It’s dusk. The final evening of 2025. Ever since I’ve been a child, I’ve loved this time of the day. It just puts me in that twilight, reflective zone!

As I reflect on the year gone by, I realize how much I’ve needed to be ‘regulated’ myself.
That’s the truth about Regulation. Not just our children, but in this time and age, we as adults need it too.

Don’t get me wrong, wonderful things have happened. One needs to stay grounded through those, too.

Our lives are filled with stress, we may not know what step to take, we may jump from one program to another- just hedging our bets about which is the one that will work best for our children. Social media doesn’t make it easy. You’ve heard about the 5 second hook, right? This means that Instagram reels have got to capture the viewer’s attention in 5 second. Is this really how our attention spans have been impacted?

Given the stress, fast pace of life, we need to ‘regulate’ ourselves. Can we go back to ‘less is more?’


Slow down, take time to be with yourself … and then take time to be with your child, your family.

I had a couple of instances in this holiday season, where I was totally overwhelmed. Upcoming courses that I’m presenting, plenty to do at home, a short trip, a get together with family and friends…

I was cranky! Unfortunately, Anil had to bear the brunt of it.

Well, it was time to apply what I coach and train my fellow parents about. Connect with yourself, first! I added a couple of movement based 10-minute sessions during the day.

 

I got back to doing at least a couple of activities with Mohit. Trust me, the activities regulated me more than Mohit. Because I was the one who needed the regulation.



I found this image on Facebook! It resonated immediately.

We also need to slow down. Enjoy what you’re doing. Stop Scrolling. Stop multitasking- by the way, I’m saying this more to myself than you.

Enjoy the walk, enjoy sunsets like this one.

(Image) The final sunset of 2025. And the final moon rise of 2025, below.

I came to another realization. I tended to go to ‘Candy Crush’ after I finished back to back sessions that required my 100% attention and presence. I thought it helped me destress after hard work.
But I started feeling that something was not right. Was I addicted to Candy Crush? I found myself wanting to play just one more game or only till — pm.

Here’s what I found on the internet.

Yes, Candy Crush is widely considered addictive due to its game design that exploits psychological principles like dopamine hits from rewards, near misses, and variable reinforcement, along with features like limited lives, social comparison, and endless levels that keep players hooked and wanting “just one more” match. It uses tactics similar to slot machines to create compulsion, making it a significant example of a mobile game designed to keep users engaged for long periods.

I decided to leave Candy Crush behind in 2025. It was eating into my time and leading to procrastination with other important stuff that required my time and attention.

This afternoon I deleted Candy Crush and all my stats built up over the past couple of years.

Because if I want to go far, I need to let go of everything that pulls me down, isn’t it?

 

On a humane level, if I counsel families on mobile addiction, then I need to work on my own too.

So, here’s my  punch list to start off 2026.

1. Build your own regulation, first and foremost
2. Slow down to speed up
3. Less is more
4. Let go of things that hold you back

Good-bye 2025. With gratitude for all the blessings and learnings. 
I welcome 2026 with open arms.