As we move through the last few days of the year 2025, my mind takes a pause to reflect upon the year that has gone by. A year full of experiences, mostly joyous and some sad. The people who have touched my life and I am so ever grateful for the lessons I have learnt from them. The blessings and love that I have received in abundance.

When I reflect back on the year that has passed, I am reminded of the changes in human behaviour, that I have observed as a counsellor. It worries me to see the increasing number of people feeling lonely. There are many reasons that could be attributing to this feeling of loneliness. Some of the common factors that I have noticed are:

1. People living in a different location, away from family and friends.
2. Remote working condition.
3. Over usage of social media and screen time.
4. Availability of extra free time.

Dependency on technology is inevitable. Technology has changed our lives in a lot of ways. It has made our lives easier, more efficient and instantly gratifying. What saddens me is the increasing level of dependency for making routine personal choices in daily living. An emoji substitutes a full sentence or two of expression of our thoughts or feelings. A Resume or a Speech is downloaded from what is readily available and is smartly tweaked to make it look different. People search for gifting ideas for their partners “known to them” for over a decade. The individual creativity and efforts are being slowly compromised, that is a known and accepted reality. Recently, I met someone who had a bad panic attack because that person’s feelings did not match with what a person going through a “break up” should be feeling, according to social media. The person felt maybe there is something wrong mentally. I find it disturbing that people judge their own emotions based on what others say.

There is a gradual distancing from the people, we used to meet, talk and connect with. We are also losing connection with ourselves in trying to compare or analyse ourselves with what we see on social media. Relationships are suffering because they are not instantly gratifying, as we would like them to be. While some people suffer from loneliness due to some deeply rooted psychological reasons which need to be addressed, some others face loneliness due to certain unavoidable life situations. But many of us can prevent loneliness in some simple ways:

1. Reconnect with people you are not in regular touch with, by calling at least one person (from your old connections) once a fortnight. It doesn’t have to be a long conversation.
2. Once a quarter, meet one person you haven’t met in a long time.
3. If you are away from home, call your family at least twice a week. They might be missing you too.
4. If you are living in a place where you don’t know anyone, join an in-person hobby class or go for a walk in a public garden or join a gym. This will ensure that there is some human interaction.
5. Avoid ordering food on a regular basis. Step out to eat at a restaurant instead.
6. Choose outdoor sports to playing games with virtual friends.

These are just a few options suggested out of the many available. As this year comes to an end, I wish for all of us to have better connections with our near and dear ones as well with ourselves. Let us resolve to stay in touch with our friends and family so that neither we nor they ever feel lonely. Let us trust our own instincts and emotions before we look for validation from others.

WISHING YOU A HAPPY NEW YEAR 2026!

MAY THE YEAR BE FILLED WITH OPPORTUNITIES TO CONNECT WITH NEW PEOPLE AND RECONNECT WITH THOSE YOU HAVE LOST TOUCH WITH.