The words “live casually” and “work casually” in the consultation are themes that are deeply related to Buddhist practice.
First, being indifferent is not “losing your feelings.”
It never works like a robot by pushing joy and sorrow to death; rather, it indicates an attitude of getting involved while maintaining a certain distance from events without being swallowed up by emotions.
In Buddhist terms, “how about normal mind (how about this)” is probably close.
This means “a state where the mind is quiet and flat is the path,” and it is important not to overly grasp happy or sad things and put them in the flow.
As you mentioned, for those who have been driven by their emotions until now, “indifferent” may feel dull and unsatisfactory at first.
However, modesty is not a “lack of emotion,” but a “sense of distance from emotion.”
For example, when you make a cup of tea in the morning,
It's not “I'm brewing tea today because I feel good” or “I'm not feeling well today,”
Follow the same steps to brew tea regardless of mood or weather.
By repeating this every day, you can create a foundation to calm your mind's waves.
In Buddhist practice, sutras reading, cleaning, eating, etc. are performed simply according to “manners.”
It has the effect of calming the waves of joy, anger, sorrow, and conditioning the mind.
If I were to practice on a daily basis, I could start with something like this.
・Wake up and go to bed at the same time (regularity stabilizes the mind)
・Perform one task while being aware of breathing (washing dishes, organizing documents, etc.)
・Don't label events (accept them as “facts” rather than “good or bad”)
Relaxation is a suppleness of mind that allows you to act without being swallowed up by emotions, rather than denying emotions.
This also leads to a “way of working without being too exhausted by emotional waves” after returning to work.
Gassho