Dating and Relationship have certainly faced many unforeseen challenges throughout the year, but the year isn’t over, and you could be faced with a seasonal pandemic or be prone to a festive fling. WHY? Cheating is rife during the holiday season, there are key triggers to watch out for, and effective ways to cope if you fall victim to this festive dilemma.
December 11 is dubbed the official Break Up day, but the months spanning Christmas and New Year’s are among the most ‘popular’ time to end relationships. But why?
With the spirit of Christmas in the air, endless beach days and packed social calendars, it’s obvious inhibitions are lowered – and with that, our better judgement. It’s a time when partnered people find themselves drifting toward temptation as they spend more time at home with their partner, or feel restless after a long year. As a result, cheating becomes a real threat, and it’s all down to biology:
Serotonin spike
Your libido naturally increases with the heat as you spend more time outdoors and in the sun. Serotonin is responsible for this – something linked to the pleasure senses. This can lead partners to seek that pleasure in unexplored, often out-of-bounds, places and people.
- Suns out, guns out
When it’s hot, we naturally wear less, exposing more skin and leaving less to the imagination. Whether you’re trying to be subtle, modest or divert your eyes, this visual stimulation is undeniable to everyone, even those in relationships.
- Pheromones fire up
Responsible for our natural desires for touch and connection, men and women’s pheromones become more intense over the summer festivities. These ‘chemical messengers’ from things like sweat have an undeniable physical or emotional effect on the people around you, sparking a primal desire.
- Melatonin mellows
During summer, greater exposure to sunlight affects the body’s production of melatonin, the hormone associated with sleep. Melatonin intensifies sexual hormones and desire for touch.
- Summer shred
More daylight hours, more activities, better weather. It’s a combination that means we’re socialising and exercising more. This naturally leads to increased weight loss and toning, tans and sunkissed bodies. As a result, we feel happier, healthier and more confident.
- The smell of freedom
Cutting loose is synonymous with summer, even more so after the year that was. We become nostalgic about teenage memories and strive to emulate these in our adult life in the form of lowered thresholds and heightened risk-taking. Except instead of breaking an arm or eating too much sugar, adult cutting loose could come in the form of festive flings.
Some other reasons relationships break up over Christmas…
It’s not just cheating that’s responsible for breakups over the holiday season. Here are some other explanations for calling it quits under the mistletoe:
- Loneliness
Even when in a seemingly happy relationship we can feel lonely, bored and believe the grass could be greener on the other side of the relationship.
- Fear of missing out
When it’s party season, the temptation to go it alone and have a moment of singlehood can be desirable during party season, leading many to decide it’s time to go it alone rather than remain in the relationship.
- Diverging paths
A lot can change in a year, from goals and friends to work and family. When we reflect at end of year, sometimes life plans no longer align with our partner’s.
How to deal with the Christmas breakup
So you’ve been dumped at what’s supposed to be the happiest time of year. How do you cope and salvage what’s left of the festive season?
- Unfollow or block them
- Don’t bring everyone else down around you
- Find the positives of being single
- Remember the true meaning of Christmas
- Practise self-care
Breakups are an inevitable part of the Christmas season – one filled with potential cheating, loneliness and FOMO. Luckily, there are simple ways to overcome the difficulty of a festive breakup by prioritising your mental and physical health and spending time with those who mean the most to you.
