Reasons to Break Up With Your Partner Before the Holidays

Many people purposely wait to break up with a partner until after the holidays for various reasons, including feeling bad doing it amid family plans and hanging mistletoe. It’s not an easy decision to make any time of the year, but there’s a significant amount of added pressure as the end of the year approaches. Let’s review some reasons why you should consider not waiting to end things with your partner, regardless of how bad you feel.

You’ve Had “The Realization Moment”

If you’re like me, you’ve had at least one moment of realization when it hit you that your relationship was done. Sometimes, it happens when you’re around them; other times, it’s when they’re not even in the vicinity. This decisive moment can be a major sign that your relationship’s lifespan may have ended.

It’s Not Fair to You or Your Partner

It’s not fair at any point to you or your partner to be with them when you wholeheartedly and genuinely don’t want to be. You’re wasting your time and theirs, and your current relationship status is preventing both of you from finding other people you each better connect with.

You Can’t Stand Being Around Them

Most people have moments or days where they’re annoyed by their partner. It’s normal. However, when you’ve reached the point where the moments are few and far between when you actually enjoy being around your partner, that’s a problem. Consider how much longer you can continue to live this way, how long you’ve been feeling like this, and if it’s something you want to keep experiencing during the holiday season and into the new year when it’s supposed to be a time filled with joy and happiness.

They’re Refusing Any Type of Solution

You can talk to, beg, and plead to your partner about what you feel can improve your relationship and be willing to do your own work to fix it, but you can’t force your partner to do the same. Communication is essential, but it needs to work both ways. If you’ve been trying to fix the relationship for a while and your partner has been refusing to budge, chances are things aren’t going to change if they haven’t done so by now.

You Don’t Want Them Part of Your New Year

When you look at your partner, seeing them as part of your future is typical, especially if you’ve been together for a while. However, if you’re factoring them into future plans only out of habit or obligation and you really don’t see them as part of your new year, it’s time to evaluate if you even want them to be a part of the upcoming holiday season. You may come to realize that you’d rather be by yourself or have a new partner for the new year instead.

They’ve Done Something You Can’t Get Past

Physical and/or emotional abuse and cheating are examples of things your partner might have done that there’s no getting past. Regardless of what they did, if you know it’s not something you can move past, there’s no point in waiting until after the holidays when the action is already done and you know how you feel.

If you decide it’s in your best interest to break up with your partner before the holidays, be 100% sure you’re positive about your decision. It’s insensitive to put someone through a breakup — especially during the holiday season — only to reappear in the new year with an apology and an offer to get back together because you realized you rushed your decision and reacted hastily. Take your time and make sure it’s what you want and what you feel is best.

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This post was previously published on medium.com.

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