The temperatures are dropping, the skies are graying, and the holidays are lurking just around the corner. There’s a name for this time of year, for those who have a special eye for someone, for the desire to cuddle close and to bestow affection upon each other: Cuffing Season. Whether you love it or you hate it, the fact that romantic love festers in the cold, cold air every year cannot be denied.
However, despite the unspoken tradition of Cuffing Season, something different is going on this year. I personally know at least six couples who have parted ways in the few months since summer, and I can’t help but wonder if somebody rescheduled Cuffing Season without giving me the memo. It seems that Breakup Season is upon us this year, so it’s time to investigate some possible explanations for such a dramatic turn of events.
- Life is turning a new leaf, or whatever
Since many of my friends and I are graduating in the spring, I can see how many couples could be feeling the daunting guarantee of life’s changes. Post-grad life holds so many possibilities, which is so exciting! Applying to grad school, chasing dreams, moving far away, and finding a job are all things that can be overwhelming on their own. Throw a significant other in the mix and it’s an entirely new ballpark—couples are faced with the fact that their goals might not align and must evaluate the overall worth of the relationship. Some people find a way to make this work, while others have to decide to pursue a new season of life.
- COVID changed people, like, really changed them
I can promise you, with almost 100% confidence, that none of us are the same people we were in January 2020. While COVID is certainly not a thing of the past (go get your booster!), I think it’s safe to say that we’ve made it over a hump, which can provoke a lot of reflection. Being in lockdown and restricted social situations allowed people to become more extreme versions of themselves, which can go one of two ways—you either find your favorite qualities and ways to cultivate them, resulting in better self-assurance, or you confront the parts of yourself that trigger insecurity, which, if not processed thoroughly, can bring about a much more bitter personality. Either way, being launched into the “real world” as a new you is sure to stir up confusion within yourself as well as within the relationship.
Additionally, a relationship that developed in the midst of a pandemic probably looks very different from one that was founded in more conventional, or “precedented,” times. The lockdown allowed us more flexibility with schedules and obligations, meaning that we could devote a LOT of time and energy to our romantic interests. The past few years have also been pretty dire, leaving a lot of people in search of human warmth and connection, and I hate to admit that a romance born from desperation probably won’t do as well as one rooted in individual self-confidence and fulfillment.
- The Universe is simply feeling mischievous
After thinking about this topic for so long, I was only able to think up two real, tangible theories, and even then, I am still baffled at the amount of breakups I’ve been witnessing lately. I definitely believe in the higher power of the Universe, and that some “coincidences” are just too strange to call that. So, I think that all of these breakups are telling us to reevaluate what we think we know about life. Sure, seasons of life exist and can consistently show up, but at the end of the day, we really have no say in what happens. Perhaps the Universe is reminding us of this, and encouraging us to look within ourselves instead of to others for fulfillment.