Cultivating Emotional Balance Through Ikigai and Mindfulness-based Psychotherapy: An Overview

Anxiety – A Defence Mechanism

In today’s world, the challenges we face can often feel overwhelming, with pressures from societal expectations, the constant striving for ‘perfection’, conflicting belief systems, the influence of technology, and the pervasive impact of social media, for example, all testing our emotional boundaries.

Even, and perhaps especially, the most outwardly self-assured individuals can be affected by these external forces, leading to feelings of anxiety, disconnection, and confusion about priorities, values, and personal capabilities. It is easy in such moments to become self-doubting or self-judgmental, unable to recognise anxiety, and its reactive behaviours, as the evolutionary sign it truly is, a natural mechanism designed to alert and protect us. 

However, by learning to use anxiety as a guide, rather than perceiving it as an obstacle, or disorder, it is possible to develop the inbuilt defences found in our nervous system, that protect us when we encounter situations misaligned with our core beliefs or character strengths. Thus transforming uncomfortable emotions, and significant life challenges, into powerful tools for growth, fulfilment, and self-understanding, ultimately fostering resilience and flexibility.

Anxiety and Empathy – An Interplay

Research suggests that anxiety and empathy share a connection, evolutionary traits forming an interplay that lies at the heart of human relationships. Anxiety can heighten our sensitivity to the emotions of those around us, deepening our understanding and connection.

Through vulnerability and shared experience, we begin to build bridges of compassion, or safe spaces where others also feel seen and accepted. This mutual empathy fosters social harmony and strengthens our collective capacity for understanding.

Therefore, I believe that embracing anxiety with empathy,  accepting and facing challenges, and practising kindfulness through the combined lenses of Japanese ikigai and mindfulness-based psychotherapy, can help us to cultivate emotional balance and to strengthen our sense of self. 

Japanese Ikigai – The Kemp Framework

The Japanese philosophy of ikigai, often described as a reason for being,  invites us to discover where our deepest passions intersect with what gives our life meaning, understanding how our roles and values are vital to achieving life satisfaction. Indeed, through self-awareness and self-compassion, we can nurture the inner confidence that allows us to remain grounded amidst external chaos, to be confident in who we are, and aware of what we truly value.

Once we establish this inner trust, we become more resilient and capable of responding thoughtfully to life’s unpredictability. Using the Kemp Framework, therapy offers multiple guiding elements for nurturing emotional balance.

As Japanese ikigai coach, Nicholas Kemp, teaches, this includes understanding our core values to make decisions aligned with them, nurturing the roles and relationships that give our lives meaning, envisioning a bright, purposeful future that reflects our aspirations, and maintaining a healthy balance between work and leisure that sustains inner peace. Each component supports the others, creating a dynamic structure that encourages self-awareness, contentment, and continuous growth. 

Ibasho – A Sense of Belonging

Moreover, a crucial aspect of discovering one’s ikigai is finding your ibasho, a place where you feel safe, accepted, and valued. Ibasho represents a space of belonging, whether physical, emotional, or social, that allows you to relax into your authentic self and grow. Without ibasho, joy and life satisfaction can feel distant, but once we find this sense of belonging, we make space for our ikigai-kan, a deeper, felt experience of purpose that sustains and guides us through life’s challenges.

Japanese Ikigai – Nurturing Self-Esteem

Unlike the Western interpretation of ikigai, often depicted as a Venn diagram focused on career success and external validation, the Kemp Framework of ikigai for mindfulness-based practice, is deeply personal and modest. It is not about what you can be paid for, nor does it require recognition from others. Instead, ikigai is often experienced through the simple yet profound joy of learning, growing, and living in alignment with one’s inner compass.

In short, it does not demand excellence or expertise, or the need to be something you are good at, nor something that serves external needs first. Rather, it centres on what you yourself need, what gives your life quiet meaning and fulfillment. In cultivating emotional balance, the Western diagram is in direct conflict with this, perpetuating dissatisfaction and anxiety in the pursuit of success and validation through work and money, rather than the deeply personal satisfaction rooted in self-awareness and nurturing self-esteem. True ikigai is about what makes life feel worth living, guided by inner validation rather than external measures. 

Oshi – Rooting For Oneself

As neuroscientist and Japanese ikigai practitioner Ken Mogi suggests, we can root for ourselves as the protagonists of our own lives, idolising ourselves instead of others, becoming our own ‘oshi’, our inner idol. Consequently, this mindset allows us to take responsibility for our own energy, attitudes, emotions, and boundaries, empowering us to live with self-compassion and kindfulness.

Mindfulness – Thoughts Are Not Facts

Mindfulness-based psychotherapy complements the Japanese ikigai philosophy by helping us remain present and aware of our actual, current emotions, teaching us to observe our inner landscape without judgment, allowing us to experience each moment as it is, rather than through filters of past pain or future fear. Through mindfulness, our thoughts are no longer perceived as facts but as fleeting impressions that rise and fall naturally, creating mental freedom, lightness, and calm, in a space where we can respond with intention rather than react impulsively. Consequently, this self-awareness prevents old experiences from dictating our current emotional reality, so that by learning to sit with our emotions, we begin to understand them, which in turn allows them to transform.

Understanding Anxiety – A Values-Based Approach

The approach explores each individual’s character strengths and values, in order to acknowledge the relationship between ourselves and our thoughts and emotions, within the Kemp Framework. This closely aligns with psychological models such as Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (Hayes), both of which emphasise the universal psychological needs of relatedness, competence, and autonomy. 

By integrating these with the principles of Japanese ikigai, we build self-esteem, clarify values, and develop a more balanced relationship with anxiety. The goal is not to change who you are, but to gently reshape the patterns of your thinking, in order to equip you with more mindful tools for navigating stress, discomfort, or self-doubt, so that your actions stem from awareness rather than unconscious compulsion. This process takes time and patience, requiring self-reflection and trust. It is a journey, focused not on controlling others or external circumstances, but on cultivating your own emotional responses and sense of inner peace.

When seen through this lens, anxiety is no longer an obstacle to emotional balance, but a key part of its cultivation. Instead of perceiving anxiety as a weakness or disorder, we can reinterpret it as an evolutionary defence mechanism, an inner signal urging us to pay attention. It protects us, invites reflection, and, when befriended, becomes a profound tool for self-discovery. By leaning into our anxiety rather than rejecting it, we can uncover invaluable insights about our needs and deepest desires, transforming discomfort into personal growth and emotional strength. 

Kindfulness – Cultivating Emotional Balance

Moreover, this journey is supported through the practice of kindfulness, a term combining mindfulness and kindness. Kindfulness encourages us to show warmth, compassion, and gentleness, especially towards ourselves so that by treating ourselves with the same empathy we extend to others, we create an environment where healing and emotional growth can occur. In practising kindfulness, we strengthen our resilience, learning to accept life’s hardships and to commit to our values, orienting our actions towards what truly matters. 

Cultivating emotional balance is a process that builds on the ideas discussed above, where anxiety is not suppressed but transformed into a catalyst for empathy and self-compassion. Inspired by the ikigai teachings of Mieko Kamiya and through mindfulness grounded in Buddhist philosophy, this therapy reminds us to cultivate environments where kindness fuels connection, and where emotional vulnerability becomes a source of shared resilience.  It allows us to embrace Ken Mogi’s five pillars of ikigai: starting small, releasing ourselves, living with harmony and sustainability, discovering joy in the little things, and being fully present in each moment.

Through mindfulness, we can release overthinking and the weight of unrealistic expectations, allowing space for presence and clarity. Moreover, by connecting deeply with our values, we align our actions with inner truth and create healthier boundaries, protecting our sense of well-being. Ultimately, embracing kindfulness and the philosophy of ikigai offers a transformative approach to understanding and befriending anxiety. When we begin to see anxiety not as disorder, but as a natural defence mechanism and teacher, we nurture compassion for ourselves and for others. 

Body and Mind – Our Unique Defence System

In conclusion, cultivating emotional balance hinges on nurturing our self-esteem through introspection and a deep understanding of our desires, values, and needs. This journey of self-discovery not only sheds light on our anxieties and fears but also transforms them into valuable tools for resilience against external challenges. By recognising the vital interplay between self-esteem and anxiety, we activate the powerful defence mechanism that empowers us to face life's obstacles with confidence. Instead of viewing anxieties and compulsive behaviour negatively, we can acknowledge their roots and purposes, and by embracing our anxieties as reflections of our core beliefs, we can foster self-esteem and, in doing so, allow these emotions to guide us towards greater life satisfaction and a sense of purpose.