If you’re not already familiar with the psychological term, trauma dumping describes the act of unexpectedly off-loading traumatic thoughts, feelings, energy and experiences onto someone else. And it can be extremely toxic and damaging to our mental health.

And if there’s ever a time that we become the unofficial family therapist, counsellor and mediator, it’s Christmas. Christmas is indeed a wonderful, heartwarming time of togetherness, but it can sometimes be lonely and alienating, and at other times stressful and overwhelming.

According to Psychology Today, long-standing recurrent painful patterns (LRPPs) of trauma are particularly present during the festive season, as undigested experiences come to the surface under stress.

So when your auntie is offloading the heavy details of her rocky relationship or you’re trying to bridge the gap between your siblings and parents, it can actually bring your own anxieties even closer to the surface.

Trauma dumping: why it’s so important to set emotional boundaries with your family at Christmas