Stress balls were originally intended to be used for remedying stress and tension but with their increasing popularity as a stress relief tool, it seems that squeezing it may have other health benefits. Studies show that when you squeeze a stress ball, your nerves and muscles stimulate and contract which makes them stronger. The strength improves the overall nervous system, which reduces essential hormones and can control your stress levels.
Some of the benefits:
- Relieve arthritis pains
- Enhance emotional stability
- Reduce anxiety and stress
- Lower blood pressure
- Improve concentration and creativity
- Strengthen muscles
- Increased positive energy
- Improve sleep
Stress Balls May Improve Blood Circulation
Many doctors recommend using stress balls for improving blood circulation. Studies show that squeezing a ball can raise your heart rate and increase the oxygen levels in your brain. As a result, your heart will pump harder and thus provide better blood circulation. The better your circulation, the lower the risk for stroke, heart attack and high blood pressure. Stress balls also help prevent the development of hypertension and possible heart disease.
More Benefits
Stress balls are small enough to fit in your pocket, and they are also fairly inexpensive. If you use your stress ball on a regular basis, you may even begin to notice a decrease in your tension. When you have an anxiety attack, your brain starts to get hyperventilating. This causes your body to release adrenaline, which causes your heart rate to increase. By using and squeezing a stress ball, you can relax your mind and take a moment to think about happy thoughts.
Ways to Use Stress Balls
By simply squeezing stress balls regularly you can tone your muscles. Regular exercise will help to strengthen the muscles of your hands and wrists. Many individuals keep one of these balls at their work. Regardless of your profession, if you feel tired, bored or irritated you can use one of these balls to keep your hands occupied and your mind at rest.
- One of the main ways to use a stress ball is to place it on a surface and roll the ball by curling your fingers towards your palm, hold for a few seconds and release your fingers.
- Another popular way is to place a ball between your hands while keeping your arms in a vertical position. Then press for 5 seconds and relax.
- The full grip method is our favourite. If you feel extra stressed out, hold and squeeze a ball as hard as you can for up to 5 seconds, then relax.
Final Thoughts
While stress balls can help with anxiety, stress, blood circulations and more, it is important to remember the results are temporary. In order to find the right balance and improve your overall health, there are many other things that you have to consider. Owning and using a stress ball can not prevent illnesses, diseases or depression, but it can improve those conditions. It is one of the most powerful mindfulness products that can help individuals deal with their condition.
The experience of mental and physical stress can take a toll on the body, causing sudden heart palpitations and shortness of breath, followed (hopefully) by a period of relaxation as the stressors pass. Brief moments of tension and release are healthy—the fight or flight response can quite literally save your life in certain situations. But chronic stress is not, and if not dealt with, it can lead to serious problems like depression, high blood pressure, and heart disease.
While we certainly recommend treatment options like therapy and meditation, there are some simpler tools you can turn to in moments of stress—toys. According to The Atlantic, a study by the Polytechnic Institute of New York University showed that fiddling with small toys can actually help you relieve stress, enhance your productivity, and even give your memory a boost. Here are some suggestions to help you start breathing deeply again.
Stress balls
Stress balls are a classic workplace de-stressor, and there’s evidence they can actually improve your health. Stress creates tension in the body that needs to be physically released. As stress expert Dr. David Posen explained to the Huffington Post, “the benefit of squeezing [a stress ball] is that it releases some kind of energy—it also induces you to relax.” Squeezing a stress ball can also relieve arthritis and strengthen muscles in the wrist and hands.
Sculpting toys
Play-Doh and putty
Play-Doh relieves stress in the same way as a stress ball—the tension and release your muscles experience as you mold the dough can relieve the physical aspects of stress and boost your concentration. Knowing the benefits of Play-Doh as a stress reliever, companies have begun to make putties specifically for this purpose—Pinch Me therapy dough infuses putty with essential oils to incorporate the sense of smell into your stress toy therapy.
Magnetic balls
A series of small magnetic balls that, when linked together, can be molded into different shapes and structures can serve as an unlikely form of stress relief due to the attention required to interact with the toy. The molding action takes your mind off of the stressor and focuses it on a tactile activity. (Don’t leave them out around your kids and pets, however—they are dangerous if swallowed, and you’re trying to reduce stress in your life.)
Puzzle toys
Similar to sculpting toys, puzzle de-stressors occupy the mind, allowing you to release your stressful thoughts and focus on the task at hand.
Mini Rubik’s Cubes
Rubik’s Cubes were first marketed as toys in 1980, but they have great stress-relieving properties, too. As you move and slide the small cubes into different positions in an attempt to create solid colors on all sides, your mind is occupied and your fingers are kept busy. A keyring-sized cube allows you to relieve stress wherever you go.
Infinity Cubes
Another cube shaped stress toy, an infinity cube consists of interlocking pieces that combine to form a cube. The idea is to move the pieces around to create different shapes and structures. There is no goal with this one—just the fun of making shapes and focusing a distracted mind.
Fidget fiddlers
Fidget spinners
Fidget spinners became a popular fad in 2017, gaining notoriety for their ability to help kids with ADHD focus. The three pronged toy is weighted and spins between your fingers. Unfortunately, they began creating more stress for teachers and parents—and becoming an actual distraction for kids—leading them to be banned in many schools. Still, they can be useful for adults in search of relief from stress at work.
Pipe cleaners
Pipe cleaners are another versatile stress relieving toy, combining the benefits of sculpting with a fidget toy.
Acupressure massage rings
Acupressure massage rings hit pressure points on the hands to relieve stress, enhance concentration and improve circulation—but they are also fun to play with.
Chewy toys
Biting your nails or chewing on pens and pencil erasers are all habitual effects of anxiety and stress, and curbing them can be hard. Thankfully, there are toys to mitigate your dependence, or at least protect your cuticles and teeth from being damaged.
Rubber necklace
If you ever sucked on your necklace or put the pendant of a chain in your mouth, a chew necklace may save you a chipped tooth or harmful metal ingestion. The necklace is made of chewable rubber to mitigate your oral fixation.
Chewy eraser top
These rubber attachments for the ends of your pencils and pens come in different shapes and sizes, allowing you to unconsciously chew away and not burst open your pens or wind up with bits of eraser in your mouth.
You’ve probably seen one of those little round stress balls. You might have received it for free with a company’s brand splashed on the side or picked one up during a rough week at work. Stress balls are popular, but do they actually help reduce tension?
The general consensus is that these toys actually do help in stressful moments. In fact, there are numerous reasons that one of these little balls should be a necessary accessory on your desk.
Stress and the body
As a human being, you’ve likely experienced stress at one point or another. From work to school to relationships, there’s no shortage of challenges that can cause conflict in daily life. But just because it’s normal doesn’t mean that this anxiety is harmless. Stress takes a toll not only on your emotional and mental health, but also on your physical well-being.
According to Mayo Clinic, stress can physically cause problems such as headaches, an upset stomach, muscle tension, sleep problems and fatigue. If left unchecked, it can also contribute to more serious health problems, such as high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity.
So how can you avoid these negative health complications that come from periods of high anxiety? Turns out, a stress ball can help, according to Dr. David Posen, a stress expert and the author of “Is Work Killing You?: A Doctor’s Prescription for Treating Workplace Stress.”
“You’ve got all this stress energy – your body is in a state of high alert, but there’s nowhere for it to go,” Posen told The Huffington Post. “When you’re stressed, your body tightens up – so a physical release helps to let go of some of that energy… The benefit of squeezing is that it releases some kind of energy – it also induces you to relax.”
Though squeezing a stress ball is not a long term solution for stress, it can help your body to release tension in the moment. The motion acts as a reminder to relax the muscles that are clenched when you’re anxious, which can help avoid complications like headaches or pain that accompany long periods of tensing.
Stress from a variety of sources can take a toll on your mental, physical and emotional well-being.
The other benefits of stress balls
While the aptly-named stress ball can help release anxiety, that’s not the only benefit offered by these simple toys. For example, playing with a stress ball can help to manage and heal scar tissue in your hands. It can also strengthen your hands if you’re rehabilitating from a recent surgery.
Stress balls additionally offer the potential to increase concentration. According to a study of a group of sixth-graders by published in the Journal of At-Risk Issues, the students who used a stress ball in class were less distracted.
While you can find stress balls in most any size, shape or color, why settle for any less than a product that’s specifically designed with your comfort in mind?The IMAK® ERGO Stress Ball’s ergoBeads provide a gentle massage while your fingers are strengthened and stretched, providing stress relief and other benefits in the process.
