Have you had a stressful week? Well, the good news is that it's almost done — and if you need a little help getting through the final push, here's something to try: Pixel Thoughts, an online meditation tool that goes a long way towards putting the things that are stressing you out in perspective. The best part? It only takes 60 seconds to use. Just one minute, and you'll feel a heck of a lot better.
Although meditation is often recommended as a way to calm down, ease your mind, and help you sleep, I'll confess that I've never found it to be terribly useful. This is likely because I just haven't been doing it right, though — by which I mean, doing it in a way that's beneficial for me personally. There's no right or wrong way to meditate; for some people, it's a whole elaborate thought process, while for others, it's just a matter of focusing on your breathing for a minute or two. And for someone else? It might be something entirel different. Anything goes, as long as it works for you.
Pixel Thoughts, it turns out, is actually the kind of meditiation I can get behind. It starts by asking you about what's bothering you; then it helps you see exactly how miniscule that thought is in the grand scheme of thing. In the words of Douglas Adams, the universe is staggeringly vast; sometimes all we need to do is remind ourselves of that bigness in order to get a handle on our feelings.
Here's how it works:
1. What's Bugging You?
For me, it's usually the same thing: I have too much I need to do, and not nearly enough time in which to do it. All you have to do is type that in the star's dialogue box and click "Done."
2. Watch Your Thought
That's what your stress looks like (or at least, that's what my stress looks like.) Once it's in that star, Pixel Thoughts tells you to relax and watch it, breathing in and out evenly all the while. It gradually start to receed — just a little bit at first, but shrinking as you continue.
3. Calm Yourself Down
It may seem obvious, but it's kind of reassuring all the same.
4. There's a Lot More to Life Than This Thought
As the clock ticks on, Pixel Thoughts reminds you about how gigantic the scope of existence is.
5. Really, It's Barely a Blip on the Radar
In comparison to the universe, our sun is tiny. The Earth is tiny, too. The cities on the Earth are even tinier, which means we're really tiny. And that means that this particular thought?
6. It Doesnt' Really Matter
Not in the big picture.
7. And...
...Whether you worry about this thought or not. So just... let it go.
I feel better now.
Head on over to Pixel Thought's website to try it out for yourself.
Images: JD'na/Flickr; Pixel Thoughts (7)
