The discomfort of intimacy - by Kasra - Bits of Wonder

My brother is the person I’m closest to in the entire world. He knows more about me than anyone else—he’s watched me grow up, has seen me through my best and worst, has heard me talk about everything. He’s also the person I get into the most fights with. There’s a specific dynamic that comes up every time we have a family trip. Him and I are initially very excited to see each other: all silliness and old inside jokes. But it doesn’t take more than a few days to get on each other’s nerves; I quickly develop a sense of frustration towards him that I never experience with most of my friends. After one such family trip last year, I sent him these messages: I usually think of myself as very open to most people. On some level I am. But "open" here typically means: willing to share as much about myself as requested. Willing to answer questions and talk about my emotions. I am open conceptually. But to what extent am I willing to actually feel an emotion in front of someone? How comfortable am

My brother is the person I’m closest to in the entire world. He knows more about me than anyone else—he’s watched me grow up, has seen me through my best and worst, has heard me talk about everything. He’s also the person I get into the most fights with. There’s a specific dynamic that comes up every time we have a family trip. Him and I are initially very excited to see each other: all silliness and old inside jokes. But it doesn’t take more than a few days to get on each other’s nerves; I quickly develop a sense of frustration towards him that I never experience with most of my friends. Afte