The clock in my car doesn't work and hasn't for a few months now. My wonderful boyfriend did some work on my car and since then the clock is about three hours off. Over and over I would get in my car and remember that I needed to fix it, but I would end up rushing off to wherever I was supposed to go without thinking about it again. I would just check the clock on my phone instead. But then I decided to get into the habit of not using my phone while driving (something I highly suggest) and before I knew it, I wasn't watching the time while I drove.

I've noticed something about car rides since then. I personally struggle a lot with anxiety and in the past, that anxiety has made sure that I'm early for everything because I'm checking the clock every 30 seconds and doing the math in my head to make sure that I will be on time. But ever since I cut time out of my life when I'm driving, not only has my anxiety drastically gone down, but I actually enjoy driving more.

I sit in traffic now without worrying about where I need to be or being frustrated about the fact that I'm stuck sitting on my brakes. I'm happier with this time. As someone who also doesn't have a lot of time for themselves, I have to take advantage of the few moments that I do have. Taking away a clock took away a lot of my anxiety, even if it was only for a short period of time.

Obviously, you can't live and function in society without keeping track of time. I can't cut it out of my life and solve all of the issues of my anxiety overnight. But I've come to see the importance of placing yourself and your mental health first. Time constraints cause anxiety and constantly looking at the clock is not going to make you feel better. Maybe driving isn't the time for everyone to have their moments of solace, but it's definitely working for me.

Find what works for you.

Don't force yourself to go to bed at a certain time or even stay up later. Go to sleep when you're tired. Wake up when you're awake. Yes, this is a luxury that you won't always have but when you don't have anything to do, stop counting down the minutes until you have somewhere to be. Stopping the internal clocks that we all have can help us to feel a lot better in the long run.

Carve out moments in your days for yourself and don't think about when they're going to end. Enjoy things for what they are and do things when you need to do them, not based on when you think you need to get them done. Maybe, in the extreme, mess up the clock in your car and turn off your phone while you drive. I promise it's kind of a cool experience.