One issues that I could relate to was overblown conflict. The first story that came into my head was actually on Christmas Eve when my family was on our annual trip to the Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto. (Background: I live with my aunt, uncle and two cousins). Anyway, I had just been going through a lot because of some issues my mom was having and it was really close to the two year anniversary of my dad's death, so, needless to say, I was on edge and emotionally exhausted (probably physically, too). Anyway, I wanted to go into Tori Burch (a high-end store) and my cousin said something along the lines of, "why would you go in there," or something like that. To me, she sounded really condescending because I wanted to go in there, so I sort of snapped at her. It ended up causing a small altercation between the two of us and we ended up not talking Eventually, she (I think) came over to me and we talked it out. I apologized to her for losing my temper. I explained that I was really stressed out with issues in my family, and she sounded like she was judging my taste (or whatever).
Point being, it's really easy to just take the blame in your life out on someone else, but it is really important to try your hardest not to. Luckily for me, my cousins are sisters to me so I know that no matter the fight, we'll be okay. However, acting like this will not always guarantee a relationship at the end, because I know I would refuse to constantly be involved with someone who wasn't able to target their emotions properly.
You are definitely not the first person to lose their cool for something that later seems silly. Being under stress and emotions running high can effect our relationships. I think that it was good that you were able to acknowledge your feelings and talk it out with your cousin. I am sure that you felt much better after you resolved the issue between you and her. Family can sometimes be the punching bags when we feel high strung or upset about something in our lives. I can relate to losing a father and I know it is hard especially when the anniversary of their death comes around. I wish you well.
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