Christmas is over, the New Year celebrations are now a memory and perhaps January comes as a relief to some couples who have had to maintain the appearance of a happy relationship to please family and friends.
Unfortunately, the stress of all this can often reach the point where it becomes intolerable to face another month as a couple.
Christmas often brings things to a head for obvious reasons. The festive season while enjoyable can be a stressful time when there are lots of things to organise and in-laws need to be catered for. If a relationship is good, these stresses can of course be brushed aside, but they will only add to the pressure on unhappy couples.
January 8th is the date which has been dubbed ‘Divorce Day’ by family law solicitors because this is the date when the biggest spike in divorces occurs.
The sad thing for those affected is that there is little sign that January will lose its notoriety any time soon with relationship charity Relate reporting a 24% increase in calls to their helpline in January 2017. The ONS also reported a 5% increase in divorce rates in 2016 compared to the previous year with the average marriage lasting 12 years and 42% ending in divorce.