Falling into Fall

Embrace the uncertainty of this crisp, colorful season of change

- Erik Vance

Whether you like it or not, fall is here. Soon the weather will get colder, the leaves will die and the nights will stretch longer than the days. Another year is dying; that's just how it goes.

At least, that's the way autumn often is cast as a time of aging and decay. William Shakespeare called it "Death's second self," when youth burns to ashes. More recently, it's become a time to acknowledge our existential dread.

For many of those who struggle with seasonal depression in the winter months, the fall is the beginning of their symptoms. A few small studies even suggest that if you are ruminative, or deeply preoccupied with your thoughts, in the autumn, you may be at more risk for depression in the winter. Changing the clocks in the fall is associated with depressive episodes (changing them back in the spring is not). It's no wonder the season has so many celebrations to attempt to keep our spirits up.

Psychologists say that the feelings that often crop up in autumn stem from our discomfort with change, and an anxiety and uncertainty about what that change will bring. The melancholy we feel is a form of grief, mourning the lost sunlight, the ease of summertime and the greenery that abounds in the warm weather.

But it's not all bad. Fall also brings with it bright, brisk days, pumpkin patches and cozy sweaters. Somewhere in the crunching leaves, crackling fires and chilly air, you might locate a feeling of possibility, even electricity.

And all these things-the anxiety, the promise and even the rumination make it the ideal season to build resilience and practice mindfulness.

A Season of Resilience