I am different when I’m with them

Dear Delyara, I can feel a different version of myself come forward around family. More careful. More edited. More likely to soften the truth. More likely to watch everyone else’s mood before deciding how much of myself is safe to show. I don’t think people realize how tiring it is to return to a room where history is still active in your body. Love is there. So is tension. That’s what makes it difficult.