Dr. Rachna Khanna Singh is a Mental Wellness Expert, and TEDx Talk speaker, providing Individual, Group, and Corporate Coaching on Relationships, Lifestyle and Stress Management. She is currently heading the Department of Holistic Medicine & Wellness at Artemis Hospital, Gurgaon and Founder -Director of The Mind & Wellness Studio, Delhi & NGO Serve Samman, which aims at empowering children, youth, and women. She has over two decade experience and expertise as a corporate health care consultant and has conducted over 300 Wellness and Soft Skills training workshops for leading corporate houses, like Ericsson, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Hero Honda, Infosys, and Philips. She has also conducted training programs for schools and colleges in Delhi and NCR, besides Delhi police and Tihar Jail. Dr. Rachna Khanna Singh spoke about her experience with Taazakhabar News.
Are the rising cases of anxiety, depression, and burnout—among the youth and working professionals—a reflection of our current lifestyle and societal expectations?
These rising concerns are not anomalies—they’re symptoms of how we live and what we value. We’re living in a performance-based culture where rest is seen as laziness, and silence as unproductivity. Young people are taught to “hustle” before they’re taught how to pause. Emotional fatigue has become a silent epidemic. In sessions, I often hear statements like: “I don’t know why I feel this way—I have everything,” or “I can’t slow down; I’ll fall behind.” These are red flags of a society that has over-prioritized outcomes and under-prioritized emotional sustainability.
Many workplaces still normalize 10-hour days. Educational institutions pressure students to “achieve” without nurturing emotional skills. Social media adds to this pressure with idealized portrayals of success and perfection. The result? A generation exhausted not just by what they’re doing, but by how much they think they need to prove. Moreover, relationship dynamics are shifting—with more people experiencing unstable romantic partnerships, frequent breakups, or lack of trust in close relationships. This often leads to feelings of isolation, attachment anxiety, and lowered self-worth.
Sleep cycles have deteriorated due to screen addiction and erratic work hours. Lack of quality sleep directly impacts emotional regulation, cognitive function, and resilience. Digital dependence is another overlooked aspect. With constant online exposure, the brain rarely enters a true rest state. Notifications, comparisons, and digital overstimulation contribute to chronic stress, and digital burnout is now being observed even in teenagers.
Diet and sedentary lifestyles also play a subtle but significant role—lack of physical activity and irregular meals affect mood regulation and energy levels. Cultural pressures, such as living up to family expectations or traditional success templates, often create internal conflict in a generation seeking independence and self-definition.
What systemic changes are needed to address this mental health crisis?
We can no longer afford to treat mental health as an individual’s burden—it is a collective responsibility. Systemic changes begin with normalizing mental health conversations across sectors, not just within hospitals or therapy rooms.
Workplaces need embedded support structures-regular check-ins, access to counsellors, mental health leave policies, and non-judgmental cultures where seeking help doesn’t come with stigma. Schools and colleges must have full-time psychologists—not just as crisis responders but as proactive educators. Emotional literacy should be a subject, not a side-line. Government and policy reforms should include subsidized therapy, mental health coverage under insurance, and nationwide emotional well-being campaigns targeting rural and urban populations alike. Media houses and tech companies must be held accountable for promoting mindful, factual, and balanced content that does not fuel fear or comparison.
Training frontline workers, including ASHAs, Anganwadi staff, and school teachers, to detect signs of mental distress can act as the first level of support, especially in under-resourced regions. Public health communication should demystify therapy and promote help-seeking behaviours using culturally relatable messaging. Urban planning should also consider mental health—green spaces, noise reduction, and safe community zones can foster psychological well-being. Mental health should be integrated into public health schemes, like the way we approach immunization or maternal care—proactive, wide-reaching, and non-negotiable.
In a world increasingly dominated by digital interactions, do you think genuine human relationships are deteriorating? How does this affect emotional well-being and social cohesion?
Absolutely. Digital proximity has replaced physical presence, but not emotional connection. While we may be more “in touch,” we’re less “in tune.” Many young clients say they feel isolated despite being active online. That’s because likes and followers don’t equate to feeling seen or heard. The constant stream of curated content creates disconnect between how people present themselves and how they truly feel. Vulnerability, which is key to connection, gets lost. This erosion of real relationships affects our emotional bandwidth. People don’t know where to go with their feelings anymore. Conversations are shallow. Friendships often fade under the illusion of “staying connected.”
Furthermore, virtual communication often lacks emotional depth—with emoji’s replacing real emotional expression and voice notes replacing face-to-face dialogue. This limits emotional learning, particularly among children and adolescents. Digital echo chambers also create divisions. People no longer engage in dialogue, they engage in confirmation. This weakens social cohesion and increases intolerance. Reduced family time and loss of intergenerational conversations also contribute to emotional alienation. Many children are growing up without emotionally available adults around them. Emotionally, we are becoming hyper-stimulated but under-supported. And socially, the absence of deep ties weakens our collective resilience. Human beings are wired for connection—not just communication. When we lose that, loneliness becomes more than a feeling; it becomes a public health issue.
How can family structures, friendships, and community bonds be strengthened in today’s fast-paced, individualistic society to support mental health?
It starts with intentional reconnection. We don’t need to return to old ways of living, but we do need to reintroduce old values—like presence, trust, and shared responsibility. Within families, establishing simple rituals—weekly family meals, digital detox hours, check-in conversations—can build emotional safety. Friendships need nourishment too. As adults, we often neglect them under the weight of responsibility. But these relationships are vital. Scheduling time for friends, practicing vulnerability, and showing up in small but consistent ways can revive lost connections.
Communities, whether housing societies or workplace groups, can create safe spaces for interaction: mental health workshops, mindfulness sessions, support circles. I’ve seen immense impact when schools involve parents and teachers in community-based mental health initiatives. Multigenerational connections can be healing—grandparents, mentors, or elder neighbours can bring wisdom, empathy, and a slower pace of life. Men’s mental health circles and safe spaces for women and LGBTQ+ communities are also crucial in addressing specific social and emotional pressures. Community volunteering, neighbourhood events, and shared caregiving initiatives can foster a sense of belonging and mutual support. Connection doesn’t need to be grand. It needs to be real and regular.
What, in your view, are the psychological roots of rising aggression, intolerance, and unrest in society? Is it driven more by socio-economic inequalities or emotional/mental instability?
It’s rarely one or the other. Socio-economic inequality can certainly create chronic stress, but when emotional regulation is poor, that stress becomes volatile. What we’re seeing today—whether in road rage, online hate, or mob violence—is often the psychological result of unprocessed pain, unmet needs, and fractured emotional scaffolding. In therapy, aggression often masks vulnerability. People feel unheard, unseen, and overwhelmed—and these feelings find expression in anger because anger is a socially acceptable outlet. Especially among men, due to gender conditioning, sadness and fear are rarely expressed directly, but surface as irritability or violence.
We also see a lack of emotional vocabulary—many don’t know how to name or process frustration, guilt, envy, or shame. Without this skill, emotional build up erupts outwardly. The collective psyche is carrying unresolved grief and chronic dissatisfaction. Without emotional education, people lack the tools to channel these feelings constructively. So yes, inequality plays a role—but emotional literacy and access to mental health support are what determine how people respond to that pressure. Exposure to violent content, social divisiveness, and polarizing media also influence how people process anger and conflict.
Do you believe that social media and sensationalist news are aggravating public anger and unrest? If yes, how can individuals and institutions counter this?
Yes, both are major amplifiers. Social media and news platforms have created an ecosystem of constant emotional triggering. Anger gets more clicks than empathy. Outrage is rewarded with visibility. This feedback loop fosters impulsive reactions and tribal thinking. People consume so much emotionally charged content that it desensitizes them or, worse, heightens reactivity. Sensationalist headlines rarely offer nuance or dialogue—only extremes. To counter this Individuals need to practice digital hygiene. Mute accounts that trigger anxiety, engage with content that fosters balance, and take time off from doom scrolling. Parents and educators must guide children on how to interpret what they see online and foster reflective rather than reactive thinking. Institutions—especially schools and colleges—must introduce media literacy programs that teach young people to critically analyse what they consume.
Tech platforms must take greater responsibility for the algorithms they create. Ethical design matters.
Therapists and mental health educators must use digital spaces mindfully—to bring balance, clarity, and evidence-based perspectives to wider audiences. Public figures and influencers should be encouraged to model digital responsibility and emotionally intelligent discourse. Mental health professionals, too, must step into digital spaces with accurate, grounded information—offering calm amid the chaos.
How can education, public policy, and mental health services work together to create a more emotionally resilient and peaceful society?
The three must operate as partners, not parallel silos. Education can lay the foundation. Emotional intelligence, empathy, coping strategies, and self-awareness should be core subjects, not optional add-ons. Teachers must be trained in recognizing emotional distress and creating inclusive classrooms.
Public policy must prioritize mental health as a core health concern. This includes funding for mental health professionals, incentives for rural practitioners, and integration of mental health into existing welfare programs. Mental health services must become more accessible and community-cantered. We need trained paraprofessionals, helplines in regional languages, and outreach efforts that demystify therapy.
Cross-sector collaborations can be powerful. NGOs, corporate CSR initiatives, schools, and public health departments can pool resources and expertise. Peer-led interventions—especially among youth and college students—can destigmatize help-seeking and make support feel more relatable. Inclusion of mental health in corporate training programs, parenting workshops, and local government schemes can amplify awareness and reach. When these systems intersect, we create a society that not only understands mental health but also supports it structurally. A society that builds not just resilient individuals, but resilient ecosystems.
