Shirley C Louis

Holiday Is More Painful than Work

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. 

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.

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.

Experts say even the more ritual 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 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 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 Stutsman, a clinical psychologist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago.

Still, say experts, the blues should be addressed. The most essential step, says Stutsman, is for the individual to acknowledge their feelings and the reason for their drawls. "Denial 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."

Anyway, holiday is the time for you to stay with your family or go out to enjoy nature beauty. Also the holiday gifts are essential. As Christmas Day is on the way, an online store www.dinodirect.com has released a series of sales promotion activities. Just click the link and have a look. You can have big surprise!

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