Life in Japan, although a wonderful adventure, can be hectic for an expat. It’s only natural for your stress to build up when you live in a foreign country, where the language and culture may be quite different from your own.
Whether trying to juggle child-rearing with no “village” to help out or working at a busy job with long hours in a fast-paced city like Tokyo, you will almost certainly feel overwhelmed at some point.
That is exactly why it’s so important to practice self-care and relaxation in your daily life. One of the most widely acknowledged methods for reducing stress is the practice of mindfulness. Through mindfulness, it is said, anybody can attain a sense of calm, even in a sprawling Japanese metropolis with its crowds and noise. All it takes is a little training to fine-tune your stream of consciousness.
One of the main pillars of mindfulness is to be present in the here and now and feel truly in the moment. So much of modern life is spent on autopilot, with us dashing from one task to the next without being fully in tune with our bodies or aware of our breathing. The result is that we spend our lives in a state of constant hypervigilance and stress.
By practicing daily mindfulness, we can get back in the driver’s seat of our nervous system and gradually improve our ability to control stress. We can tune in to our inner voice and make conscious decisions from a state of calm, rather than falling back on subconscious knee-jerk reactions to get through the day.
In Japan, where working hours are long and commutes are crowded, it can seem impossible to find a spare moment to practice daily mindfulness. These four quick exercises are ideal for busy people in the modern world. Why not incorporate one or more into your daily routine for your own self-care?
Our ears are constantly bombarded with a myriad of sounds, most of which are automatically tuned out or controlled by our brain. This survival mechanism allows us to pick up and focus on the most important sounds: a baby crying, a person speaking in a meeting, a phone ringing.
Have you ever tried to notice all the sounds around you? This exercise is the perfect introduction to mindfulness and can be done anytime and anywhere, even in the noisiest of places. Simply close your eyes and try to pick out every little sound. You will be surprised how many layers of sound you can notice, from the sound of your own breathing to the subtle hum of a car in the distance. This exercise is always effective because sounds are always present, even in seemingly quiet places.
Listening to sounds in this way can calm and ground you, allowing you to focus on the here and now. You can use this technique when feeling stress or panic, or simply as a daily mindfulness tool.
Tip: Get into the mindfulness zone by imagining that you are a baby hearing the sounds around you for the first time.
When we are operating on autopilot, we often don’t register what we touch throughout the day. We constantly move our hands and fingertips to touch, grasp, or carry objects without a second thought. So how would we feel if we made a conscious effort to be aware of the things we touch?
This exercise can be done as you go about your daily routine, so it requires no extra time. The only difference is that you will be moving around with focus and intention, instead of being inattentive and unaware.
Choose a daily habit, such as washing your hands, and focus on your sense of touch. Take a breath and notice the water flowing over your skin and the soap bubbles tickling your fingers. If you persevere in this daily practice, you may be able to train your nervous system to the point where simply washing your hands will evoke a feeling of calm.
It may be a cliché that deep breathing helps lower stress levels, but this has been proven to be true. The 4-7-8 breathing method is backed by science and easy to remember. The exercise goes like this: breathe in as much air as possible for four seconds, hold your breath for seven seconds, then breathe out slowly for eight seconds.
Focus on expanding your lower abdomen as you breathe in. Studies show that breathing from the lower abdomen helps activate the vagus nerve. This is the core nerve in our parasympathetic nervous system, and it helps regulate digestion, heart rate, and immune function. When we are stressed, the vagus nerve can become dysregulated, causing stress-related health problems such as upset stomach or insomnia.
Try 4-7-8 breathing when you first wake up in the morning or before you go to bed, and remember to use it the next time you feel stressed.
The daily hustle and grind can take its toll at times, provoking pessimism and negative emotions. However, by making a conscious effort to change our outlook, we can recover our sense of well-being, even in stressful situations.
A gratitude list can be a daily written list, or it can simply be something that you think of when times are hard. It is an easy exercise. Just think of the things you are thankful for at the moment. It can be anything, no matter how small. Even in a situation that may seem like the worst possible, there is always something to be grateful for.
Inserting a little conscious optimism into your day can really help turn bad days around, and the more you practice, the more optimistic you may become.
These mindfulness methods are a great starting point for a calmer, happier life. But the truth is that no matter how well-intentioned you are, you may neglect the practice of mindfulness when daily chores and other activities take priority.
Reduce your load by delegating your household chores to Kurashinity, and give yourself some mental space to practice mindfulness and relax. Our fluent English-speaking housekeeping staff can clean your home from top to bottom, leaving you with the extra time and breathing space to find perfect calm.
Originally from the United Kingdom, Jessica is a writer and translator now living happily by the sea just south of Tokyo in Kamakura, Japan.
