How Two Sisters Returned to the Present Moment—and Brought Others With Them

06.10.2025

How Two Sisters Returned to the Present Moment—and Brought Others With Them

by Emily Stetzer

If you’re anything like me, your anxious brain doesn’t need much help creating chaos. But the last few years sure gave it material. Between an overwhelming news cycle and the constant uncertainty of the world, I found myself stuck in a loop—mentally spiraling through every worst-case scenario my mind could conjure. And if you’ve ever lived with anxiety or OCD, you know exactly what I mean.

It wasn’t new territory. I’ve dealt with anxiety for most of my life. But the mental noise had reached a new volume, and I was running out of ways to tune it out. Thankfully, my older sister Lindsay had already walked this path. Her own experience with OCD pushed her to seek out therapy and gave our family the language to talk about what we were going through. Eventually, I followed her lead—and finally asked for help.

That one step changed everything.

In therapy, I learned that my thoughts weren’t facts. I discovered CBT—cognitive behavioral therapy—and began understanding how my mind worked. Why certain thoughts showed up. Why I felt the urge to avoid or fix or control. And most importantly, how to pause, shift, and stay present when anxiety tried to take over.

But knowing what to do and remembering to do it in the moment? That’s a different story.

One phrase that stuck with me was: “My thoughts are passing clouds.” It helped me unhook from spirals and put some space between myself and the fear. But when I was deep in anxiety, I rarely remembered it in time. I needed something tactile. Visible. Something to bring me back to the present moment before my thoughts took me too far.

So we made it.
More than a bracelet—a reminder you can reach for when anxiety takes over.

Each Presently bracelet is engraved with a phrase rooted in CBT or mindfulness-based practices. These aren’t just affirmations—they’re therapeutic tools. A wearable reminder that thoughts aren’t facts. That discomfort isn’t danger. That you’re allowed to pause. To breathe. To choose a different response.

We started Presently to make these reminders tangible. But more than that, we wanted to build a brand that reflected our own healing journeys. One that normalizes the messy, non-linear path of mental health. One that makes you feel less alone when you’re stuck in your head.

Today, Presently is more than a bracelet. It’s a small but mighty tool that meets you where you are—in anxiety, in growth, in healing—and helps you come back to yourself.

And it’s a community. Of therapy-goers. Of deep feelers. Of people who’ve been there, or are just beginning to ask for help. We talk about the things that often go unsaid. We create tools that therapists recommend and anxious brains return to. And we give back to organizations doing the hard work—like the Anxiety & Depression Association of America, a nonprofit that supported us from the beginning.

We believe healing isn’t a solo journey—and your tools shouldn’t be either. Whether you’ve been in therapy for years or just took our quiz to figure out what reminder your anxiety actually needs, we’re here for the in-between moments. The ones when you feel stuck. Uncertain. Overwhelmed. Because that’s where the real work happens—and where Presently bracelets shine.