Lisa Michelle,
I suppose you're right that anyone would be affected by another's mood...
Byzantine,
Such a good point. Sometimes the process feels slow.
Briphi,
I hear you about needing to rest your body and mind afterwards. Your sister sounds very hard to be around. As Rohag mentioned it takes some real work in the area of "psychological boundary strength." Hope you get the rest you need...

I'm home now and thinking about the trip. My partner insists that her sister has "always been this way" (tense, anxious, serious). I have seen her less so at other holidays, so it seemed a bit of an anomaly to me. She is also a very successful person, high up in her field. I suppose her type A qualities and drive have gotten her there. But I worry about her psyche (and blood pressure). I guess we all have our issues. We are just two very different people. Often it is hard for me to feel justified in the way I do things or able to discuss why life isn't "full speed ahead" for me at the moment - even though I wish very deeply that it were. When faced with someone who is so driven (at the cost of their own mental balance) it is hard to explain my own struggles, you know? I think my self esteem kind of fell off... for instance trying to explain why I wasn't working right now. Ah well. Again, we all have our issues. I just wished that I felt more entitled to accept the person that I am, I know I am doing my best...