Lily’s mindfulness journey with Stix
Childhood can be a time of anxiety marked by the challenges of making friends, the pressures of school and dealing with unfamiliar emotions and situations. Anxiety is on the rise in children, affecting their behaviour, thoughts and overall wellbeing. Recent studies show that 20.5% of the global youth population now experiences anxiety.
We are very concerned by this rise. So the Stix team, led by our CEO Liam, recently met with Lily, a bright and imaginative 8 year old, and her parents, on a video call. We discussed her struggles with anxiety and how mindfulness has helped her cope with and overcome these challenges. The family was eager to help other families with similar struggles by sharing her story and the benefits of the mindfulness techniques Lily learnt through our Stix Remotes. We thoroughly enjoyed speaking with them, and their story has inspired us, reinforcing our commitment to bringing our mindfulness programme to more homes that face similar issues.
Lily’s challenges
Lily struggled to control her emotions and is one of the many children who experience anxiety in the UK. Last year her GP diagnosed her with anxiety and was referred to the NHS’ children’s mental health services (CAMHS). Her story can help give parents an idea of how they can spot anxiety in their children. Her parents noticed these symptoms:
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Difficulty sleeping. Lily’s parents noticed that his anxiety often spiked before bedtime, making it hard to sleep.
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Regular stomach aches were a physical symptom of Lily’s anxiety. The aches became severe in the mornings and she would often ask to stay home from school. Her parents believe she was anxious about attending school.
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Teachers at school noticed that she had trouble focussing on his schoolwork. She also seemed distracted and distant at home.
How did Lily’s parents address these challenges?
Unfortunately, Lily is part of the huge group of children on the CAHMS waiting list. In 2022-23, there were almost one million children and young people waiting. Her parents needed to try and find alternatives...
Lily's parents made efforts to create enjoyable experiences for her where she could forget about anxiety, taking her for nature walks and holidays in Cornwall to visit the beach. However, she still seemed distracted and distant and still had her 'dreaded stomach ache' - she never really seemed comfortable in the present moment.
They had tried to introduce mindfulness to Lily, but she ‘struggled to focus on it for long enough to gain any real benefit and found it boring’. They say the Stix completely changed this and she started to enjoy practicing mindfulness, focussing on the activities for the 5 minutes required. The interactive nature of the remotes made mindfulness feel fun and appealing for her.
What changed once Lily started using the Stix remotes?
Lily’s parents said that mindfulness learnt through the Stix Remotes has led to both their children being ‘better able to process their emotions’. Feelings that would have previously overwhelmed Lily, such as her anxiety or anger reduced and they’ve noticed she naturally uses breathing mindfulness, with or without the Stix, to tackle them. As well as before bed, Lily frequently got anxious on the way to school and often cried saying her ‘tummy hurt’. This has become rarer and the Stix are 'always there to use in the car on the way in'. She has learnt that physical sensations like tommy ache are often linked to emotions like anxiety, with the help of Stix and her parents mentoring.
Lily’s focus has improved due to the time spent improving attention by consistently using the remotes every evening. Prior to using the remotes, Lily struggled to focus for longer than a couple of minutes and was constantly distracted around the family home whilst trying to complete her homework. She can now focus for 15+ minutes without taking a break and her parents say they have seen gradual improvement throughout the first 6 months of use.
She now shares her emotions and feelings with her parents regularly and even asks them, and her sister, how they’re feeling. This was rewarding to hear as the Stix Mindfulness aims to get children to think about their emotions by regularly prompting them to think about how they are feeling.
How did Lily fit the Stix remotes into her schedule?
When Lily began to use the Stix remotes, she ‘asked for them whenever she felt anxious.’ This was mainly before bed, so she began to use the Stix remotes at this time every day. Mindfulness was a valuable addition to Lily’s evening routine and led to her feeling relaxed and calm when getting ready for bed. Her sleeping has ‘dramatically improved’.
Consistent and quality sleep is vital for maintaining positive mental health. Adequate rest helps in regulating mood, improving cognitive function, and reducing stress levels. When she first began using the remotes, her parents say they utilised the reminder notification the Stix app offers to signal it was time to have her daily ‘Stix time’ just before bed.
Her parents also noted that the remotes have been used in ‘loads of different places and times when Lily feels anxious. Her favourite place to use them is in our garden’.
What’s Lily’s favourite activity?
Lily had a quick answer for this one: she loves the Bubble Popping activity before bed and the balance activities during the day in the garden. She told us that she loves to picture her thoughts as bubbles in the air, because it reminds her how easy it is to let thoughts go - 'just like popping bubbles'. She says that the balance activity makes her ‘feel proud, relaxed and calm’ and her parents have noticed she enjoys the challenge of balancing, giving one hundred perfect focus to complete the activity.
Liam Murphy, CEO of Stix Mindfulness said that ‘we could really feel Lily’s enjoyment as she proudly showed us her progress. It was amazing to see the passion Lily had for the activities we’ve worked hard to create at Stix whilst knowing the incredible benefits they have had and continue to have over long term use’.
By sharing Lily’s journey, we hope to provide insight and encouragement to other parents seeking ways to support their children through anxiety.
Mindfulness can be a powerful tool, and with the right approach, it can make a significant difference in a child’s life. Encouraging children to explore mindfulness in a way that is engaging and fun can lead to lasting positive changes in their mental health and overall well-being, that’s why we recommend trying Stix remotes!
If your child experiences anxiety, it is important to seek advice and support from your GP or a qualified healthcare professional.