How to Build Deeper Human Connections(at any age)

On September 25, 2024 By Zeenat Merchant Syal-Counseling Psychologist|Spiritual CounselorIn Emotions, healing, Mind, Mind-Mental Health, Positive Self Reflection6 Comments

“The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed.” ~ Carl Jung

In our age of uber connectivity human connection is not such a common phenomenon. We see lots of people but find our little cucoons to hide in. We don’t realize we’re craving a deeper connection with others until we actually find it. That is because deep human connections are Healing!

After publishing last weeks article where I shared my thoughts on how we have become so independent and how it is actually depressing us…my inbox was flooded with emails. All from beautiful souls of all age groups and demographics who felt the same way and were curious to learn how to build deeper human connections. Because it IS hard to do so. I get it. We all struggle with this.

Cultural norms come in the way and make it hard to connect with other humans – we’re supposed to talk about the weather, sports, the news, but not our deepest struggles. We’re supposed to say cool or funny things, but not share our greatest hopes for our lives or the person we want to become.

It’s hard BUT…

It’s hard, but… human connection is one of the most powerful healing forces available to us. We don’t realize we thirst for it, but we do, and the thirst is deep and very very real. When I find real human connection, it nourishes my soul, changes me, moves me to tears.

Building deeper human connections plays a positive and powerful role in emotional and mental healing. Here’s how:

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We’ve become SO independent, it’s depressing us(and what you can do about it)

On September 15, 2024 By Zeenat Merchant Syal-Counseling Psychologist|Spiritual CounselorIn Emotions, healing, Mind, Mind, Heart& Soul-Motivation&Inspiration, Mind-Mental Health7 Comments

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“Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean.” ~ Ryunosuke Satoro

Many years ago, one of my spiritual teachers shared this story with me. I would like to share it with you all today.

The story is about a village where all the women washed clothes together down by the river. When they all got washing machines, there was a sudden outbreak of depression and no one could figure out why. It wasn’t the washing machines that could do such a thing. It was actually the absence of time spent doing things together. It was the absence of community.

We’ve all gotten so independent these days… Our birthday wishes have also becomes so impersonal over texts, whatsapp or facebook. We rarely pick up the phone to talk, everything is done over texts. I feel like the human to human connection in this uber connected world is severely missing. Read on to know what you can do about it…

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🩷20 Gratitude Journaling Prompts Focused on Healing(+free printable)

On August 13, 2024 By Zeenat Merchant Syal-Counseling Psychologist|Spiritual CounselorIn Emotions, healing, Mind, Mind-Mental Health, Positive Prompts, Positive Self Reflection, spiritual healing2 Comments

“Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking the whole world belongs to you.” ~ Lao-Tzu

In the last article, I shared 14 ways to find your happy place and why it was so important for our healing to have this happy place and go to it often. In that article one of the most profound ways was to write a gratitude journal. Its easier to start the practice if you have prompts to write, so this post is all about how to get started(and how I started) with this healing practice and with a FREE PRINTABLE with the prompts and space for you to begin. Read on and don’t forget to download your free gratitude journal with healing prompts at the end…

Years ago, I started writing in a gratitude journal because I needed to heal from depression, anxiety and deep traumas. It was one of the tools suggested by almost all spiritual teachers, psychology professors and experts in the field of mental and emotional health.

In the beginning, I struggled to write anything down. Then slowly as I kept sitting with it, I simply tried to write five things each morning for which I was grateful. The practice encouraged me to look back on the past 24 hours and recall all the positive parts of the day.

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