‘Akela pehle mehsoos bahut hota tha’: Falguni Pathak on battling solitude and finding her calling

It’s the same emptiness we feel when our favourite Netflix series ends, or after landing the job we dreamt of for months. The high of expectation collapses, and what’s left is silence.

And how do they cope?

For Pathak, she found her safe space in an NGO. Spirituality also helped her navigate this journey with ease. She told Ramani, “Lekin jabse, since the past few years…15-20 saal se, I have joined an NGO…unke waha jaane se mujhe bahut farak pada hai…tabse life mei change bahut aaya, emotionally, mentally…ki chalo mere saath koi hai, constantly mere saath mera guru hai, jo humesha mere saath rehta hai, mere khushi mei, meri dukh mei.”

 

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Besides, one can find the right balance by understanding self-worth, stressed Vashist. “Balance doesn’t come from hiding one side; it comes from seeing both as the same story. We all perform to some degree: the confident version at work, the calm one with family, the collected one online. The key is to remain aware while performing.”

When we act without awareness, Vashist added, we start living for reactions instead of reality, outsourcing our sense of peace to what others mirror back. Emotional balance starts when your public self stops being a mask and becomes an extension of your inner self. Reflection, journaling, and honest pauses help bridge that gap.

Finding emotional resilience

There are ways to do it. It comes in the form of healing, self-talk and a sense of self. For Pathak, she found her refuge in spirituality and meeting new people. Vashist reiterated that spirituality provides a reference point beyond performance. “When everything external, praise, success, relationships, moves in cycles, faith reminds you of something steady underneath.”

Reframing emptiness

It reframes emptiness not as loss but as space. People anchored in faith don’t collapse when a phase ends because they see it as part of a larger rhythm. The applause fades, the series ends, but they still have a quiet continuity inside, something bigger to belong to.

Beyond isolation

Vashist explained that isolation isn’t always about lack of company; it’s often about disconnection from meaning. You can be surrounded and still lonely if everything you do is unconscious, reactive, habitual, or externally driven.

Here’s how to do it in a healthy way:

1. Name the emptiness. It’s not weakness, it’s awareness.
2. Re-anchor in something real. Create, write, cook, walk, anything that reconnects you to presence, not performance.
3. Seek depth over reach. Talk honestly to one or two people, not perform for many.
4. Simplify. Reduce noise, digital and emotional, so you can hear yourself again.
5. When you stop outsourcing happiness to what’s outside, even silence starts feeling full.

DISCLAIMER: This article is based on information from the public domain and/or the experts we spoke to. Always consult your health practitioner before starting any routine