Information Is Beautiful<\/a> revealed it was the peak day for Facebook users to change their relationship status to single.<\/p>\nThe initial US study by the data-visualisation website revealed couples were most likely to call it quits in the middle of Thanksgiving and Christmas \u2013 hinting at a desire to call time before another big holiday celebration.<\/p>\n
A more recent study of social media data – from dating app Flirtini in 2024 – found that three in four people had experienced a break-up during the December holiday season.<\/p>\n
MERCY CALL<\/p>\n
Rebecca Pinkus, senior lecturer at the University of Sydney, says breaking up on December 11 is an act of mercy.<\/p>\n
\u201cDuring that time, stress, tensions, or conflict may have arisen with their partner, or their partner\u2019s friends and family or their own friends and family about their partner, which elicited doubts about continuing the relationship,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe weight of end-of-year stress, financial pressure, family pressure, and so on may prompt them to think about whether their current partner is meeting their expectations or not, and if they think it\u2019s time to move on, they might prefer to do so before big holidays like Christmas and New Year\u2019s Day so they don\u2019t seem cruel or insensitive.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor other people, the timing might be in anticipation of having a holiday season break coming up that gives way to a period of reflection. Maybe they are not quite where they expected to be at this stage or maybe they\u2019ve compared their relationship with those of others, who might be posting a lot of cosy relationship content on social media.\u201d<\/p>\n
While the break-up can seem like a bolt out of the blue, in reality one partner has often been mentally checking out for months or years before making the move, she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cRelationship satisfaction in committed relationships declines anywhere between six months and 1.5 years before a break-up,\u201d Dr Pinkus said.<\/p>\n
While December may be for break-ups, January is for divorce lawyers.<\/p>\n
Across Australia, enquiries at legal firms spike immediately after Christmas Day – so much so that January 6 is nicknamed Divorce Day.<\/p>\n
The holiday pressures of family dynamics, financial stress, and concentrated togetherness often push strained relationships to breaking point, especially for women in their 40s.<\/p>\n
Family lawyer Chloe Cleaver says she\u2019s even received calls on Christmas Day.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was (the case of) a shocking Christmas Day and this woman going \u2018I\u2019m out. I need to engage a lawyer\u2019,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Family lawyer Kirsty McLeod said there was a consistent influx of new clients over the New Year.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur stats show that January and February continue to be our busiest months,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
HANDLING HEARTBREAK<\/p>\n
Dr Pinkus says it\u2019s important to take the time to \u201cgrieve the relationship\u201d, not just bury it under holiday cocktails.<\/p>\n
\u201cTrying to distract yourself by putting the relationship out of your mind might help for a short while, but inevitably thoughts about the relationship will come flooding back,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Research shows that writing a journal can help after a break-up. In a 2009 study by Gary Lewandowski, a relationship scientist and professor of psychology in the US, people who wrote for 20 minutes a day, for three days, about the positives of their past relationship reported feeling better over time than those who focused on the negatives.<\/p>\n
\u201cDrawing on close relationships with supportive friends and family can be comforting to some people, whereas others will prefer solitude and having some time alone with their thoughts or pouring their energy into creative activities or practical tasks,\u201d Dr Lewandowski reported.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re feeling a little tense in your relationship right now, you\u2019re not alone.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe end of the year is a time to reflect, and should be about doing a \u201cpsychological stock take\u201d, looking back at achievements goals and aspirations, according to Dr Pinkus.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor some people, that will mean realising that their relationship is not working or their partner is not the right fit. They could take this opportunity to communicate openly and honestly with their partner about how they are feeling. If they\u2019ve decided that it\u2019s not something that can be worked out, then it might be best to start the New Year with a clean relationship slate.<\/p>\n
So, whether you\u2019re loved-up or starting to feel that familiar festive conflict, this might just be the perfect time for a relationship check-in or check out.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s the most wonderful time of the year \u2014 unless you\u2019re about to get dumped. For some the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":340691,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[63,43,1625,44,41,39,42,40],"class_list":["post-340690","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-australia","tag-headlines","tag-lifestyle","tag-news","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/340690","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=340690"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/340690\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/340691"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=340690"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=340690"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=340690"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}