A mum who found herself addicted to social media is on a mission to help people spend more quality time offline.

Kirsty Lawrence, 46, who runs Mann Social, a digital marketing agency, has launched ‘Alive Essence - The Vitality Deck’, a collection of 52 cards designed to help people introduce small, simple habits into their daily lives to rediscover balance, joy and energy.

The idea was born from Kirsty’s own experience of post-natal depression and more recently, a difficult period in 2023 where burnout and anxiety led her to reassess how she was living and working.

‘I’ve spent a lot of my life “chronically online”,’ she said.

‘My work is in social media, and it can be easy to lose track of your own wellbeing when you’re always connected and responding to notifications.

‘Over time, it really started to affect my mental health - and I noticed how it might influence my son’s habits too.’

Determined to make a change, Kirsty began exploring mindful practices including trauma release techniques, breathwork, positive psychology and CBT.

She made a conscious effort to reduce her screen time and focus on grounding habits - even if just for a few minutes each day.

‘One of the biggest things I learned was that you can shift your energy in as little as 10 to 15 minutes,’ she explained.

‘I started practising this daily and it made a big difference to how I felt. That’s what Alive Essence is based on - creating time for yourself, even in small moments.’

Each card in the deck offers a simple practice or prompt, from breathing exercises and mindful movement to mood-boosting ideas and nature-based reflections.

The aim is to help people feel calmer, more present, and better able to manage stress.

Kirsty officially launched Alive Essence with a celebration at Noa Bakehouse on March 14.

Guests were invited to unwind and enjoy a moment of stillness, with sessions led by breathwork and trauma release specialist Rosemary O’Donohue and pranic healer Rhian O’Leary.

The deck is currently available at the Manx Wildlife Trust shop in Peel, as well as online at aliveessence.com.

Kirsty plans to keep the production and design as local as possible to support other small businesses and reduce the environmental footprint of the product.

‘For me, this has always been about sharing something authentic,’ she said.

‘I’ve long felt the need to balance my marketing work with something more holistic, something that supports mental wellbeing in a real and sustainable way.

‘I know I’m not the only person who finds it hard to do the things I know will make me feel better.

‘So I want to talk about the fact that I find it hard to do, but no matter, I do it anyway - and I always feel better.’

She added: ‘I feel incredibly grateful to live somewhere as beautiful as the Isle of Man.

‘The nature we’re surrounded by here has played a big part in inspiring this project.

‘Alive Essence is about rediscovering your spark and realising that feeling more alive doesn’t have to be complicated.’

Looking ahead, Kirsty hopes to grow a wider community around Alive Essence, offering workshops and online resources to support those wanting to build lasting wellbeing habits. has played a big part in inspiring this project.