look news india
In today’s fast-paced life, every person is involved in some blind race or the other. Be it the employees in bustling corporate hubs like Lucknow’s Hazratganj and Gomti Nagar with their eyes glued to laptop screens till late night, or the youth in metro cities who are constantly juggling career, EMIs, social pressure and targets, stress and anxiety have become the silent reality of every household. People are losing their inner peace and mental peace in the race to achieve everything. In such a situation, the whole world is turning towards Japan’s age-old lifestyle and mental health principles. In Japanese culture, some philosophies and words have been coined to solve the complexities of life, which are not just parts of the language, but they are infallible mantras for mental peace, satisfaction and living a stress-free life. If you also want to get out of the heaviness of your mind and everyday worries, then it is very important to understand these 4 magical words of Japan and implement them in your life.
The first and most powerful word in the Japanese language is ‘Ikigai’, which simply means ‘A Reason for Being’ or the reason that motivates you to get out of bed every morning. Most people remain stressed because they are doing work for which they have no intrinsic attachment, they are just running for money or compulsion. Ikigai philosophy says that true peace is found when you find a beautiful combination of four things in your life:
-
The work which you love to do (Passion).
-
Work that you are naturally very good at (Vocation).
-
The work which this world and society needs today (Mission).
-
That work which can manage your livelihood and money (Profession).
When these four points meet at one place, the emptiness in a person’s mind as to what he is doing in his life is eliminated. A person who has found his Ikigai stops comparing himself to others, thus completely eliminating jealousy, insecurity and mental pressure and turning every day into a purposeful joy.
The root of 70% of modern man’s stress is the unrealistic desire that his life, his career, his body, his home and his relationships should be ‘perfect’ in every situation. When something does not go as per our expectations, we feel broken or frustrated from within. This is where Japan’s ancient aesthetic philosophy ‘Wabi-Sabi’ comes in handy. Wabi-sabi teaches us that nothing lasts forever, nothing is finished and most of all, nothing is perfect.
This philosophy inspires to accept life’s imperfections, signs of aging, broken parts and incompleteness with beauty. Just as in Japan, broken pottery is made more valuable through the art of ‘kintsugi’ by attaching gold to it, wabi-sabi says that your mistakes and weaknesses do not make you ugly, but they are part of your life experience. When you stop having unnecessary expectations from yourself and others to be ‘perfect’, a heavy rock is lifted from your mind and you learn to lovingly accept the present as it is.
Due to technology, mobile notifications, concrete jungles and continuous living in closed rooms with air conditioners, the human mind has become disconnected from natural harmony. A very effective term in Japanese medicine and wellness is ‘Shinrin-Yoku’, which literally translates to ‘Forest Bathing’ i.e. immersion in nature or the atmosphere of the forest. This does not mean at all that you have to go into the forest and do rigorous trekking or exercise. Shinrin-yoku simply means taking a quiet walk through a lush green park, garden, or among trees and experiencing nature by activating your five senses—eyes, ears, nose, skin, and tongue.
Listening to the rustling sound of trees, inhaling the natural aroma of soil and leaves, paying attention to the chirping of birds and feeling the fresh air rapidly brings down the level of stress hormone ‘cortisol’ in the brain. Scientific studies have proven that natural chemicals (Phytoncides) released by trees strengthen our body’s immune system and natural killer cells. If you sit quietly in a park or natural environment for just 2 to 3 hours a week without a smartphone, your blood pressure remains controlled and the mind gets deep freshness.
Another major cause of stress is the futile insistence on changing circumstances that are completely beyond our control. Be it some wrong office policy, changed behavior of someone close to us, traffic jam or some untoward incident in the past, we keep burning in the fire of ‘I wish this had not happened’. The famous idiom of Japanese culture ‘Shikata Ga Nai’ (Shikata Ga Nai or Shoganai) shows us the path to mental liberation. It simply means: ‘What’s done can’t be changed’ or ‘It’s not in our control, so let it go.’
This is not helplessness or pessimism, but it is immense mental strength to accept reality. Japanese people believe that the greatest foolishness is to waste your energy and mental peace on things over which you have no control. The moment you accept that you cannot stop the rain but opening the umbrella is in your hands, half of your worries automatically disappear. Putting all your energy only on those things that you can change today, and leaving what is out of control to the flow of time is the biggest secret of inner peace.
It is very easy to make these four sutras of Japan a part of your life, for this you do not need to become a monk or leave your work. Just make small changes to your daily routine:
-
The first thing you do when you wake up in the morning is remember your ‘Ikigai’, why today is special for you and what value you are adding to your work.
-
Throughout the day, whenever you make a mistake at work or things don’t go according to plan, instead of beating yourself up, remember ‘Wabi-Sabi’ and accept your shortcomings with a smile.
-
In the evening or on weekends, keep your mobile on silent and take a barefoot walk in a nearby park or open field as part of ‘Shinrin-yoku’ and get in touch with nature.
-
As soon as you are faced with any adverse or uncontrolled situation, take a deep breath and repeat in your mind ‘Shikta Ga Nai’ – Why should I worry about what is not in my hands.
When you make these four Japanese thoughts a part of your thinking, then even the biggest difficulties and hustle and bustle of life will not be able to shake the peace within your mind.