Sick Of Seeing One Wedding Announcement After Another Flooding Your Feed? Here’s How To Cope Amidst “Engagement Season,” Regardless Of Whether You Really Want To Tie The Knot
Not only have we entered the holiday season, but we’ve also entered a time known as ‘cuffing season.’
If you didn’t know, cuffing season is when single people seek out relationships and romantic partners. It typically goes from the late fall into the new year, as people are looking for someone to spend time with during the colder months.
With cuffing season also comes another season…engagement season.
Something about the holidays and the cozy vibes surrounding it makes people want to pop the question and get engaged. If you’re around 23 and older, don’t be surprised when you start to see more engagement announcements on your social media feed as we get further into the winter.
Then, of course, when engagement announcements come out, friends and relatives use them as an excuse to nitpick or investigate your love life. For instance, have you ever had an older relative ask you, “Did you see your cousin got engaged? When are you finally going to settle down?”
For single people or people who’ve found themselves in ‘situationships,’ engagement season can be pretty brutal, whether it be because you are envious of those getting engaged or tired of everyone making a big deal out of someone else’s engagement.
So, here are some tips for surviving the emotional havoc engagement season may wreak!
Set firm boundaries with nosy friends or relatives
If you have a relative who is using someone else’s engagement news as an excuse to start asking invasive questions about your relationship status or make you feel bad about not getting married, set boundaries with them!
svitlychnaja – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only, not the actual person
Be confident, and when they start prying, politely yet firmly tell them, “I don’t feel comfortable talking about that” or “I’d rather not talk about that right now.”
If they persist, simply walk away to speak with someone else or remind them as many times as it takes that you don’t want to discuss those topics. Don’t give nosy people the power to make you feel bad about your personal lifestyle choices.
Don’t brush off your feelings
If you start seeing a bunch of engagement announcements on your social media or someone close to you gets engaged and it makes you upset, don’t try to brush off those feelings or deny them. It’s okay to feel sad when you see someone in a happy, growing relationship, especially if you haven’t had the best luck with love or are feeling a bit lost.
Talk to someone you love and trust about your feelings instead of trying to slap on a happy face and bury your thoughts. At the end of the day, you don’t want all that negativity to build up.
Try not to compare yourself to everyone
When I see people my age getting engaged, I immediately start comparing myself and wonder why I haven’t found a love like that yet. As many of us who have grown up in this digital age know, comparison truly is the thief of joy, and we can never know what someone else is going through.
Remember that because someone got engaged before you or is settling into married life before you can even imagine yourself doing that, it doesn’t mean they have their life together. You have your own projects, dreams, and goals you’re working toward, and you shouldn’t let someone else’s new chapter intimidate you.
Hang in there during engagement season, folks. It’s a part of life, but you’ll get through it! You’ve got this!
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