Ikigai: A Compass You Can Use to Navigate Challenging Times

We live in a time of great uncertainty, a pivotal moment in history when social and technological changes are accelerating, leaving anxiety in their wake. Polarization and isolation have weakened social bonds, giving rise to a loneliness epidemic and robbing too many people of their sense of agency, hope, purpose and connection to their communities.

Ikigai, an approach to finding purpose that originated in Japan, can serve as a compass to help therapists and clients navigate these challenging times. It can help in identifying and working on mental health issues, restoring strengths and connections, as well as building skills so they can live their best lives. Here’s a look at what ikigai is and how it can help.

The Road to a Worthwhile Life

In their book, Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life, authors Héctor García and Francesc Miralles describe how residents of a village in Okinawa with the highest percentage of centenarians in the world approach life. Ikigai blends two Japanese characters that in English translate into “life” and “to be worthwhile.”

There are four main components in ikigai:

• What you love (your passion): These are your joys, the areas of life that give you a sense of fulfillment and purpose, activities that spark joy and positive energy.
• What the world needs (your mission): This is your “calling,” the activities that provide a sense that you are contributing to others, your community or society.
• What you are good at (your vocation): These are your strengths, skills and/or the talents you acquire through experience or natural abilities — where you shine.
• What you get paid for (your profession): This is your work or the pursuits that enable your livelihood.

If you imagine each of these components as a circle in a Venn diagram, ikigai is the area of overlap in the center — the sense of purpose that makes life worthwhile. People who find purpose in life tend to live longer, healthier and happier lives.

There are regions across the world where people have seemingly unlocked the secret to longevity and happiness into old age. Author and explorer Dan Buettner chronicled the experiences of people in five specific regions, dubbed the “Blue Zones,” where people live the longest and healthiest lives. The zones span several continents but share common traits.

Okinawa in Japan ranked first among the Blue Zones. Diet and moderation are part of the secret to longevity, but as García and Miralles observe, an emphasis on purpose and strong social ties are shared factors across all of the Blue Zone areas.

The Clinical Case for Applying Ikigai

Ikigai can help individuals overcome obstacles and find fulfillment in life. Longevity research in the Blue Zones, particularly Okinawa, confirms the connection between finding purpose through ikigai and health and wellbeing. The documented benefits include fewer depressive symptoms and fewer feelings of hopelessness.

In Japan, among older adults, research indicates that ikigai is associated with a greater sense of satisfaction with life, higher rates of exercise through activities like taking walks or gardening and less social isolation via participation in hobby clubs. A sense of hope and purpose gives meaning to these elders’ lives and keeps them healthy, happy and focused.

Ikigai is a useful framework to assist therapists and clients as they reflect on key areas of life and attempt to align values and strengths with life’s purpose. If clients have difficulty articulating values and strengths, this highlights areas where therapists can help them seek clarity and identify barriers that prevent them from pursuing their purpose.

Hope as a Path to Purpose

As a Japanese American, I’ve witnessed the power of ikigai firsthand when caring for my father-in-law and mother-in-law, ages 101 and 98. Their lives weren’t easy; they endured incarceration during World War II. But they have wisdom, purpose and self-esteem as cherished elders. They serve as models for developing resilience and connections through community. Even as they approach and surpass the century mark, my in-laws have hope.

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Now more than ever, hope is essential. As Viktor Frankl noted in Man’s Search for Meaning, hope is a choice, a courageous act that signals resilience and strength, especially when the outcome is uncertain. Shared hope leads to connection and shared purpose, a sense of community that can counter the feelings of isolation and loneliness.

Western cultures tend to emphasize individuality and self-determination, but there is value in encouraging people to cultivate a community and fulfill a purpose beyond themselves. Ikigai can orient us during this journey, serving as a compass with four points, which directs us on a path to personal agency and hope, helping us find our way through uncertain times.