With the glow of the festive period over, January is classically a cold, harsh month for everyone. According to a Yahoo survey, twice as many breakups happen in January compared to any other month, while January 12th is now officially known as 'National Break-Up' day in UK.
The distraction of Christmas pretty much takes over the entire month of December, before grinding to a halt in order to deliver another enjoyable and successful celebration for all involved. Everything else can wait. The importance of keeping up appearances whether for your family, spouse, or extended family, is paramount. However, the internal pressure cooker of conflicts and issues that have accumulated within a relationship over the year, can often come crashing out into the light as soon as the decorations are packed away.
Poor old January, it's sandwiched in-between December - the month where most engagements happen, and cupid's arrow on Valentine's Day in February; it doesn't stand a chance to survive against these two calendar months for romance. Many people naturally review the past year as we approach a new one, and when it comes to our relationships, the unforgiving 'all change' tone of January often reveals worrying details that seem to urgently hold our attention in a bid to start the year a fresh. A mental post mortem is carried out on partnerships almost subconsciously: are we heading in the right direction? Are our goals compatible? We are moving forward on the right path together?
It was no surprise to hear that January 6th was the day the UK's largest extramarital online dating website saw a massive spike in new members signing - it's the most popular day each and every year. As the New Year begins mounting suppressed desires can become the catalyst to start an affair in search of some fulfilment without breaking up a marriage. A faltering sex life, tensions over finances, and different goals in life, tend to be the biggest causes for conflicts with a spouse, but in most cases no one willingly wants to end their marriage, they simply want something extra for themselves, without causing hurt to anyone else.
The New Year can also feel a little like 'empty nest syndrome' for couples once their families have left. With just the two of them again, January automatically triggers individual thoughts of what they would like to feel or achieve in the coming year, while at the same time reviewing any issues within a relationship, and for some, their personal wants and needs just don't naturally fit with their current situation.
There's a carefully considered process to joining an online dating website for married people, it is never done on a whim or with a flippant of attitude - far from it. As the statistics show, it's the periods directly after the holidays when they see a large increase in membership. Lengthy periods of time spent together naturally cause niggles to become bigger and mixed with the inviting theme of a 'New Year, New You', seems to prove a perfect combination for married people to go for what they feel they are missing out on. For some it's a hitting the gym in a bid to get fit, others change their careers, others start an affair.