Kintsugi
Art is one of the best things that has happened to mankind. We are all connected to some kind of art, knowingly or unknowingly. Humans are emotional and social animals. We connect with society, the environment, and the people around us, but we have a special connection with art. It can be anything: painting, dancing, singing, photography, or telling stories. Art makes a person approach things uniquely and has the capacity to change a person completely. I believe that art has the biggest and strongest philosophy. The beauty of it is that it conveys to us in a very simple way. In our journey, we undergo tons and tons of emotions. Some will make us happy, proud, satisfied, and more, while others will break us into numerous pieces. Most of us will try to get back on our feet by ourselves or with the support of our loved ones. Art is one of the common things that most of us use to get inspired or learn valuable lessons which we can apply in our journey to pass or fight in our down times. One such unique and inspiring art is Kintsugi.
Kintsugi is a Japanese art (Kin — Gold, Tsugi — Repair or Joinery). It involves repairing broken pottery by using gold, silver, or platinum lacquer to join the broken pieces into a complete one. The philosophy behind this art is to embrace imperfection and find beauty in brokenness, which is rooted in the Japanese concept of wabi-sabi. It states that beauty is found in the natural cycle of growth, decay, and transformation. We often have the mindset of hiding our flaws or mistakes, but we forget that those are the things that make us unique and beautiful. One of the questions that arose when I delved deep into this art is whether we use the right thing to fix our broken pieces or the right thing that will pave a good path. The broken pottery is not only getting fixed but the value and strength of the pottery also increase. For us, good habits or routines are the best human adhesive to fix our pieces and evolve into a new version. Here are five adhesives that have helped me a lot during my challenging days.
Journal :
Journaling is one of the most underrated habits. I have been journaling for about 8 months now on a daily basis. It’s one of the best decisions that I took and It’s been a game-changing to me. Every time I finished journaling I feel so light and good. Researchers have proven that writing down our thoughts will clear our minds and also helps us to think in a very clear way. The are many ways of journaling. There is no rules or constraint to journaling, choose the way that will make you feel better. For instance, I prefer Pen and Paper. and also instead of getting a diary, I buy a notebook because my way of journaling is writing my thoughts and my brain activity for about 3 pages. You can also do digital journaling. there are plenty of amazing applications and websites for digital journaling. One such application is DayOne.
Workout :
Doing any kind of physical activity will help us to grow our mental health. Workout or exercising will make us confident and strong in any situation. The scientific paper shows that physical activity will have a positive impact on our mental health and growth. One such paper is “Physical Activity and Mental Health: Current Concepts” by Panteleimon Ekkekakis which states that regular physical activity has been associated with reduced symptoms of anxiety and depression, improved mood, and increased self-esteem. My form of physical activity is walking. I love distance walking. I walk for about 15km or more. Walking helps me to think a lot and calms me. Most of the ideas for my writing came while walking. I have written a separate article on walking. you can read it here.
Social Clubs/Groups :
Joining a club of your interest, and meeting like-minded people will make us fix our thoughts and calm our minds. when you are surrounded by like-minded people you will be able to express yourself more with them than other people. sharing our thought will make us feel good. Being in such a club will also allow you to listen to others’ experiences, It might give you a new perspective or sometimes even answers to our long waited questions. you can also join online clubs. Which is more happening now. If you are not comfortable hanging out with new people try to hang out with your friends at least once a month. The main idea is to let your thoughts out of your mind, if not it will run in a loop.
Routine :
One of the best ways to fix your pieces and become a better version of yourself is by creating a routine. Routine makes us more productive and also boosts our mental health. Routines need not be the same every day. It varies from person to person also you can have a couple of routines to follow based on your days. But try to make your routine fun. If not we won’t be able to follow it long. I have a couple of Routines to follow. Journaling is one of my morning routines. Routines are one of the ways which helped me to reduce my overthinking. There is no pressure that you have to allocate only tasks in your routines. Taking a nap or break can also be added to your routine. There is no fixed thing to follow. Create your own one.
Learning :
The magic of learning is it makes us feel so young all the time. I believe learning is a never-ending process. It gives us confidence and a new perspective to approach things. It also helps us to explore the strength, weakness, beauty and wonder that are there in and around us. It always pushes the barrier and the inferiority complex that we have. Start enrolling yourself on courses that you like to learn. Create a commitment or goal based on the thing that you learn, so that you won’t stop or skip. For instance, if you want to learn how to cook. Throw a dinner party for your friends with your menu once a week. so that you will learn it without fail. I can say you will definitely enjoy the process.
Mistakes, Breakages, Flaws or downtime are not abnormal or it’s not only happening to you. It’s completely normal. Those are part & parcel of our journey so accept it, embrace it I am sure you will be fine.
Just Remember. WE ARE HUMAN…….