The return from summer holidays - whether it’s back to school for children or back to work for adults - always stirs up emotions. Excitement. Tension. Sadness. Resistance. Sometimes even grief, especially when leaving behind our home countries or family.

Too often, we try to skip over these feelings.
We tell children to “be brave” and we tell ourselves to “just get on with it.”

But transition isn’t about pretending we’re fine.
It’s about releasing the pain that naturally comes with change so that we can move forward with lightness and balance.

Healthy Ways to Release Emotions in Times of Change

1. Crying

Tears are not weakness—they’re nature’s reset button. Allowing ourselves, and our children, to cry makes space for new energy and fresh perspectives to flow in.

2. Talking

Naming feelings reduces their weight. Children need safe spaces to share their fears or dislikes. Adults, too, need conversations where they can be honest about what’s really going on.

3. Being Listened To

More than advice, what most of us crave is presence. A child who feels deeply heard, or an adult who feels truly understood, processes transitions far more smoothly.

4. Movement & Exercise

The body holds on to what the mind cannot process. Moving, stretching, walking, or playing helps release tension and shift stuck emotions.

Why It Matters

When we ignore these outlets, emotions don’t simply disappear. They either build up until they explode midway through the year, or they silently erode our well-being.

But when we allow release at the very beginning, transition becomes lighter, smoother, and far more sustainable.

The Invitation

This September, let’s stop pretending transitions should be painless. Instead, let’s give ourselves and our children permission to feel, to express, and to move through the discomfort.

Because healing doesn’t come from suppressing emotions - it comes from letting them out, acknowledging them, and making space for what comes next.