“”Tell me what you put in your suitcase, I will tell you who you are …“. As vacation approaches, the suitcase becomes much more than an accessory. It is an intimate revealer, a discreet mirror of our inner world. What we put, what we forget, his size or his state, everything means something, sometimes even despite us. Christian Richomme, psychoanalyst, author and therapist, lights us up.
Prepare your suitcase: a ritual far from neutral
A study Booking.com Indicates that 68 % of French people start their suitcase more than three days before departure. This figure rises significantly in women between 30 and 50 years old. According to Christian Richomme, this behavior betrays “A need to control everything, anxiety in front of the unknown, a desire to predict so as not to be caught up“.
In contrast, those who do it at the last minute are not necessarily more relaxed than they seem. “”This can reflect a refusal to engage in departure, an emotional divestment, or a form of denial of the reality of the trip“, Specifies the psychoanalyst.
Carried away objects: between fantasy, security and fear of lack
Each object slipped into a suitcase speaks for oneself. A dress never worn, four pounds for five days, or an overflowing first aid kit: these choices tell very specific interior scenarios. “”This accumulation reveals a fantasized projection of oneself on vacation, the one we would like to be, or the one we hope to become. But also an anxious relationship with lack, a fear of being helpless away from its bearings“Observes the specialist.
The figures confirm this trend. Easyjet reveals that 63 % of women admit to too much business, often useless. And according to Expedia78 % of travelers take with them a useless but reassuring object: old plush, worn t-shirt, never read …
The suitcase then becomes a real transitional object: it does not only contain clothes, but also benchmarks, reassuring anchors in front of the unknown.
Size, condition, closure: what your baggage says of you
An oversized suitcase, full of cracking, can symbolize a fear of emptiness or the difficulty in making choices. Conversely, an ultra minimalist background can reflect a need for freedom or, sometimes, an emotional avoidance. “”A very reduced bag can reveal a need for freedom, detachment, or on the contrary a form of denial: “I need nothing ‘, even if this nothing is a avoidance“, Analysis the psychoanalyst.
What if your suitcase is worn, refistolée, never replaced despite the years? It becomes a reflection of a tenacious attachment to the past, sometimes even resistance to novelty. Until the baggage closes, everything is a symbol. Some cannot close it, as if they did not manage to close a relationship or separate from elements that have become useless.
A suitcase as a mirror of our way of loving
Building is also a matter of link. “”Some anticipate everything to ‘do not disturb’, want to be perfect, ready, friendly … They are often those who love by fading“, Note Christian Richomme. Conversely, those who go in freestyle let others adapt: their way of loving can be more carefree or more centered on themselves.
Preparing your suitcase amounts to choosing what you keep, what you abandon, what is essential. “”It is a symbolic act: we decide what we keep, what we leave, what we think we need … or what we do not want to do without“, He concludes.
What if, this year, you learn to travel lighter? In our suitcases, as in our heads.