Anxious? This Mindfulness Website Animates Letting Go of Your Negative Thoughts

Have a little fun with what's bothering you. Take 60 seconds to try Pixel Thoughts.

pixel thoughts website

Past hurts and emotional triggers have a way of keeping us stuck. It can be difficult not to ruminate on negative thoughts.

Pixel Thoughts asks you to write down what’s bothering you into a large star in the center of the screen. The star begins to slowly fade away as the website prompts you to take a deep breath and reassures you that everything is okay and “life is much grander than this thought.”

Marc Balaban, creator of Pixel Thoughts, also meditates. He created the website to simulate what it’s like to let go of a negative thought. Balaban spoke with Mindful about how he uses mindfulness to anchor himself when he’s stressed:

When I feel stressed, I often focus on things that are much bigger than me. That awe-inspiring feeling when looking at the crashing ocean, or a clear night sky. It makes me feel small, insignificant, and makes me feel like I’m part of something so much greater, which results with some inner-peace. Unfortunately, I don’t always have access to view these marvels, so I wanted to do my best to simulate that feeling with modern technologies.

Mindfulness teacher and author Ed Halliwell says meditation is one of the best ways to practice letting go.

“When we meditate, we notice how thoughts, sensations, and events are in flux,” he writes.

Halliwell continues:

every change as a personal affront, we learn to live more lightly. And as the Thai meditation master Achaan Chah put it: “If you let go a little, you will have a little happiness. If you let go a lot, you will have a lot of happiness. And if you let go completely, you will be free.”