In today’s fast-changing social landscape, young adults are putting mental health at the heart of their relationships. This shift is especially visible among Bengaluru’s Gen-Z and young millennials, a cohort reshaping how we think about connection, commitment and emotional health. According to relationship experts, this isn’t just a trend; it’s a fundamental change in priorities and relational values.

Inner Dawn Counsellor Kala Balasubramanian’s views featured in Deccan Herald on 19-Nov-25.

Gen-Z and Emotional Literacy: Red Flags, Boundaries, and Compatibility

Five years ago, terms like toxic, gaslighting or attachment styles were mainly clinical jargon. Today, they’re part of everyday conversations among young partners and daters. This heightened emotional vocabulary reflects a generation that:

• Recognises red flags early
• Prioritises healthy boundaries
• Values self-awareness and mutual respect

Instead of suppressing discomfort, Gen-Z engages in conscious relationship building, treating emotional intelligence as a core aspect of compatibility.

Why Mental Health Now Trumps Old Relationship Norms

 Several surveys indicate that a majority of young adults in India are comfortable discussing mental health with partners and see emotional support as a key component of a strong relationship. The Gen-z views that Openness about feelings is now seen as a relationship asset, not a vulnerability. Setting emotional boundaries is seen as a form of self-care and mutual respect.

These trends suggest that today’s young adults are not afraid to pause, reflect, and recalibrate rather than rush into connections that don’t align with their well-being goals.

What This Means for Relationship Culture

Gone are the days when silence about emotional needs was considered strength. Today’s young people are willing to initiate conversations about mental health early in relationships and evaluate if the relationship is enhancing their mental health or depleting it.

For relationship professionals, therapists, and anyone involved in couples counselling, these shifts signal a broader cultural moment, one where mental wellness is inseparable from romantic bonding.

Mental health, Emotional Awareness, Emotional literacy, capacity for Empathy are emerging as relationship parameters

Mental health isn’t just a sidebar in Gen-Z relationships; it’s often the central narrative that shapes how young adults choose, sustain, or exit partnerships. As emotional awareness becomes the new green flag in dating culture, we’re witnessing a healthier, more intentional form of connection that values well-being as much as affection.

The post Mental Health Comes First for Gen-Z in Relationships first appeared on Inner Dawn Counselling.

Since the time I started my practice as a Professional Counsellor 10 years back, till now, the level of awareness towards mental health, counselling and therapy services has significantly improved in the urban areas. The stigma towards Mental Health Services also seems to have decreased at least in the urban areas. I also see an increase in awareness in people from second and third tier cities and towns as well. Awareness regarding such support services definitely seems to have percolated into tier 2 and tier 3 cities and towns as well. It is very heartening to get enquiries and clients coming from these locations too.

With the pandemic going on, online services becoming the norm, therapy and counselling services have also shifted to online counselling services now, increasing the accessibility to clients from other cities and towns as well. There is fair connectivity across locations for both voice and data and the affordable phones/smart phones/laptops gets them access.

It is a well established fact that we do have a major deficit in terms of qualified mental health professionals be it psychiatrists, psychologists, counsellors, therapists and there needs to be a committed, consistent, systemic change to address this deficit. We do still have quite a way to go before mental health professionals are accessible in person adequately across our population.

Many Mental Health Service professionals/providers offer a sliding scale to offer these services to clients from all economic and social backgrounds. Having said that it is also important that systems and processes be put in place where people can reach out and access these services with ease and affordability.

Inner Dawn Counsellor Kala Balasubramanian’s views featured on Capstone a publication from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media (IIJNM).

http://newsnet.iijnm.org/mental-health-service-accessibility-in-rural-area-still-a-far-fetched-dream/

The post Mental Health Services – Awareness, Accessibility and Affordability first appeared on Inner Dawn Counselling.

Here we are at the end of the year 2020. It is fair to say that this year has been difficult for most of us with the common reason being the covid-19 situation and the related changes in our lives. Given that how can you make these holidays less stressful and more enjoyable.

End of the year does bring festivals, celebrations and heralding of the New Year. It does make us look forward to positivity in the on coming days. At the same time we need to acknowledge that holidays also can be stressful in families even in normal times and with the constraints of the covid, stress and tensions within families can become aggravated.

Here are six ways of making these holidays less stressful and more enjoyable for everyone in your family.

• Have a plan:

Whether you are a couple or single or a family, have a plan of how you want to spend these holidays, be it travel or stay home. Travel can be more stressful than normal with the covid restrictions and fears.  Even if you don’t plan to go anywhere, make that an explicit plan to stay home and do certain planned activities, make it a stay-cation at home. Loneliness, frustrations and boredom can creep up on you and can be especially painful during the holiday season.

• Have realistic expectations:

Whether you are staying home on travelling in these holidays, it is good to have realistic expectations. It might be a long pending vacation or a long awaited family union. Given the current coronavirus situation there could be possible delays or last minute changes in plans.  Family meets also can get heated up if there is any pent up frustration in family members. Old issues could get stirred up and new might pile on. Expect that things may not go according to plan and have backup plans.

• Avoid over doing things:

Commit to only doing things that you can handle comfortably. Over extending yourself might aggravate things and is best avoided. Share responsibilities amongst yourselves appropriately so that not one person is overburdened by work or responsibilities. Discuss with your loved ones and plan your budget upfront and stick to it. If you are having a home get together with friends or family, and if you plan to cook, you can take it easy on yourself by planning for a potluck perhaps.

• Say NO as required:

It is OK to say no when it is required. If you already stretched, do not extend additional hospitality to more. Even within your own family it is important to say NO to your children or your partner or relatives when it is required and appropriate. Inability/difficulty to say no leads up to more stress frustration and overall dissatisfaction.

• Give yourself permission to not be perfect:

Many a times you are trying to meet other people’s expectations. But when you expect yourself to be perfect and everything else to be perfect, that can never practically be met. You are setting yourself up for failure and disappointment

• Take care of yourself:

Last but not the least is to take care of yourself.  Take a breath, give yourself a break. Identify a few things that you want to do just for yourself. And allow yourself to indulge in them. Stay in the now and practice mindfulness. Be aware of your own physical and mental wellness requirements.  Provide yourself care and support generously.

And of course – wear masks, use sanitizers and practice social distancing.

Wishing you and all of us a safe and happy holidays and wish for a bright and healthy new year 2021.

The post Six ways of making holidays less stressful and more enjoyable first appeared on Inner Dawn Counselling.

The recent incident of Suicide of Sushant Singh Rajput, and the associated complexities of the case, have been extensively covered in the media. It is important for the media to provide an objective and unbiased view on what is happening rather than on the basis of sensationalism. How is the client’s confidentiality maintained? How important is that?

Different media channels project and highlight different aspects of the case. And one of the aspects which has been significantly highlighted is the mental health issues of the late actor.

Though the topic of mental health, being discussed in the public domain, is good, it has also raised many questions regarding client-therapist confidentiality.

This also brings up a lot of questions from my existing clients and potential clients who want to enter into therapy with respect to what is confidential what is not. And it has also created more fear and hesitation amongst potential clients, whether the information that they share in therapy will be disclosed, and in what context under which circumstances.

Mental health practitioners adhere to a Code of ethics in which Confidentiality is fundamental. And practitioners will explain the terms, conditions and clauses around the topics of confidentiality to clients and will need to adhere to it.

Here are 5 questions that you can ask your therapist/counsellor regarding confidentiality.

1. What are the confidentiality clauses of your contract / working arrangement?
2. Are there situations where confidentiality can be broken?  What are they?
3. Will you discuss with me, what your plan of action is, if there is a need for a breach of confidentiality?
4. What code of ethics do you follow in your practice?
5. If you discuss my case with your supervisor/colleagues, how will I still be protected?

Having said that, in a way it is good that the mental health has become a topic of conversation and it is important that it does not remain a taboo any more.

Inner dawn counsellor Kala Balasubramanian’s views featured in Deccan Herald Metro life, dated 5^th September 2020.

https://www.deccanherald.com/metrolife/metrolife-your-bond-with-bengaluru/media-spin-raises-questions-882624.html

The post Confidentiality in mental health spaces – An important factor first appeared on Inner Dawn Counselling.