It seems that the change in seasons this year happened very quickly. It was almost as if we went from a sunny summer with bright cheerful mornings to mid-fall coolness and shorter days in the blink of an eye. Now, when the alarm goes off in the early morning, it takes a few seconds to realize that it really is time to get up and not just a faulty alarm in the dead of night.

There is no question that the shorter days, lessened sunlight and cooler weather has an impact, if not a primitive pull, on our mood, activity level and emotional health. In the summer when many of us get home there is time to change clothes, do some yard work, go to our children’s activities or just meander outside.

When the day gets dark so quickly, most of us get inside, change, look at the blackened windows and settle in on the couch for more sedentary activities.

Research has long shown these fall and early winter conditions influence basic human parameters like our activity level, our eating habits and our sense of vitality. But now there is new research suggesting that even more complex behaviors like risk taking, financial investing and ultimately economic market condition may also be directly tied to seasonal changes.

The study has found that people are prone to take fewer risks and to invest less in the market during the darker and colder months but take more risks and invest more in warmer, sunnier weather. This may lead to general market declines in the winter month and surges in the spring!

Still, fall is many people’s favorite season as it ushers in more comfortable temperatures, harvest festivals, football games and a fond anticipation of the upcoming holiday cycle. For many people it is an enjoyable time and there is a sense of relief from the stifling heat and humidity that our area imposes. But for those who have a tendency to suffer from depression, seasonal or otherwise, fall is also a harbinger of potential suffering just around the corner. Rates of depression increase as darkness falls.

It is not a coincidence that after all the harvest festivals and “Indian Summer” (a brief period of warmer fall temperatures) come to a close, the season really kicks off with Halloween and recognition of our mortality and the coming winter. As one person stated, “Fall is the beginning of death itself.” As the leaves turn brown and fall to the ground and the wind blows colder we delve into ghosts and graveyards and different cultures recognize those who have died with the Day of the Dead and All-Saints Day. Individually, many people feel lower energy and less vitality while facing a higher workload and greater demands.

Can all of this really be attributed to less sunlight? Absolutely! Remember that sunlight and the presence of the sun is literally the difference between life and death for humans. Our planet as a whole, is just close enough and just far away enough from the sun for life to exist. Otherwise we would be a cold and barren planet like Mars or a hot and mercurial planet unfit for life as we know it. The seasons that we experience are a testament to just how close to the edge we are in being too far away from the sun and thus too cold, or too close and thus too hot to sustain life.

Research also confirms the importance of the sun to our human biology as it stimulates our central nervous system. Specifically, sunlight stimulates the supra-chiasmatic nucleus which is a part of the brain that helps to put many of our physiological processes, including sleep and body temperature, on a regular 24-hour cycle. One theory is that in winter there is reduced light to stimulate cells in the back of the retina which affects the neural pathways to other parts of the brain- including the supra-chiasmatic nucleus. This may in turn influence our hormonal balance and normal circadian-or 24 hour rhythm-and literally put us “out of sync.”

There are a number of symptoms and behaviors that signal the potential for problems with depression. Lower energy, less movement and a desire to sleep more than usual is a yellow-caution flag. A strong carbohydrate craving or rapid weight gain can also signal the beginning of depression. Sleep disturbance in general, either too much or not enough, also suggests the beginning of a problem.

Especially telling can be the development of negative or darker thoughts. Thoughts that focus upon negativity and loss can foretell a looming depression or the potential for coming problems with mood. If these symptoms become combined with lower efficiency, irritability, loss of enjoyment in activities and social withdrawal the chances are that depression is taking root.

There are things each of us can do to try and counteract fall’s influence into depression. This involves making an effort to manage our thoughts, behavior and emotions every day. Making an effort to keep a regular sleep and wake cycle, regardless of the light can be critical to success. Also, taking time each day for positive mental programming such as reviewing your “gratitude list” and self-affirmations can pay-off as well.

It is important to remain physically and socially active and to try and simulate the same higher activity level you have during warmer months in order to stave off a more sedentary lifestyle during the fall and winter.

Seasonal depression has a formal diagnosis and can be treated with counseling and medication. Known as Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD for short, treatment can prevent a continuation or deepening of depressive symptoms.

Counseling focuses upon changing the faulty thought patterns and behaviors that promote or sustain depression and medication can help to counteract the effects of lessened sunlight. A basic treatment plan for a seasonal depression may involve developing methods to think more positively, remain physically active despite less sunlight and become socially involved during the winter months.

If symptoms of depression begin to manifest themselves, don’t hesitate to get help.

In order to remain healthy and happy during fall and the coming winter it is understandable what needs to be done. In a simple way, we need to try and maintain an active lifestyle despite the changes in sunlight and weather than fall can bring. Think of fall as a celebration of living and of a recognition of our good fortune to be here.

It is important during the season to celebrate people, meaningful activities and the changes that the weather brings. Instead of avoiding the cooler temperatures and darkness, delve into them.

Instead of fighting fall and winter, join them and own them as your own!