Do fidget toys really help reduce anxiety?

Modern life is filled with triggers fidget toys that can cause a lot of stress and anxiety for us. From children being worried about their school exams to adults being under work-life stress, there seems to be no escape from anxiety triggers like fidget toys.

However, the solution to your stress and anxiety might be simpler than you might think and no we aren’t talking about therapy. Fidget toys are known to bring down stress levels and reduce anxiety for both kids and adults.

These toys come in many different shapes and sizes and they are designed to distract your brain from the anxious thoughts that might seem hard to get rid of. But a lot of people wonder if fidget toys are actually effective for reducing anxiety and stress or not.

If you were wondering if buying fidget toys as an anxiety relief is actually worth it or not then keep reading. Because this article will explain whether fidget toys actually help reduce anxiety or not.

What are the different types of stress-relieving fidget toys?

Before we jump into a discussion about how fidget toys can help relieve stress, it is essential to know what different types of fidget toys are available in the market. So without further ado here are some key types of fidget toys:

Fidget spinners

Fidget spinners are three-pronged, hand-held toys built from plastic or metal. They can help people who experience hand fidgeting, often.
Stress balls

Stress balls vary in size, shape, and composition and help relieve anxiety. Stress balls can help you relax, ease arthritis, and strengthen wrists and hands. Some stress balls offer aromatherapy scents or resistance settings for physical therapy.

Putty

Putty is a sensory fidget toy and is a common household and classroom item. Putty or play-doh relieves stress similar to a stress ball. Putty is pocket-sized, quiet, and less distracting than a fidget spinner.

Fidget cubes

This six-sided toy offers various possibilities to keep fingers occupied. Each side of the cube features twisting, clicking, spinning, or flipping activities to keep hands busy and mind focused.

Chewable fidget toys

You don’t always have to use your hands to get the benefits from sensory fidget toys. Chewable pendants can help people who like to chew on their fingernails, hair, pencils, sleeves, and other things.

When looking for chewable sensory toys, make sure to look for ones that are latex-free, BPA-free, lead-free, PVC-free, and made of safe materials that can be put in your mouth.

These are made for all ages, but children should only play with them under the supervision of an adult.

How do fidget toys help reduce anxiety?

By now you would have probably guessed that the main reason why fidget toys can help reduce anxiety is by distracting the mind from stressful thoughts. There is research that suggests that fidget toys might be effective in reducing stress although there isn’t any direct evidence of how exactly do fidget toys work for stress relief.

With that being said here are some arguments in the favor of the stress-relieving abilities of fidget toys:

They offer distractions

One way that fidgets spinners might help us feel less stressed is by keeping us from thinking about things that make us feel stressed.

Studies haven’t looked at whether or not fidget spinners are good distractions, but they show that distracting the mind can help reduce the amount of stress. So using fidget spinners may offer enough distraction to relieve stress.

They promote meditation

Research shows that one of the best ways to deal with stress and anxiety is to meditate. Fidget toys could be good objects to focus on, so they may promote mindfulness and meditation.

If these toys can get people to focus and meditate who wouldn’t normally do it, this could result in reduced anxiety.

They help you focus

In some people, the parts of the brain that help them focus may be engaged and stimulated when they fidget. Repetitive movements can help relieve stress and make you more focused.

Even though this may affect different people in different ways, research says that fidgeting helps men feel better in high-pressure situations more than it does for women. However, this doesn’t mean that women can’t get stress relief from fidgeting.