As those of you know who have trained a dog, putting them in their crate – when done correctly—is a terrific tool for helping them feel safe. To quote the Humane Society it is a place where they can find “comfort and solitude.”

From where I sit, more humans should have crates. Myself included.

What do I mean by this? Well, let’s begin by considering the last time you saw “comfort and solitude” in the same sentence….

I’m guessing it hasn’t been anytime in the recent past.  

Why? Because —as I’m sure you have noted if you’ve been in a coffee bar, on a bus, or even walking down a street—for many of us being alone produces an inordinate amount of anxiety.

And yet it’s stimulation-free time that gives our brains the solitude necessary to relax and reboot. 

I bring this up as summer begins because—in the hope of mentally crate training myself—I have made a plan to spend a portion of each summer day alone with no phone. 

In the spirit of the Humane Society’s guidelines, I am starting with a few minutes a day and planning to work up to a few hours.

What’s my reward? I’m hoping it will be a brain that finds itself as rested, relaxed and ready for play as a puppy fresh from its crate.

For more on ways to get your brain out of high gear (Whether you were planning to or not) take a look at “What to Do When You Don’t Know What to Do (Or What I Learned from Being Really, Really Sick)”