How to live a long and healthy life?

The book Ikigai was a gift for my birthday back in 2019. I tried reading it then, but I couldn’t quite relate to it. I picked it up again a couple of days back, and this time I really couldn’t put it down and ended up finishing it in two days.

This book is a beautiful introduction into the literature for creating a meaningful life. It combines the research of the authors, with some of the existing practices and other published literature, giving you around 180 pages of human collective wisdom on ikigai – the purpose of your life/ what makes you get up each day! You may have found it or you may still be in the process – look within to find out.

The Japanese Way

In a world where average life expectancy is between 60-75 years, Japan continues to have people who live 100 years and beyond, happily so. So what is their secret to a long and happy life? The book answers this question through a series of interviews and conversations conducted with many people who have lived beyond 100 years of age.

Was I hoping to find something that I did not know already? Maybe. But as it turns out, the book reiterated all that I knew. More important than knowing is the application, that’s what makes all the difference.

Tips to live long and healthy lives

Brace yourselves for no surprises but more important reflection and action points:

1. Cut out worry: Worrying and overthinking is eating into our peace of mind and good energy. We all know it yet stress refuses to leave our side.
2. Cultivate good habits: Easier said than done, but by now we all know what we do on a daily basis matters a lot more than what we do once in a while. So, embrace routines, boredom and repetition.
3. Nurture relationships: Invest in the bonds that matter. To me it also means ‘do not’ invest in the bonds that only suck your energy, bring you down and aren’t meaningful.
4. Slow down: This is the most important point for me. I lead such a rushed life on most days that I keep craving for more hours in a day. Slowing down has made me lesser ‘busy’ and more ‘productive’, but long way to go.
5. Be optimistic: No surprises there, flush out the negativity from your system. My mentor Dr. Daisaku Ikeda writes, “As long as one has hope, there is nothing one cannot achieve; everything is born from hope.” This hope is a decision, a choice. Not found through external means.
6. Eat well: Thanks to living alone in a foreign land where I cooked most meals, my inclination to eat out has considerably reduced. What we eat really makes a difference.
7. Move: Physical exercise and healthy levels of body movement do not need a gym subscription, or workout gear, it needs discipline and commitment. You might walk, dance, jog, run, but make sure you’re not glued to your chair/bed. Taking a 5 minute walking break every 30-40 minutes during my work day has made a big difference to my life.

In conclusion, it is often not the big things, but small every day things that matter the most. So, let’s value our mind and body and intentionally invest in being mentally, emotionally and physically healthy so we can continue pursuing our ikigai.

You can buy the book here.

Photo by Thomas Tucker on Unsplash