Do You Have a Case of the ‘September Scaries?’

If January is the Monday of the calendar year, then summer is clearly its weekend — June is its Friday, July its Saturday and August its lazy, delicious, fretful Sunday. Which is why so many of us currently find ourselves in the grips of the “September Scaries.”

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You could also try “microdosing” a few September tasks this week, said Christian Waugh, a professor of psychology at Wake Forest University who studies positive coping mechanisms. Slow transitions are always easier than rapid ones, he said. He also recommended ditching the “good-bad dichotomy” of summer fun versus September obligation. If, for example, you have to shop for back-to-school supplies, don’t frame that trip as the official (and sad) end of summer. Instead, plan to buy notebooks in the morning and go to the pool in the afternoon.

It can also help to make some fun plans for fall. Research shows that people who can anticipate positive things — even small things like a date with a friend, or a recipe they want to try — are more resilient in the face of stressors, said Dr. Waugh.

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