Moment Pebble

Being busy has become a badge of honour. This busy phenomenon is impacting society as people are sacrificing their wellbeing in an endless search for bigger, faster, now. At the expense of people’s health - both physical and mental - we’re a society hanging on for dear life, heading for burnout, absorbed in the need to always be ‘on’.

The Background
98% of people know there’s value in taking care of their minds. And another 85% of UK adults identify as being stressed. Mindfulness has become a go-to cure.

“Even those people who use excellent mindfulness tools like the Headspace or Calm apps tend to use them in the morning or evening. However, it’s during the day that we are the most stressed. We designed the Moment Pebble to be a simple tool to reduce stress during these times, and ultimately improve overall wellbeing in the long-term.” says Moment Pebble founder Charlie Cadbury “People and organisations across the board understand the importance of getting off auto-pilot and slowing down. Mindfulness is a necessity and more are taking note. The mindful include the likes of Google, to Kensington and Chelsea council, all the way through to the European Central Bank. The NHS is funding mindfulness sessions as an alternative to pharmaceuticals. Ruby Wax helped launch an all-party mindfulness group in parliament. Happiness guru Richard Layard is all for it. Madeleine Bunting has suggested in the Guardian that it should be mandatory in schools.“

A 2018 study by the University of Surrey found that a mindfulness practice has led to:
63% decrease in depression
58% reduction in anxiety
40% reduction in perceived stress


However, there are still barriers to practicing mindfulness: People like the idea but they struggle with how to practically achieve it. Or where to find the time. They crave a reminder. Something that encourages moments of mindfulness, and helps them without too much effort.  

Current tools designed to help with mindfulness reside primarily on digital apps, but findings indicate that reaching for your phone is part of the problem. “It seems counter-intuitive to want people to engage with their phone, to disengage from the world,” says Cadbury. “We’re a society dominated by a need to be online, to be checking, to be robotically stimulated. We wanted a solution away from that.”

The Solution
Charlie Cadbury and Alex Strang developed Moment Pebble, with an intention of making mindfulness accessible for everyone, dispelling the myth that it’s complicated, takes too much time and is hard… when in reality it’s one of the easiest things to do. They were driven by research that indicates that even 30 seconds of mindfulness helps kick people off autopilot and draws them to the present. When used with regularity, short moments of mindfulness:
Provide a point of clarity with minimum effort
That clarity becomes a reflex; your default
Reduce feelings of anxiety and stress
Allows your mind a much-needed break

The Moment Pebble acts as a physical mindfulness enabler, giving your mind short, frequent breaks which can be subtly included in your day. The Pebble fits in your palm, your pocket or your bag, activated by movement, with a hypnotic glow that draws your focus for thirty seconds (a moment).

The Backing
The Moment Pebble has received great accolades from some heavyweights in both the tech and mental health arenas. Initial investment and research has been provided by the Central Research Lab (https://centralresearchlaboratory.com) which has allowed the team to develop a product that truly will create impact.

The science behind the benefits have been backed by Dr. Gini Harrison, senior lecturer in Psychology at the Open University, specialising in harnessing technology to promote mental wellbeing and health:
'Taking short moments can increase your capacity for mindfulness… By regularly practicing these micro-moments you will become more aware and more calm. Practicing mindfulness – and reaping its benefits – doesn’t require lengthy time commitments or special training. You can start right now – this moment.
This is where the Moment Pebble can come in really handy. Not only can it serve as a physical reminder to find calm in our days, but having something tangible and tactile can help to anchor our focus to the here and now, facilitating short mindful practices, that can be carried out anywhere, anytime.  Using the pebble to facilitate “micro-moments" can help you to integrate smalls period of awareness into your daily lives.’