Ah yes, the Christmas holiday. A time when many of us shove as much as we possibly can into a carry on (and then insist to the flight attendant that it will fit in the overhead compartment just give me a second!) and make the long trek back “home.”

While some of my married or coupled up friends are braving the crowded airports and awkward family chit chat (“Oh, you’re a Democrat? How…interesting. You young people are all Democrats. It’s all so very… interesting“) together, I’m going solo this year. And while I don’t mind my unattached status too much, I freely acknowledge the fact that going back “home,” without reminders of one’s new life, can often cause a very unique set of issues to arise.

The main issue? Regression. You may think of yourself as a spiritual, grounded being in your new life, but nothing turns the tables on a budding Buddha like walking into a house so full of childhood memories that they basically sink into your skin through osmosis, forcing you into pinching fights with your brother or arguments over how long to take a shower with your mother. And if there was trauma in the house, the regression process can be all the more powerful.

But don’t worry. Because I’ve had time a lot of time to think about this and discuss it at length with my therapist. I’ve even come up with a name for all my thoughts: Operation Preemptive Peace.

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