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: 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:
