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, fatigue, pressure, disappointment and loneliness.

对我们大多数人来说，休假的目的是为获得清静、关爱和友善，但是对很多人来说，假日却常常意味着紧张、疲倦、压力、失望和孤寂。

These feelings, often known as the "holiday blues," may be even more prevalent, due to the emotional turmoil of the past few months, not to mention the unsteady economy.

且不说变化不定的经济，过去几个月来情感上的波折就可能使这种被称为"假日忧伤"的情感更为普遍。

Experts say even the more ritual tasks of shopping, decorating, late-night parties, cooking, planning and family reunions can be holiday stressors.

专家说，甚至购物、布置房间、深夜晚会、做饭、计划和家庭团聚这种人们习以为常的事，都可能成为假日紧张的因素。

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.

此外，季节情感紊乱症或称SAD的心理现象也可能导致一种与冬季昼短夜长有关的特殊类型的抑郁。

"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."

哈佛大学的Doug Jacobs博士说：“当然，假日并不意味着大家都会很开心。对于那些正在应付失业、债务问题、甚至失去亲人的人来说，假期将尤其难熬。”

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 disparate now. The disappointment and sense of alienation that often results from family gatherings, is actually a realization that the fantasy is not met."　says John Stutesman, a clinical psychologist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago.

近年来，随着家庭团聚的减少，举办一个恰到好处的家庭聚会的压力也更大。芝加哥西北纪念医院的临床心理学家John Stutesman说，“现在的家庭是截然不同的，人们在家庭聚会中感到失望、疏远，实际上他们已认识到幻想不能实现”。

Still, say experts, the blues should be addressed. The most essential step, says Stutesman, is for the individual to acknowledge their feelings and the reason for their withdrawal. "Denial will only compound the stress they're feeling."

专家们说，针对假日忧伤人们还是应该采取措施。Stutesman说，最根本的措施是人们应承认他们的感受和消沉的原因。他说：“否认只会加重其紧张情绪。”

Stutesman 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."

Stutesman建议人们做一些通常令人宽慰的事来对付假日紧张情绪，如果感到有些忧伤，应去做一些自觉惬意的事情，如锻炼、烹调、读书或按摩。

Stutesman 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.3 "The healthy choice has to do with taking care of oneself."

他还建议说，有时“躲避其实也不是一个坏主意”。在某些情况下，最好的做法就是待在家中，履行社会义务反而会是自寻烦恼。健康的选择应该是照顾好自己。