Discovering Your Ikigai This Quarantine

There is much wisdom in the classic saying “mens sana in corpore sano” meaning “a sound mind in a sound body”. It reminds us that both mind and body are equally significant, and that the health of one is connected to that of the other. It has been proven that maintaining an active, adaptable mind is one of the key factors in staying young. According to the Japanese, everyone has an IKIGAI – what a French philosopher might call a raison d’ etre. Our ikigai is hidden deep inside each of us, and finding it requires a patient search. It is all based around our passion, mission, vocation and profession along with the questions of ‘What you love’, ‘What the world needs’, ‘What you can be paid for’ and ‘What you are good at’? Having a clearly defined ikigai brings satisfaction, happiness and meaning to our lives. 

Existential frustration arises when our life is without purpose, or when that purpose is skewed. On the other hand, it is typical of modern societies in which people do what they are told to do, or what others do, rather than what they want to do. They often try to fill the gap between what is expected of them and what they want for themselves with economic power or physical pleasure, or by numbing their senses. Amidst the rat-race of your life, when the Covid-19 pandemic has given you a chance to get hold of yourself, it is quite encouraging for your own life goals to discover your ikigai for your betterment and wonderful future. From reading books to listening to spiritual talks and messages, from writing prose and poetry to collecting literary artworks, from meditating to becoming a gym enthusiast, from playing musical instruments to painting huge canvases, from having heartious conversations with your parents to creating a clean space around you, from developing a taste for a minimal nutritious diet to dancing your heart out, anything can be your ikigai. Above all, you have to find your purpose, your reason for getting out of bed – your ikigai.

Amidst this long stretch of lockdown, we are really discovering and exploring a lot about ourselves. For the first time, life has given us a second chance to analyse and start things new. Be grounded in a personal unique experience that you can access without therapist or spiritual retreats, the mission of finding your ikigai, your existential fuel. Once you find it, it is only a matter of having the courage and making the effort to stay on the right path. You need the basic tools to get moving along the path : finding flow in the tasks you have chosen to do, eating in a balanced and mindful way, doing low-intensity exercise, and learning not to give in when difficulties arise. In order to do this, you have to accept the world – like the people who live in it – is imperfect, but that it is still full of opportunities for achievement and growth. So, are you ready to throw yourself into your passion this quarantine as if it were the most important thing in the whole universe?