It’s cuff n’ dump season—could this be the end of your winter romance?

Well, winter is over, which means it might be the end of your relation–I’m sorry, situationship too.

Was that harsh? Maybe, but not nearly as painful as your impending breakup. The truth is, when it’s cold outside, all those simmering issues with your partner—the ones that could end any relationship—are temporarily numbed out from the cold. So you stay snuggled in, wrapped up in shared blankets and shared delusions. But as the days get longer, and the seasonal depression finally ends, the reality tends to hit in.

I call it the 'Cuff n' Dump'. You spend the first three to four months, sharing sweaters, ordering takeout, and indulging in a fleeting winter romance (cuffing), and then, in March, someone gets dumped. Occasionally, there's a secret third act where your friends drag you to the club to get over it, only for you to end the night slurring your ex’s name until someone bundles you into a cab. It's a tale as old as time. 

So why do people get ‘March dumped’?

Don’t get me wrong, strong and healthy relationships have little to do with 'when' they begin, and more to do with the 'how'. Was it a genuine connection that was nurtured over time? Or was it a non-refundable, one-time-only ticket for you to attend holiday parties and celebrations without having to be stuck solo under the mistletoe? If it’s the latter, sweetie, what you had wasn’t a relationship—it was a conveniently timed placeholder. Because let’s be real, when you start out start out looking for a winter plus-one, that’s usually all you get. You’re each other’s getaway car, and as Ms. Swift said “No, nothing good starts in a getaway car.”

Cuffing season isn’t about deep, soul-shaking connections—it’s about survival, and that's a fact. No one wants to be alone in winter. The dark, freezing nights are easier when there’s someone to keep you warm and cosy. And that whole “Netflix and chill” thing? A lot more appealing when it’s genuinely too cold to go outside.

But now it’s March. Now you’re seeing your partner in natural light—not just the soft glow of candlelit dinners or bedside lamps. And suddenly you’re wondering: have they always chewed this loudly? Have they always been this obsessed with crypto? Did you really date someone with poor hygiene? You begin to nitpick everything they do, that you may have blatantly ignored. 

And to make things worse, Mercury is in retrograde, which means poor relationship decisions, exes resurfacing, and conversations laced with tension and miscommunication. If your winter romance was an impulsive decision, Mercury is only going to speed things up—in the worst way. Fights are going to escalate, and people who were barely holding on in the first place are realising that the effort to “keep it going” is just too much.

Are you about to get 'March dumped'

What’s happening to you isn’t a personal crisis; it’s just seasonal clarity. The cuffing-season fog has lifted, and with it, your willingness to entertain a convenience that’s long past its expiry date. So how do you know if it's time to end things? Here are a few signs. 

The ‘good morning’ and ‘good night’ rut

You’re barely exchanging more than a ‘good morning’ and ‘good night’—if you’re lucky. Some days, it’s just a lazy ‘night’, and you’re left staring at your phone wondering when the conversation got so dry.

No dates, but plenty of Instagram stories

That packed social calendar from just a few weeks ago feels like ancient history. You haven’t seen them in at least two weeks, but somehow, they’re still out there, posting blurry club pics on their Stories—without you.

Dodging the future chat

Any attempt to bring up ‘the future’ is met with an awkward chuckle or a sudden, suspicious need to answer a phantom phone call. You can practically hear them scrambling for an escape route.

Cut off from 'Close Friends'

You’re slowly being edged out of their inner circle—you’re no longer on their Close Friends list, and their spam account has gone radio silent. It’s a quiet fade-out, and you can feel it happening in real time.

You're exhausted and icked out all the time 

Conversations leave you drained, or worse, their texts make your skin crawl. Harsh as it sounds, the ick is real—and once it’s there, there’s no walking it back.

With spring rolling in, it might be time to shed the deadweight—and by deadweight, we mean them. Just because someone was good for you for the coldest, darkest months of the year, doesn’t mean they’ll be good for you when the sun’s out (along with all their secrets). We know, holding on can be tempting because it’s comfortable—but staying too comfortable might keep you from growing, not to mention, it might even make you resentful.

Of course, if your winter romance was built on something real, you might just make it through spring—and every season after that.

Lead image credit: Netflix 

Also read: Is tolyamory a radical shift or just a repackaged illusion?

Also read: How to be a great third wheel without making things awkward