Holiday Regression

With the holidays coming up, a lot of folks may be getting together with family to celebrate. Have you ever noticed that sometimes, when you are with family, you can feel pulled back to an earlier stage of development? Being with the people who raised us can cause us to regress to how we were in those relationships as teenagers or even as younger kids. This can be frustrating for us as adults! One may think, "Where did my self-assured adult self go?" In a time of extra stress, it can be painful to feel less-equipped to handle complex situations. 

To deal with this phenomenon, it takes effort to balance one's role in the family system with one's role as an independent adult. Keep an eye on times that you feel you are reacting (from impulse or habit) vs. responding (from thoughtfulness and agency).

It may help just to know that this is a common thing that happens for people, and it's not just you. Many people can use extra support during the holidays, both for dealing with family dynamics as well as myriad other issues that tend to come up during this time. If you feel like you could benefit from a therapy session during this overwhelming season, reach out to Connections Counseling to set up a session with one of our clinicians!