right foot.

🌪️ What Are the “Summer Scaries”?

That late-August swirl of anxiety before back-to-routine season for students, teachers, and others who follow an academic calendar year.

This transitional period can feel like a mini version of New Year’s — just without the positivity and optimism.

You don’t have to be in academia to feel the summer scaries, though. For us professionals, we’re in the middle of Q3, with the end-of-year scramble lurking just around the corner.

No matter what camp you’re in, you might have the scaries if you’ve caught yourself saying things along the lines of:

  • “I didn’t do enough with my summer.”

  • “I’m not ready to be productive again.”

  • “I should have my life together before work / school starts up again.”

  • “I missed out on so many fun things.”

  • “I wish I had more time / money / access to all the things I wanted to do.”

🪞 Where the Pressure Comes From

Some sources of the “summer scaries” aren’t as obvious as others — your anxiety might be caused by a mix of:

  • Back-to-school energy, even if you’re not a student (it’s always embedded in us)

  • Social media content on reinventing your life for a new season

  • Internalized productivity guilt and perfectionism

  • Comparison to your past self or other people’s glow-ups

  • False urgency from summer-related marketing (”last-chance” Labor Day sales, etc.)

🛑 What NOT to Do

  • ❌ Make a giant master plan or bucket list. If big lists help you, more power to you. But we encourage you to resist this urge, in this particular moment — which takes us to our next “don’t”.

  • ❌ Over-schedule your last week of August. Not only will this make you feel crummy if you miss even one thing, but you’ll also feel much less rested going into September.

  • ❌ Spiral into a shame loop about how you “wasted” the summer. As wonderful as summer can be, this season comes with a lot of manufactured pressure from capitalism and pop culture. Most of that sun-kissed content you scroll through on social isn’t actually real, so cut yourself some slack and embrace the fact that real life moves much slower.

☁️ What to Do Instead

  • 📓 Do a brain dump. Get the swirl out of your head. This puts distance between you and all those tricky emotions.

  • 🫶 Revisit what actually matters to you this fall. Yes, you have responsibilities — but you also have a life to live. You need fun experiences and adventures to sustain you, so try to sprinkle some into your September.

  • 🍂 Pick 1 cozy ritual to start easing into a reset. If you’re like us, you probably love that fresh-chapter feeling: getting your planners ready for the season, organizing your workspace, refreshing your outfits.

  • 💆 Plan a do-nothing day. Resisting panic is not only productive, but it’s also replenishing. Panicking uses up a ton of energy (which is why you can often feel physically tired just from overthinking). A do-nothing day lets you reset fully and think more clearly.

🪅 Flocus Picks

A curated list of things worth sharing.

✨ Flocus: Your Personal Productivity Dashboard

Whether you’re soaking in the golden hour light or easing into fall, Flocus is your calm corner of the internet.

With a customizable dashboard, built-in timer, and ambient soundscapes, we’re here to help you enter the next season and get more done with more presence, less pressure, and a flow that feels good.

🗳️ POLL: What’s your vibe for the last bit of summer?

Any other thoughts? Let us know in the comments!

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Late August to mid-September can feel like a period of limbo and transition. It comes with heavy pressure and emotions that aren’t always easy to pinpoint.

We hope our guide helps you navigate this tricky time with ease and flow. 😌 Tell us — what did you think of this week’s newsletter? We always love hearing your thoughts!

Until next Sunday,

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