Breakups might sometimes feel like they come out of nowhere, but according to a sex and relationship therapist, they often follow a predictable seasonal pattern.
There are two key times of year when couples are most likely to split, she says – and while September was once near the top of the list, that’s no longer the case. Heartbreak can happen at any time of the year, but there are specific peaks according to the therapist: December/January and May/June.
The winter wave, stretching from late December into January, often collides with Christmas stress and the self-reflection of a new year. For some, it’s about starting afresh; for others, seasonal tensions push simmering issues to the surface.
Then comes the early-summer surge in May and June, which is when more and more people are choosing to go on holiday.
Therapist Cate Campbell tells Yahoo UK why she has noticed a surge in breakups during these times of year – and what to do if you’re having relationship problems.
A therapist says couples are more likely to break up during two periods of the year: December/January and May/June.
Decline of breakups in September
September was once a prime month for people to seek therapy for crumbling relationships, according to Campbell, coming right after the holidays ended and children returned to school. But that trend has shifted.
While many people still use September as a time to reflect on their relationships – whether considering a breakup or working through issues – it no longer sees the same surge it once did.
“We see a lot of people in September when they come back from holidays, because holidays are stressful,” Campbell, who’s registered with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, explains.
“People tend to then start thinking about making a move and speaking to a solicitor, and or calling a therapist. But it’s become less busy than it used to be.”
Why so many relationships end in May and June
In recent years, Campbell has noticed a growing spike in breakups during May and June. She links this to couples taking their main holiday earlier than they used to.
Many now opt to travel in late spring, when prices are lower and temperatures are more comfortable. According to ABTA, a trade association for UK travel agents and tour operators, May and June were the most popular months to head overseas in both 2023 and 2024, reflecting a growing trend of holidaying outside peak summer periods.
This is a shift that Campbell says can prompt people to reassess their relationships before summer begins.
“It’s often the holidays that prove stressful, so once you get all the bank holidays out of the way, that’s when people start coming into therapy,” she says. “And it builds from Easter onwards, which is fairly new in the last few years, since just before the pandemic.”
Breakups often cluster around holidays because couples with unresolved issues tend to postpone difficult conversations, telling themselves they’ll address them during their next break.
Holidays also remove many of the usual distractions of daily life, creating the first real stretch of uninterrupted time together. This can either strengthen a bond or highlight cracks in it.
Campbell adds: “People go off on their holiday planning to talk and quite often, what they come back arguing about is that neither of them has brought it up or one of them’s brought it up and the other one says, ‘Don’t spoil anything.'”
In 2024, 1 May was marked as the “most popular day of the year” to break up with someone by a survey from Sky Mobile. Nearly seven in 10 (69%) of the 2,000 Brits polled cited it as the best month to end a relationship ahead of the warmer summer months.
May stirs up feelings of a fresh start, as 73% said spring is the optimal season to quit a relationship in order to kickstart the season with new beginnings.
More and more couples are breaking up in May and June after they’ve been on holiday, according to a therapist. (Getty Images)
Why January sees an increase in breakups
What hasn’t changed is an increase in relationship breakdowns in January, Campbell says: “There’s always a spike in January because Christmas is so very, very stressful.”
Christmas is an intense period
By the time the festive season comes around, people tend to be so burnt out and exhausted that arguments are more likely to happen, and emotions are closer to the surface.
“People long for Christmas, and when it doesn’t work out the way they hoped, it’s really disappointing, and tempers run high,” the therapist shares. “Also, there’s a lot of alcohol involved, which means arguments about just about anything are quite likely.”
Campbell says it is during the Christmas period that rows about finances are likely to come up. Adding fuel to the fire is the presence of friends and family.
“Relatives turn up at both Christmas and holidays. And certainly at Christmas, people may say things like, ‘Oh God, your mother always gets drunk and insults somebody.’ And they don’t make any plan for how to deal with that,” she adds.
“They just hope it won’t happen this year, and when it does again, they blame each other. So that’s really difficult.”
According to Johnson Legal Family Law, it receives a 35% increase in website visits and a 45% increase in divorce and separation enquiries after Christmas. The website states: “The peak in the early months of the year relates to the accumulated emotional, financial and familial stresses of the Christmas period.”
New Year’s resolutions can lead to breakups
New Year’s resolutions can also result in people reassessing their relationships. Campbell explains that therapists are starting to encourage people with relationship difficulties to create a plan in December, so they’re not disappointed in January when they try to see a therapist.
“We’re normally really busy in January, and ‘Divorce Day‘ [the day when some suggest lawyers receive a spike in divorce enquiries] is traditionally the first working Monday in January,” she continues.
“That’s when people are going back to work after Christmas, and they call their solicitors to try and get things moving there, or they call their therapist if they’re hoping to make things better.”
Christmas can put a strain on relationships, resulting in couples breaking up in the new year. (Getty Images)
What to do if you’re having relationship problems
According to Campbell, if you’re having relationship issues, you should:
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Come up with a management plan with the help of a therapist or mediator
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Address the relationship issues before going on holidays or breaking for Christmas
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If you’re unable to see a professional and the situation isn’t dire, she says that some therapists share great advice on social media
“If you still split up, you can make your holiday, or your Christmas, a lot nicer for everybody if you make a plan and you get some help,” she shares. “And you never know, it might all settle.”
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