Book Review - Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life

 So I have been wanting to read this book for a loooooooooooong time! Finally got my hands on it a couple days ago and it has definitely stood up to all the expectations. It's a lovely, inspiring read and definitely recommended to anyone looking for some motivation to tone up their lives. 

Keep reading for the full review! ↓↓↓

What is Ikigai?

Ikigai is the Japanese word meaning a reason to live and this is the central theme of the book - finding your special individualised purpose and meaning in life; a reason that makes you want to get out of bed everyday and brings you to a state of happiness and contentment. 

Finding your ikigai is important and has been emphasized in a number of places including logotherapy. and morita therapy. Not having a purpose can result in a phenomenon called Sunday neurosis - or the empty feeling on weekends when you have no job to run to or school to attend. 

How to Live a Long, Happy Life

1. Don't retire

Ikigai is the secret of the supercentenarians (age above 110) in Okinawa, a small village in Japan where 24% of the population is above the age of 100 - the highest in the world. Their first secret towards youth and longevity is to never retire. Yes! You heard it right! Staying active and always keeping yourself involved in one of the first steps to a long and happy life. 

2. Cut down on stress

Stress is one of the major causes promoting aging. A small dose of stress keeps you motivated and is propelling and positive. But too much stress can destroy your dreams of longevity. Things as trivial as notifications ringing on your phone to sedentary lifestyles and lack of sleep can all contribute to mental, physical and emotional stress. If you want to add a few years to your life, take the initiative and subtract all those unnecessary stress sources in your life. 

3. Melatonin - The Secret to Longevity!

Sleep is another important factor in improving health and duration of our lives. Too much sleep results in lethargy. 7-9 hours is the recommended amount and will ensure you sustain that positive vibe and rigour throughout the day. Melatonin - a hormone controlling our sleep cycle - is the proclaimed secret to longevity. This hormone, negatively influenced by the blue light constantly emitted form all our devices, regulates our body cycles and must be kept in check to ensure a good night sleep.

4. Flow or the Optimal Experience

A concept phenomenally explained in the book "Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience" by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, is also encouraged by the central theme of Ikigai. Achieving this optimal state is tricky and there are some steps that can lead you to the righ way

a) Find a challenging task 

Mundane routines can make life tedious and boring. A little challenge here and there that will help you come out of your comfort zone, helps add a little spice. Ensure that you are not stressing yourself while also ascertaining that there is certain amount of newness in what you are doing. 

b) Clear Concrete Objective

Extremes are never good. Obsessing over goals or being ignorant about them are both non-ideal ways to go. Ensure that you have created a good compass to direct your life by setting clear concrete objectives. 

c) One Task at a Time

One of the best ways to ensure you maintain a constant state of focus is to avoid multitasking. Research has suggested that the mind is capable of doing only one thing at a time and multitasking is not an existent phenomenon. The essence of 'multitasking' is basically a shift of focus from one task to another. The Pomodoro Technique is a great technique to help concentrate on the task at hand. This technique suggests regular breaks between working on a task. For eg, 25 min of work and 5 min of break and repeat.

d) Attention to Detail

Keep life simple and enjoy the intricacies.

e) Microflow

Enjoying mundane routine tasks is a part of achieving an overall optimal experience. Learn to enjoy ticking off things on your to-do list and being productive during the day. This is a step towards achieving flow. 

f) Meditation

This is one of the easiest ways to create a natural flow.

g) Rituals over Goals

Set smaller, achievable goals or substeps or rituals rather than setting very high targets and overwhelming yourself. Achieving smaller goals, one step at a time will give you a sense of satisfaction and keep you going. 

Secrets of Longevity from the Supercentenarians

1. Here are some tips right from the mouths of supercentenarians - tips that these incredible people attribute as secrets to their long lives.
2. Eat, sleep, relax, have an enormous thirst for life
3. Never eaten meat
4. Having a sense of humor
5. Keeping your minds and body busy and involved
6. Sustaining your ikigai throughout your life
7. Staying active till the end
8. Having a sense of community
9. Avoiding unnecessary worry
10. Keeping your heart open and smiling
11. Keeping your fingers busy
12. Good habits
13. Nurturing life-long friendships
14. Unhurried lives
15. Optimism and gratitude

Miracle Diet

Here is the typical meal plan of the Okinawa residents that has helped them sustain their health and vitality:

1. Variety in food items 
2. 5 servings of fruits and vegetables
3. Grains, especially white rice
4. Sugar is rarely used in the food
5. No more than 7g of salt per day
6. An average of 1785 calories consumed everyday
7. Hara hachi bu or the 80% rule - eat only till your stomach is 80% full and never beyond that
8. Intaking natural antioxidants
9. Drinking jasmine tea or green tea regularly
10. Shikuvara fruit

Active Lifestyles

Apart from exercise, regular non-exercise activities are a must. 

Here are some ancient Eastern techniques that will help you maintain a good, active lifestyle. All these techniques emphasize the relationship between movement and breath. 

1. Yoga and Sun Salutation
2. Qigong
3. Radio Taiso
4. Shiatsu
5. Tai Chi

Living Life Worry-Free

One of the most important ways to living life worry free is building resilience. Having a focused yet flexible approach in life is an important aspect of building emotional tenacity and reaching a state of tranquility or apatheia. 

Reducing negative emotions and adding positivity is an important exercise for reducing worry in life. 

Stoicism practices negative visualization or the imagination of the worst possible scenario of a certain situation. 

Understanding the impermanence of things in routine life as well as regular meditation are also vital to achieving resilience. 

Learn to find beauty in imperfections and enjoy the present moment. 

Here is some food for thought -

What is important is preserving customs and traditions not keeping a building standing for generations

Resilience v/s Anti-fragile

Resilience is the ability to resist change, harm or shock and remain in the former state. One step beyond resilience is being anti-fragile. This state emphasizes improving after a certain shock, change or harm. This is perhaps the solitary reason that Japan is one of the few countries to be able to rise back from the massive destruction caused by natural disasters every few years.  

The next question that may arise in your minds is how to be anti-fragile. Here are some steps to get you started

1. Create redundancies or abckup options

For e.g ensuring multiple sources of income to prevent fragility at a certain job, or having multiple reliable relationships rather than investing yourself completely in just one relation. 

2. Bet conservatively in some areas and take risks in other

One must understand where, how and when to take risks in life. Being a scaredy cat always remaining in your comfort zones is not healthy just like being excessively impulsive is not conducive. One must learn to find a balance between these two states.

3. Eliminate things, people, habits that make you fragile

Certain people are toxic and drain your energy. If possible, keep your distance from them because they are making you fragile. Certain habits like food cravings or social media time, reduce health and productivity respectively. Learn to gain control over such habits and not become a slave to these regimens. 

Last thoughts

Life is imperfection but having a clear sense of ikigai can create unbelievable possibilities

Recap: The 10 Essential Rules to Living a Long, Happy Life

1. Stay Active, Don't Retire
2. Take it slow and steady
3. Don't fill your stomach too much - The 80% Rule
4. Surround Yourself with good friends and company
5. Get in shape
6. Smile
7. Reconnect with nature
8. Give Thanks
9. Live in the moment
10. Follow YOUR IKIGAI!

Wishing you all the best on your journey to find your ikigai! 

Did you like this review? Should I do more such reviews? Let me know in the comments below!

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Until then....signing off!

S...

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Statistics

Number of Pages - 185 pages

Number of Hours - 2 hours 

Days Read - 31 August - Sept 4 2020 (Break on Sept 3 2020) - Half hour everyday