Losing it with your Desi parents

Why You Turn Into Your 15-Year-Old Self in Your Parents' Kitchen (and How to Stop) You give yourself the pep talk on the drive over. You're going to stay calm this time. Then your mom mentions that Sunita Auntie's daughter just got engaged to a cardiologist, and within an hour you've stomped off to your childhood bedroom and slammed the door — exactly like you did at 15. If you love your Desi parents but can't seem to be in a room with them without getting pulled into the same old fight, this one's for you. In this episode of Desi Dramas , licensed clinical psychologist Dr. Heena Manglani-Terranova explains why your nervous system reaches for a teenage playbook the moment those familiar comments land — and gives you two tools to break the cycle: one question to set your intention before you walk through the door, and the DBT-based STOP skill to use in real time when your intention slips (because it will). You're not actually 15 anymore. Your body just remembers how to be 15 in your mom's kitchen. Here's how to teach it a new way. 🎧 New episodes every Tuesday.💬 Got your own drama? Share it anonymously at desi-dramas.com.