The art of Kintsugi changed my life: metaphorically, of course!

Your flaws can be your strengths, and lead you to your desired life.

The wound is the place where the light enters you.

-Rumi

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Do you need distractions? To run from what makes you anxious, to avoid thinking about what is your purpose in life, to procrastinate the task that you know you have to do?

'All of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone.'

-Blaise Pascal

When the room is quiet, our mind speaks louder, so loud that it becomes intolerable. It feels like something creeping beneath your skin, a force twists your whole being from the inside and your heart tries to get out of this tangle.

-So you distract yourself: “ Take this toy and leave me alone” you say to your brain.

But, how long will this distraction last? Can they protect you forever? You know the answer.

The only way is: Confront what makes your body ache from anxiety. Step out of your comfort, take a deep breath and open your eyes.

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It's funny that we think we need to numb our ADHD, OCD or sensitive personality, to eliminate the whole problem itself and its symptoms.

Our flaws can take us much further than our perfections.

What we need to know:

1. We name a set of symptoms that come together in a complex way and make life out of balance, so that we can analyze them, it doesn’t mean that you “have” a disease.

• 2 myths about mental challenges:

1. We must always live in balance;

When you follow the voice of your heart and step on the unknown path for the first time, you have to get out of balance, and do things you have never done before. Imbalance is a natural result of starting the path you love, and changing your mindset. So any imbalance is not a sign of illness, sometimes it indicates courage and love. Balance is not evaluated at an individual level, but at ecosystem level. The person we call crazy, sensitive, or isolated is very important for the growth of this ecosystem. If we suppress them, we have suppressed a part of ourselves.

2. We can decide what is the "normal" state of being human and whoever is "different" should be "fixed".

We have so many in common, but the path we build to create value in this world has unique details that is a result of our differences. So :

• Instead of trying to fit in, get to know yourself and respect the differences between you and others.

• By strengthening and combining these differences (strengths and weaknesses, talents and interests) create new values and products, then show it to the world.

2. Chronic symptoms that affect our daily life usually have an underlying cause:

- They may be hidden in our childhood: traumas, adverse childhood experiences( ACEs), and the environment in which we grew up.

By meeting our younger self again, we can recognize these roots and take the necessary steps. Write a letter to your younger self, tell them you understand, love, and support them.

- Chronic challenges cannot be solved overnight!

To face these challenges and find a way to grow, we must:

A) Instead of generalization, start with details: that is, for instance, instead of "getting rid of perfectionism" discover its connection with the underlying causes and the effects it has in our lives (such as procrastination, negative self-view, lack of concentration, etc.) Build a mind map and focus on 1 item at a time and deal with them in the right way by proven techniques.( we’ll talk about this in future posts)

b) Be patient and play long-term games; Instead of overwhelming yourself with “one night success methods”( which don’t exist at all!)

-Aspects of long-term games:

• Obsession over a vision, not a single goal.

• Based on real personal values.

• They are ambiguous, the next step is never clear until the last moment.

• You grow; as game goes on you have to grow to continue: There is always something to learn.

• It’s the process of climbing the mountain, not reaching the summit .

• You grow slowly at first, then exponentially.

• They have a plateau, you feel like you hit a pause, but, actually, you are still moving forward.

• You start with the minimum and get better as you go along.

3. By understanding the symptoms, solving the root problem, getting help, building our own path and changing our mindset; you let the light in

Just like Kintsugi (the art of repairing broken dishes with gold), you learn to build something beautiful with your broken parts. Instead of hating yourself, numbing your mind, hiding your pain, and ignoring your heart, you can:

• Sit with your thoughts and heart, and understand your pain. Where and when did it begin? How did you confronted it? Is your “ protective mechanism “ working for you now? Or is it causing more pain and suffering?

• Get to the roots; heal them, new branches will grow.

• Hug your wounded lonely soul, you deserve better, you deserve love and compassion so give it to yourself.

• Love your imperfections, they are what make you stronger, if only you don’t hide them.

"We're stronger in the places that we've been broken."

- Ernest Hemingway

• Get help if needed, remember you are not alone on this journey.

An introvert, a person with a sensitive personality, or a person with OCD can bring something to this world that someone without these characteristics can never do. We only need new approaches to deal with our daily challenges related to these symptoms.

So don’t fit in, stand out. Be yourself, show the world who you really are deep down. Be courageous, and believe in your ability to do anything your heart whispers. Start now, improve later.