Every experience with LYEONS Heart is different, and one of the most valuable parts of working with our early users is hearing those experiences in their own words.
About LYEONS Heart user Ada
Ada is a recent MRes graduate in Neuroscience and now works as a research intern at LYEONS while balancing part time work in a London restaurant and applying for graduate jobs. Like many people at this stage of life, she is navigating uncertainty about what comes next, alongside the anxiety and self reflections that can come with it.
Over two weeks, Ada kept a personal diary of using LYEONS Heart in everyday situations, from difficult days at work and crowded Tube journeys to job applications, meetings and quiet mornings at home.
As we read through her reflections, we realised they did not need to be rewritten. They already captured the small moments, honest uncertainties and practical observations that are often lost when a personal experience is turned into a polished case study.
So, apart from light editing for clarity, what follows is Ada’s diary in her own words.
A note on privacy
To protect her privacy, “Ada” is a pseudonym. She kindly agreed to share her experiences to help us better understand how people use LYEONS Heart in everyday life and to support our ongoing learning as we continue to develop the device. While her name has been changed, the reflections that follow remain her own.
Two Weeks with LYEONS Heart: My Usage Diary
My name is Ada and I’m a research intern at LYEONS, as well as a recent MRes graduate in neuroscience. I’m passionate about applying neuroscience theory and neurotechnology to help people manage their mental health.
To sustain myself in London, I work part time as a waitress in a restaurant in central London. On top of that, I’m currently applying for jobs, which is not always a smooth or linear process.
Lately, I’ve been experiencing anxiety almost every day. It’s tied to the uncertainty of not knowing what comes next, the exhaustion and self doubt that come with a long period of constantly trying, something many graduates will recognise, and the belief that one day it will finally come together. 🙂
This blog is about how I used the LYEONS Heart device over the past two weeks. I started with the hope that it could help me manage my work sessions with focus and calm, rather than exhaustion and anxiety. What follows is an honest diary with feedback about my experience.
Week 1: Mid June
Sunday 14th – A Difficult Day and My First Experience with LYEONS Heart
Today was a tough one. There was a stressful episode at work and I ended up crying, one of those days where everything just feels like too much.
Right after work, I was scheduled to meet my friend and team, who would give me the LYEONS Heart.
By the time I got to the park and met my friend I was feeling a bit calmer, and I was genuinely looking forward to receiving the LYEONS Heart. Our team had been using it the week before and was lending it to me, and even just the idea of using this device felt like a warm hug waiting for me.
She handed it to me on a park bench and explained how it worked while I tried it for the first time. The gentle vibration in my hands made me feel like my heart was happy to slow down, like it was inviting the rest of me to follow. It felt really grounding and refreshing. I came home that evening looking forward to using it more.
Monday 15th – Staying Present Instead of Getting Lost in My Thoughts
I had the heartbeat set to around 54 bpm.
In the evening, my boyfriend and I went to a film screening at the university, already a pleasant experience, and I tried the device there. I wasn’t anxious or particularly in need of focus. I was using it more out of curiosity.
What I noticed is that when I’m already a bit overstimulated or excited, my mind tends to wander and I lose the thread of what’s happening around me. Holding the device and tuning into the heartbeat helped me stay present in the film. Once I felt settled, I just put it down. It had done what it needed to do.
Tuesday 16th – Finding Calm on an Overwhelming Day
I had a GP appointment and it was a very hot, overwhelming day. I was rushing and the heat wasn’t helping. Everything felt like a bit much.
On the way there I used the LYEONS Heart at 54 bpm on the train to ground myself and it genuinely worked. It gave me a moment to take a breath. That’s actually what happens physiologically too. It’s a cue to slow down.
Tuesday Night – Finally Pressing Send
This stretch was stressful.
I’d written a full job application but couldn’t bring myself to send it. I spent several days going around in circles, overthinking.
During this time I also hadn’t fully figured out the app settings yet, so I wasn’t able to adjust the heartbeat, which I think made it harder to use effectively.
I finally sent the application on Tuesday night, and honestly, just doing that lifted an enormous amount of weight. Once the stress cleared, I was able to sit down properly with the app and work out the settings, adjusting the BPM up or down depending on what I needed.
Wednesday and Thursday 17th to 18th – A Focused Day of Job Applications
On Wednesday I used the LYEONS Heart for a full planning day dedicated to job applications, and it was really good.
I set it to around 30 bpm and used the auditory stimulus to ground myself before starting. Just listening to that slow heartbeat gave me something steady to follow, a cue to settle into focus mode. It worked.
I was calm, productive, sent a lot of messages, did some networking, and even scheduled a potential career meeting.
One thing I’d love is for the device to connect via Bluetooth to earphones. Because it needs to be held in one hand, the other is the only one free for working. If the auditory stimulus could come through earphones instead, both hands would be free and it would be much easier to use during longer sessions.
I also had an issue with the battery during this period. The device kept turning off before I expected it to and I wasn’t sure whether it had been fully charged. I now know it takes around two and a half hours to charge and lasts approximately five hours, so it’s really a matter of getting used to that rhythm. But in the moment, not being able to access the device when I wanted it did add a small amount of anxiety.
Saturday 20th – Sharing the Experience Together
After my shift ended, my boyfriend and I went to the park and we both used the LYEONS Heart together.
He said it helped him feel more present and grounded, which resonated with me too. We’re both quite excitable people and sometimes that makes it hard to just be somewhere without the mind racing ahead.
The device helped us both stay in the moment and actually enjoy being there.
Week 2: End of June
Monday 22nd – Feeling More Like Myself in a Morning Meeting
Morning meetings already stress me out a bit, especially when I’m not fully ready for the day yet.
Today I was asked to introduce myself, which would normally make me fumble a little and feel unsure of what to say. But I was holding the LYEONS Heart at 30 bpm, and it made me feel anchored, like a quiet reminder that nothing dangerous is happening and I can just be myself.
It worked. I felt more settled, said what I wanted to say, and actually enjoyed the conversation more than usual.
One thing I’ve noticed when I’m anxious is that I’m so busy overthinking that I stop properly listening to what’s happening around me. The device helped with that too. I was more present and more engaged throughout the rest of the meeting.
Tuesday 23rd – When the Afternoon Slows Down
I was co working with my team in the afternoon after lunch when I felt that familiar tiredness starting to set in. I had not had any coffee and my lunch was not especially large, but the pull towards feeling heavy was real. Getting back into focused writing felt like more of an effort than it should have.
I had the device with me, so I decided to try something different. I set it to a higher BPM, somewhere between 70 and 90. It worked. It gave me a small sense of activation, just enough to shift me back into writing mode. That shift matters more than it sounds, especially when the work you are returning to genuinely means something to you and you do not want a good lunch to be the reason you lose momentum.
After a few minutes, I put the device down because it had done its job. I carried on with some focused music in my ears, although I would have happily kept holding it if I had not needed both hands to type.
That afternoon turned out to be really productive. Reflecting with the team about ideas and feedback for the device made me feel even more connected to this journey. It is a space where personal experience and community input are genuinely valued and taken into account. Being part of a team that works hard and truly listens to the people using the product makes me want to contribute even more. I hope to see some of these ideas implemented one day.
By the end of the afternoon, I felt a real sense of fulfilment as I looked back and thought about what I enjoy most: co working, co creating, and being part of a project that is working to help people better manage the stress in their lives.
Thursday 25th – Starting the Day Before the Noise Begins
This morning I tried something new. I used the LYEONS Heart while waking up, still in bed.
My first instinct was to try a faster heartbeat, something to help ease me into being awake. But I realised I was already coming round on my own, so I let that go and chose something slower instead, somewhere between 30 and 40 bpm. I just held the device and followed the rhythm.
What usually happens in those first minutes of the morning is that my mind starts filling up, jumping to everything that needs to be done, all of it arriving at once before I’ve had a chance to feel ready.
The device helped quiet that. Not by switching it off, but by giving me something steady to come back to. A pace to follow rather than a pile to sort through.
I moved through my morning routine with a bit more ease than usual. Unhurried. Clear enough to think. Calm enough to begin. Ready rather than behind.
It felt like a good way to start the day, and I think there’s something worth exploring here about using it as a morning anchor before the noise comes in.
I’m hoping to use it more in this way and report back.
A small wish: I’d love a simple prompt in the app that logs when you start using the device – asking how you’re feeling before and after, even just a single sentence. Right now I’m tracing my memory to reconstruct these entries, which works but isn’t ideal. A lightweight in-app log would make tracking effortless – and something that could be shared with the wider community too.
Thursday 25th – Staying on Track When the Mood Dips
The morning had already been a good one. I’d kept to my routine, had a proper chat with my housemates, and left for uni feeling organised. Lunch was nice, and the early afternoon work session flowed well.
It was later in the afternoon, while studying, that the mood shifted a little. I wasn’t feeling emotionally great, just a bit nostalgic and a bit low. I was studying alone without the usual people around me who make the work feel less solitary. Even so, I genuinely wanted to keep going with my work and job applications, and I didn’t want my mood to pull me off track.
I used the device at around 30 to 40 BPM, and what it gave me was a sense of calm control. It felt as though it was quietly distributing the time, beat by beat, reducing the traffic of thoughts so I could stay present with what I was doing instead of drifting elsewhere.
By the end of the afternoon, my mood had shifted, this time in the right direction. 🙂 I reconnected with people I hadn’t spoken to in a while and found new places to apply to. The LYEONS Heart was genuinely stabilising and grounding in a way that allowed my work to continue naturally. It felt like quiet company, bringing a deep sense of presence and awareness of myself, almost like a hand I didn’t want to let go of.
Thursday 25th – Finding a Rhythm in Thought and Speech
I’d been talking with someone about how easily my brain gets pulled in multiple directions — how even when I know exactly what I want to do, I feel overwhelmed by everything sitting at the edges of my attention. The things that aren’t urgent but are just there. If I don’t write them down they take up space; if I do write them down I have a list to manage. It can feel derailing.
Someone asked if I’d ever considered that I might have ADHD. I’m not sure. I do recognise some of the patterns — branching off easily, excitement without follow-through, starting things feeling more natural than finishing them.
Something I’ve noticed: organising thoughts into full, clear sentences – whether writing or speaking – doesn’t come automatically. Writing especially, having dyslexia. But speaking out loud generally helps me feel calmer; once the thoughts are out of me, they lose some of their weight. And speaking with a rhythm to follow – holding the device at a low BPM while I talk – seems to amplify that. It gives me something to pace myself against. A reminder that there’s a pause between thoughts, between words. Conversation feels less anxious that way. More like there’s room in it.
When my brain struggles to find its own rhythm, the device provides one from outside.
Sunday 28th – Falling Asleep Through the Noise
It had been an anxious evening. I had a job application deadline the following day and had spent a while trying to locate a document I needed – searching through old files, convinced I had it somewhere, and coming up empty. Eventually I had to find another solution and emailed the issuing company directly. Not the end of the world, but the combination of the search, the deadline, and the general weight of that period made the evening feel heavier than I would have liked.
I spoke to a friend that evening, and by the time I got into bed I was already feeling a bit better. I put the device on the pillow next to me to help carry that softness into sleep.
I fell asleep easily and happily, without thoughts pulling me back. The auditory stimulus was just right – not too present, not too distant. Genuinely comforting. Given how the evening had gone, that felt notable.
In the morning I found it had died overnight, battery completely gone. It stayed with me the whole time.
Tuesday 30th – A friend Tries the Heart For the First Time
Today a friend of mine tried the LYEONS Heart for the first time. She has anxiety, and I was curious to see how she’d respond to it. I handed it to her at 30 bpm and watched her face change almost immediately. She was genuinely surprised – not just by the sound, but by the physical sensation of it. The vibration, the heartbeat under her hands. Something about that combination clearly landed in a way she hadn’t expected.
It was a small moment, but it felt significant. Watching someone else encounter it for the first time – and seeing it meet them where they were – reminded me of how I felt on that park bench on the first Sunday. There’s something quietly powerful about holding something that just breathes with you.
Reflections
We’re incredibly grateful to Ada for sharing her experience so openly.
Not every day was transformative. Some moments were subtle, while others were more noticeable. Alongside the positive experiences, Ada also shared practical suggestions for improving the device, from Bluetooth audio support to making battery life clearer for new users. We believe those reflections are just as valuable as the moments that felt supportive.
As we continue working with early users, experiences like Ada’s help us understand how LYEONS Heart fits into real life, not under controlled conditions, but in the middle of busy weeks, uncertain career transitions, everyday anxiety, relationships, work and ordinary routines.
We hope sharing her diary in her own words offers a genuine glimpse into that journey, and we look forward to continuing to learn from the people who are helping shape LYEONS Heart alongside us.
Thank you for sharing your journey with us and continuing to contribute to making an impactful change to our brain health. 🙂
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