There is something about September that makes me ready for routine again.
Summer is wonderful, but my normal rhythms can disappear somewhere between vacations, evening sunset cruises, family gatherings, day trips, and trying to squeeze everything we can out of those last beautiful days.
Then September arrives, and I wonder why I'm tired. Is that you too?
Maybe you're sleeping but don't feel rested. Your digestion is a little off, you're craving more sugar, your energy crashes in the afternoon, or you simply don't feel like yourself.
Especially in midlife, it's tempting to immediately think, Here we go. It must be my hormones or my age. Those things can certainly affect how we feel, but sometimes your body isn’t to blame.
It may simply be asking you for routines again.
God Created Life With Rhythm
Ecclesiastes 3:1 says:
“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.”
Look at creation, and you'll see routines everywhere.
Day follows night. Seasons change. Plants grow, produce, and rest. Even our bodies operate according to an internal clock that helps coordinate sleep, hormones, digestion, body temperature, and many other functions.
God didn't create us for constant unpredictability. Our bodies and especially our minds appreciate knowing what's coming next.
When Our Rhythm Gets Disrupted
Think about what happens during a busy season.
We stay up later one night and get up early the next morning. Breakfast happens at 8:00 one day and gets skipped the next. We sit indoors for most of the day, then spend the evening staring at brightly lit screens.
Meanwhile, we're wondering why we're tired at 2:00 in the afternoon but wide awake at 10:30 at night!
Our daily choices send signals to the body. Light tells your brain something about what time it is. Regular sleep and wake times reinforce your body clock. Food, movement, activity, and rest provide additional cues throughout the day.
When those signals become inconsistent, we may feel the effects.
Midlife Can Make Rhythm Even More Important
Many women discover that their bodies aren't quite as forgiving in midlife. Years ago, you might have stayed up half the night, eaten whatever was convenient, and bounced right back.
Now? Your body may send you hormonal changes that can affect sleep, energy, body composition, and stress resilience. That doesn't mean your body has failed you.
It means this season may require better stewardship.
Instead of resenting what your body can no longer tolerate, perhaps we can become curious about what it needs now.
Don't Turn September Into Another January
Here's where we sometimes get ourselves into trouble. We recognize that we've gotten off track, so we decide to fix everything Monday morning.
We're going to wake at 5:00, exercise every day, eliminate sugar, drink a gallon of water, meal prep everything, take every supplement, and be asleep by ten.
By Thursday, we're exhausted from trying to implement our new healthy lifestyle! What if restoration didn't begin with doing more? What if it began with restoring order?
First Corinthians 14:40 says:
“Let all things be done decently and in order.”
Although Paul wasn't giving health advice in that passage, the principle of order still applies. Where has your daily life gotten out of routine?
Find the Rhythm You've Lost
Rather than changing everything, look at the foundations.
- Sleep and waking
- Morning light
- Nourishing meals
- Hydration
- Daily movement
- Work and rest
- Time with God
Which one has become inconsistent? Perhaps you've gradually pushed bedtime later and later.
Maybe your mornings begin with your phone instead of sunlight, prayer, and preparing yourself for the day.
Maybe you're so busy caring for everyone else that you don't eat until you're hangry.
Or perhaps you've filled every available space on the calendar and eliminated the very rest your body needs.
Routine Is Stewardship
Romans 12:1 tells us to present our bodies as “a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God.”
Health stewardship is about learning to care for where the Holy Spirit lives. We are His tool for His work in the world.
Sometimes that means making a major change. But sometimes it simply means returning to the basic foundations God built into His creation, morning and evening, nourishment and movement, work and rest.
So as September begins, ask:
“Lord, where does my life need a little more order?”
Then begin there. Your body may not be asking you to try harder. It may simply be asking you to come back into routine.
Are you familiar with the foundations God established in creation? Use the button below to get my guide, 7 Steps to ReNewing Your Health, and learn more about them.
