diff --git a/src/core/manager.c b/src/core/manager.c
index 33a708adf8..7026a58d73 100644
--- a/src/core/manager.c
+++ b/src/core/manager.c
@@ -3221,6 +3221,9 @@ int manager_reload(Manager *m) {
 
         exec_runtime_vacuum(m);
 
+        assert(m->n_reloading > 0);
+        m->n_reloading--;
+
         /* It might be safe to log to the journal now and connect to dbus */
         manager_recheck_journal(m);
         manager_recheck_dbus(m);
@@ -3230,9 +3233,6 @@ int manager_reload(Manager *m) {
         if (q < 0 && r >= 0)
                 r = q;
 
-        assert(m->n_reloading > 0);
-        m->n_reloading--;
-
         m->send_reloading_done = true;
 
         return r;
@@ -3596,6 +3596,9 @@ void manager_recheck_dbus(Manager *m) {
          * connection of the API bus). That's because the system bus after all runs as service of the system instance,
          * while in the user instance we can assume it's already there. */
 
+        if (MANAGER_IS_RELOADING(m))
+                return; /* don't check while we are reloading… */
+
         if (manager_dbus_is_running(m, false)) {
                 (void) bus_init_api(m);
 
@@ -3646,6 +3649,10 @@ void manager_recheck_journal(Manager *m) {
         if (getpid_cached() != 1)
                 return;
 
+        /* Don't check this while we are reloading, things might still change */
+        if (MANAGER_IS_RELOADING(m))
+                return;
+
         /* The journal is fully and entirely up? If so, let's permit logging to it, if that's configured. If the
          * journal is down, don't ever log to it, otherwise we might end up deadlocking ourselves as we might trigger
          * an activation ourselves we can't fulfill. */
diff --git a/src/core/unit.c b/src/core/unit.c
index cb45dc290a..52851b6ffc 100644
--- a/src/core/unit.c
+++ b/src/core/unit.c
@@ -2501,10 +2501,8 @@ void unit_notify(Unit *u, UnitActiveState os, UnitActiveState ns, bool reload_su
                 }
         }
 
-        if (!MANAGER_IS_RELOADING(u->manager)) {
-                manager_recheck_journal(m);
-                manager_recheck_dbus(m);
-        }
+        manager_recheck_journal(m);
+        manager_recheck_dbus(m);
 
         unit_trigger_notify(u);