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　　For most of us, the purpose of the holidays is to bring peace, love, and goodwill towards all．Yet, for many, the holiday season often means stress, tiredness, pressure, disappointment and loneliness．

　　These feelings, often known as the “holiday blues,” may be even more common this year, due to the emotional disorder of the past few months, not to mention the unsteady economy．Experts say even the more usual tasks of shopping, decorating, late-night parties, cooking, planning and family reunions can be holiday stressors．

　　In addition, the psychological phenomenon known as seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, may bring a specific type of depression related to winter's shorter days and longer nights．

　　“Certainly just because it's the holidays doesn't mean people are going to be happy,” says Dr．Doug Jacobs of Harvard University．“And this will be a particularly hard holiday for some who are dealing with a lost job, debt, or even a lost loved one．”

　　And with family reunions becoming less frequent events over the years, there is now the added pressure of getting just one chance to get it all right．“Families are much more different now,” says John Stutsman, a clinical psychologist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago．The disappointment and sense of unfriendliness that often results from family gatherings, he adds, are actually a realization that “the fantasy is not met”．

　　Still, say experts, the blues should be dealt with．The most essential step, says Stutsman, is for the individual to admit their feelings and the reason for their depression．“Disagreement will only compound the stress they're feeling．”

　　Stutsman recommends people do things that are normally comforting in order to get a handle on the holiday stress．“If they're feeling a little blue, they should try to do things personally satisfying for them．Maybe this is exercise, cooking, reading a book, or massage．”

　　Stutsman also advises that sometimes “avoidance is actually not such a bad idea”．In some situations, fulfilling social obligations may be self-destructive when the best thing may be to just stay home．“The healthy choice has to do with taking care of oneself．”

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