Let me be honest. I’ve often found myself wishing for more calm in my life. But whenever I heard the word mindfulness, I used to picture long meditation sessions, yoga retreats, or apps expecting me to find twenty minutes I didn’t have. It all felt like another 'thing' on my already long to-do list! But here is the thing, mindfulness doesn't have to be another 'thing' you can easily integrate it into your daily routines.
You see mindfulness and meditation are often perceived as the same. And yes they cross over and fall into the same family if you like, but mindfulness is about bringing your attention to what’s happening right now, whether you’re washing up last nights pots and pans, walking your dog, or holding something simple as grounding stone. Meditation is one way to practice mindfulness, to fully empty all your thoughts. Usually in a quiet setting with more structure, making it feel more like a chore. Let me be clear, meditation is excellent and I aim to do 10mins a day minimum, I usually fail, but that doesn't matter. Doing something is better than not at all.
But this is where mindfulness is great as it can be woven into everyday life. The next time you are out walking by yourself, recognise that you have having thoughts run through your mind and aim to focus on your surroundings. When you make your next meal focus on the preparations so that the process of making the meal is the other thing in your mind. This is practising mindfulness.
My personal thought: It’s a bit like my brain is a computer that’s hit full capacity. It’s running so much data at once that it starts to freeze, nothing moves forward, and everything feels overwhelming. Mindfulness is like hitting pause, shutting down a few programs, clearing some space, and letting the system reboot. When things power back up, there’s room again - my thoughts can flow, problems don’t feel so heavy, and answers have space to appear.
More recently, when researching the perfect tool to include in our mindfulness gift boxes I came across these little hand crafted clay thumb imprint stones. Made by a local potter to me, Shannon uses her thumb print makes the perfect gentle dip just right for your own thumb. I was drawn to these worry stones, grounding stones or thumb stones (whatever you like to call them) for many reasons. I love the fact they are hand crafted here in the UK and more importantly are made by a potter that understands what anxiety is. In fact she made a few initially for herself as a coping tool for her anxiety and realised she could make more to support those with anxiety and setup her own business. 
Grounding Stones in production! See the Grounding Stone we include in our little boxes of mindfulness for Grief, Anxiety and Stress.
For me these little grounding stones have become a wonderfully simple way to bring mindfulness into even my busiest of days. No learning curves, no set times, no pressure to get it right. Just me, my stone and a moment of calm wherever I happen to be.
Using Grounding Stones
Holding the stone gives me something physical to focus on. When I rub the smooth inside surface with my thumb, the repetitive motion helps slow down racing thoughts and anchors me back to the present moment.
I keep one in my pocket or on my desk so it’s always there when stress or anxiety starts creeping in, at work, on the train, or even at home when the day gets too noisy.
Who Might Find Them Helpful
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Beginners to mindfulness who feel unsure where to start
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Busy people wanting a quick, no-fuss way to de-stress
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Students or professionals looking for a discreet coping tool
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Anyone who needs small, meaningful moments of calm
If that sounds familiar, Thumb Stones might be just what you need.
How I Use a Thumb Stone and Why It Works
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Hold the stone in your hand, resting your thumb in the dip. The physical sensation of touch activates sensory nerves in your skin, drawing your mind out of overthinking and into the present moment.
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Take a slow breath in through your nose, then out through your mouth. Deep, steady breathing signals the parasympathetic nervous system, you can call this your body’s natural “calm down” switch, as it controls your fight or flight response. The aim here is to lower your heart rate and reduce stress hormones such as cortisol being released.
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Gently rub the stone in a circular motion with your thumb as you breathe. Repetitive motion has been shown to release muscle tension and quiet the mind by giving it a simple focus.
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Notice the texture and temperature of the stone. This mindful awareness practice, helps bring your attention out of the past or future and back to the present moment, the “now.” Mindfulness is essentially training the brain to stay here, rather than drifting into past memories or future worries.
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Stay for as long as you need. Even 30 seconds can reset your body’s stress response and shift you into a calmer state.
This isn’t magic. It’s a mix of mindfulness principles and basic neuroscience;
- Breathing for the body
- Touch for the senses
- Focus for the mind.
A Moment of Calm, Anytime
You don’t need apps, alarms, or long meditations to feel calmer and more grounded. For me, it’s often as simple as holding a small stone and taking a moment to breathe.
Mindfulness doesn’t have to be complicated. A Thumb Stone can make it easy to pause, reset, and carry on with a clearer mind.
I’m really happy that I found these little clay stones as they make the perfect tool for our first three mindfulness gift boxes.
