Discover the beauty of wabi-sabi

I personally discovered wabi-sabi a few years ago when I came across a book in my local library. I found myself drawn into the fascinating world of wabi-sabi which originates from Japan, a world of slowing down, of appreciating everything around us. The concept of wabi-sabi encourages us to truly experience everything in life, rather than watching the world from the sideline. By letting go of the need for perfection and accepting ourselves for who we are, we can live a more authentic and contented life.

In today’s modern world we are often overwhelmed by technology, social media, work and family stresses, pressures to attain more and more, the list goes on and on. We compare ourselves to others and panic if we feel we are not reaching our potential, but often what we strive for is not what we really want. We end up doing things we don’t really want to do, thinking it will make us feel better, when in fact, we just feel the opposite. 

The concept of practicing wabi-sabi helps us to slow down, to look at the beauty around us, to accept the imperfections of ourselves and of life. This doesn’t mean we have to lower our personal standards or lose our focus. It just means that we can be our true self, our perfectly imperfect self. Can you imagine the feeling of relief, knowing that we don’t have to be that perfect person, the perfect work colleague, the perfect mother, the perfect grandfather, the perfect friend? We can let go of the high expectations, the ‘stuff’ that holds us down, the idea that we should be earning more money, having the perfect clean house that wouldn’t be out of place on a glossy magazine cover. 

So how can the concept of wabi-sabi help you slow down and live a more authentic life? The first principle of wabi-sabi is to guide you into accepting and being content with having less. Less expectation, less stuff, less stress, less chaos and less perfection. Wabi-sabi urges you to be yourself, the true authentic you, to return to a simpler way of life, with less clutter, both emotionally and physically.

So here are my own personal ways I use the concept of wabi-sabi in my life. 

1. Home – Our home is our sanctuary, our safe space, a place to relax and unwind. And yet, our home can be a source of stress, unwittingly causing both physical and emotional health issues. We see perfect houses on TV programmes, Instagram and in magazines. Perfectly designed rooms and colour coordinated furniture give us envious vibes and we wonder why our own home doesn’t look the same. But honestly, think about it. Homes are for living in, for enjoying time with our family and our hobbies, so is the ‘perfect’ home in a magazine a true reflection of yourself and how you want to live? Having a simple, uncluttered space is how the Japanese practicing wabi-sabi, love to live. Having a home that reflects you and your personality is key. The wabi-sabi method believes that, by living and accepting and embracing a less than perfect life, then you will have no need for extra ‘stuff’ and clutter. You will surround yourself with things that represent your true self, things that make you truly happy, not unwanted items that you bought on impulse. Wabi-sabi encourages you to live simply, to free yourself of clutter that does not speak to your heart. 

Look at your own home. Think about what you want to ‘feel’ when you are at home. What are the things you love, the things that bring you happiness and joy? Try adding more of what you love and take away the things that don’t bring you a calm, joyful feeling. Notice the difference as you do this. Try and create a sense of peace in your home, make it a place that is authentically you. 

2. Nature – Nature figures highly in the ideas around wabi-sabi. Nature is believed to be the one of the greatest antidotes to stress and wabi-sabi encourages us to be more mindful and observant of the natural world around us. From walking in the woods to observing flowers in the meadow, nature is a wonderful way to release stress and live a more calm and peaceful life. And yet, as Westerners, we still don’t do this enough. By taking time to release ourselves from the indoors and modern living, we can return to our true self, the person we were before the busy world engulfed us.

3. Acceptance – One of the main points of wabi-sabi is acceptance, accepting yourself and your life with all its imperfections, even mistakes we have made in the past. It can be difficult to accept that we are not perfect, and we often spend time striving to improve something about ourselves or our life. And yet, this just adds more pressure to our already stressful life. Wabi-sabi encourages us to accept the past, to stop feeling guilty, to stop reprimanding ourselves for decisions we made in the past. Living in the past stops us living our true life as we lose the ability to move forward. Getting stuck in the past can make us stale and anxious. The past is gone, the present is here. Live for today. 

The main concept of wabi-sabi is to embrace and accept imperfections in yourself and your life. We view imperfection as a negative experience and yet imperfection is what makes us human and true to ourselves. Our so-called imperfections can make us feel vulnerable but in fact, that is only our perception of ourselves. Accepting that you are not perfect releases the pressure to do better in life and you will find that you feel calmer and more peaceful. Try it for a few days and see the effect on you and your life. Wabi-sabi really can change your life for the better, just by true acceptance of the authentic you. 

Please join me for my next live event at The Joy Club, learning more about wabi-sabi and how you can incorporate it in your life in a positive way. The next reflective writing class will be on Monday 5th August at 12.30pm. Book now here: Writing for wellbeing.