When you feel uneasy about your life

The seeds of worry are all around us. In my case, for example, when I didn’t get an expected email reply, I would worry that the person didn't like me anymore. When I would say "good morning" to my wife and I get her reply with harsh expression, I would worry if I had said something wrong. These are certainly small worries, but there are bigger ones nowadays due to the recent pandemic, including our future. I believe there are people that are restless and worried, more than ever.

An interesting book came out recently which I rushed to purchase. The title is Cleanup in Old Man Way ("Jiji no Katazuke" in Japanese, written by Hitoshi Sawano, published by Shueisha.) He suggests: When you feel uneasy about your life, wipe out and clean the actual windows. He says, "When the windows are dirty, I feel depressed. So cleaning them up helps me clear up my mind, stretch my spine with confidence, and rejuvenate the ability to walk to tomorrow."

I once had a friendship with a scholar Masakazu Nakayama (deceased). He is the founder of the NM method, the techniques of creativity development. While sipping whiskey, he said "Matsuzaki-kun, thinking and worrying are completely different acts. People tend to do worrying instead of thinking. Worrying about something is to think about the things you don't need to think about." He told me to quicky get rid of the worry as soon as possible. This teaching became a treasure in my life.

I am currently practicing the form of Judo once a week. It takes about an hour, and I can't describe how exhilarating it feels after the intensive practice. After a good sweat, my anxiety and worries seem to go away to somewhere else. The next day's work performance goes amazingly well. As long as we live, we have to deal with greater or lesser worries, but worries can be left alone. It's important to develop your own way to keep your mind clean and refreshed.