It’s now cuffing season, when many singles scramble to find short-term partners to help them get through the upcoming holiday season and what may seemingly be the dreariest and loneliest months of the year. Cuffing is short for handcuffing from October through March; people temporarily handcuff themselves to partners before the release in the following Spring. But before you partake in this annual singles dating ritual off the cuff—meaning without thinking it through—it’s important to be mindful of the risks.

The Reasons for Cuffing Season

Such risks may not be the first thing on your mind when your priority is to find that human blanket to cuddle with when the days get short and the nights get long and cold*. *You focus on making sure you are not alone during all those holiday parties or when the ball drops on New Year’s Eve. Perhaps you really want someone to exchange gifts with during Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Valentine’s Day, and Groundhog Day, since you may feel left out otherwise. And, yes, if you are relatively new to dating, you may not be thinking long-term anything. You may be at the attention-of-a-goldfish stage of life, looking to have fun, fun, fun until somebody takes the T-bird away. But some risks increase as you get further along in your dating life.

Risk 1: You could let fear drive your decision-making in general

One of the risks is the f-word. No, not that f-word. In this case, the concern is fear. Cuffing can be driven by fear—the fear of being alone, and the fear that others will see you alone. And you don’t want to get in the habit of being motivated by fear, especially when it comes to something as complex and important as choosing a partner. After all, you wouldn’t tell an architect, “Could you design a building and make it fear-based, please?” Fear may be helpful when making quick, urgent, and obvious decisions—deciding whether to run away from or sit down for a drink with a charging tiger. Otherwise, though, fear can cloud your judgment.

Risk 2: You could bring yourself other hassles

A partner isn’t like a Roomba. You can’t just roll a person out when needed and then store that person back under your bed. You’ll have to do things, you know, nice things, for the other person. You’ll also have to deal with that person’s quirks and needs. That may seem fine and even worthwhile when you are thinking long-term with the person, as in how you are willing to pour resources into fixing the floor in a house you are looking to own. But when you are just aiming for a short fix, the rent can seem rather high, so to speak. When you are coupled up, you are sacrificing freedom. Plus, if the goal is temporary, you will eventually break up with the person, which can be harder than you expect.

Risk 3: You could end up in an unhealthy relationship

Moreover, a coupling that isn’t a good match can bring the D word—drama. It could even bring the T word—toxicity. Again, with fear clouding your judgment, you could end up handcuffed figuratively and maybe even literally to someone who is very, very bad for you.

Risk 4: You could waste your most valuable resource

Even if you find yourself in a *Meh *relationship, it could end up wasting the most important T of them all—Time. Time is your most precious resource, the one thing that you can never get back. One of the biggest regrets that people can have later in life is the time wasted with the wrong people.

Risk 5: You could miss the right person for you

Then there’s the big O. No, not that “O.” The issue here is opportunity cost. What if Mister-or-Miss-Right-for-You ends up walking right on by, while you are occupied with the Mister-or-Miss-Temporary-Solution? Even if you harbor the fantasy that you can somehow keep your eyes open for better possibilities while cuffed to someone else, better possibilities may immediately rule you out since you don’t appear to be single and available.

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Risk 6: Someone else makes you a temporary solution

Even if you aren’t looking for a temporary situation, others may be. And chances are they won’t admit it. They won’t be singing “I will always love you until March” in their best Whitney Houston rendition, or “Nothing’s gonna change my love for you except warmer weather” in their George Benson. No, instead, they may whisper sweet nothings and tell you that you are their forever, whatever. So, you could be headed for Heartbreak Hotel.

Risk 7: You don’t learn to be alone and self-sufficient

Finally, ask yourself what’s wrong with remaining single during cuffing season? So what if things can get a bit cold and dark? Buy a nice blanket and some lights. So what if you don’t have a partner for gift exchange? You can always do that with friends. So what if you don’t have someone to accompany you to holiday parties? Go by yourself. You might even meet that truly special someone there. When you face your fears head-on, you can learn how to deal with them and get stronger in the process.

Again, whether to cuff during cuffing season is your choice. Letting short-term needs drive your decision-making comes with risks. You could end up handcuffing yourself to problems that, in the long run, won’t be quite so easy to release.