How to be happy: 'Refreshing your soul'

The top image is a 'Miyakowasure' (Gymnaster savatieri).
Its flower language is 'a brief rest'.

In our busy, fast-paced daily lives,
we sometimes feel a sense of guilt
even when we take a break.

We feel that if we stop, we will be left behind,
and if we let our guard down, we will lose our value.

But in truth,
people cannot keep running forever.

We need time to sit down,
take a deep breath,
and care for our own lives.

Today,
I want to talk about 'refreshing your soul'.

Just as clothes get dirty,
and dust accumulates in a room,
grime gradually builds up on our lives as well.

The exhaustion from human relationships.

Endless work.

Days spent chasing only numbers.

Time spent comparing ourselves to others.

'I have to do things properly.'
'I have to try harder.'

When such thoughts pile up,
it becomes harder for the heart to breathe, little by little.

But the tricky part is,
that it is hard to notice this grime yourself.

By the time you notice it,
you may have lost the capacity to laugh,
or you may no longer be able to enjoy the things you once loved.

That is precisely why
you need to consciously 'wash' it.

I feel that the phrase
'relieving fatigue'
is not quite enough.

Refreshing your soul
is not just about recovering.

It is about returning to your true self.

When you were a child,
the time you spent looking at the sky for no reason.

The feeling that the breeze was pleasant,
and the sense of fulfillment just from walking.

Immersing yourself in your favorite music,
spacing out in the bathtub,
or breathing in the scent of nature.

Not because it is useful,
but time that feels 'comfortable'.

I believe that is
the act of gently running water
over a life that has become soiled.

Today's society
inevitably demands 'results'.

What have you produced?

How much have you earned?

How efficiently have you acted?

Of course,
these things are important for living.

But,
if you start measuring life only by productivity,
guilt arises when you rest.

You start to think of time spent doing nothing
as 'wasteful'.

However,
what is necessary for refreshing your soul
is actually found within that 'waste'.

A walk that takes the long way around.

Reading without a purpose.

Watching the rain while drinking coffee.

Idle conversation with a child.

Such moments
can sometimes fill in
the cracks in our lives.


I also believe that refreshing your soul
means 'treating yourself with care again'.
Not forcing yourself when you are tired.

Not pushing yourself to the limit

when you are suffering, saying 'I can still do more'.
Not pretending that

your feelings of loneliness do not exist.
We

can be kind even to people who do not matter,
yet we are surprisingly harsh to ourselves.
But,
if you keep treating your own life carelessly,

even your ability to feel happiness will dull.
So, from time to time,
please consciously

care for your own life.
Just as washed clothes
look pleasant as they sway in the wind,

I believe that by washing it anew,
your life, too, will regain its lightness.

Not to try harder.
Not to produce more results.
Simply to be someone

who can properly feel happiness,

refresh your soul.

Books that influenced the writing of this article

Stress-Free Super Encyclopedia

Mental fatigue cannot be recovered from by willpower alone.
Sleep, exercise, rest, and human connection.
This is a book that teaches you 'methods to organize your life'
while incorporating a medical perspective.
I highly recommend it.

I have also compiled other 'ways to be happy' flowers
at the link below.
Please take as much as you need 🍀

Thank you for reading until the end.
I hope to see you in another article.
🍀 May you be happy 🍀