How to Make and Use Stress Balls?

Stress is an inevitable part of modern humans’ lives. We designed our world the way that leaves a poor space for getting an actual rest, get calm and relaxed. Speaking of urban surroundings and general schemes of the modern society, we always run around, like there is no time to do everything, to get involved with different things and get in touch with all other people we might need or want to. We became multitasking beings, both when we are at work and at home; actually, the boundary between our private life and our workplace has gone thinned and permeable.

Our job tasks now interfere with our private obligations, desires and spare time. We are constantly ‘online’ with the world, which makes us feel exhausted, both physically and mentally.

Life of a modern human is, by all means, stressful. It is not that in old times people were easy going and zen. Not at all, but the frequency of daily changes and the speed of information has increased rapidly in recent decades and it seems it only goes on.

However, in the last couple of years, it seems awareness of harmful effects everyday stresses have on human health, has also increased. We live in an era of waking consciousness of what our modern, speeded-up life does to our body, mind and soul. That explains why alternative medicine, natural approaches, ancient relaxing techniques and practices get their spotlight, again.

We need to learn how to make our life free of excessive tension; how to achieve balance in all aspects of our life, in order to preserve clear mind and our health.

‘Good’ or ‘bad’ stress?

It is important to understand that there are different types of stress. People usually use the term ‘stress’, in order to explain the negative pressure and tension they are under.

However, stress in general represents all sorts of strains our brain and body are experiencing, consciously and unconsciously. Thus, there is mental and physical stress. When we exercise or do other physical activity, we put stress on our muscles, bones and so on. When we change our eating habits, climate, living conditions and such, it is also a stress for our body.

Doing intellectual tasks of all sorts is also stressful for our brain. Therefore, it doesn’t mean a stress must be only negative experience. Learning something or doing some creative work we put a lot of effort into, makes our brain struggle more to achieve the desired results. In addition, minor everyday annoyances are also stressful, but natural and normal. Imagine how it would look like if you never get under tension and stress? It might seem like good thing at first, but being completely indifferent to the world around you or accepting everything with no reaction is unnatural and unhealthy.

Stress relief techniques

However, it is also very unhealthy to let the tension overwhelm you and affect your normal daily functioning. People who tend to get easily irritated or suppress the tension and gradually get more and more stressed, before the suppressed tension escalates in some undesirable form, are far more susceptible to all sorts of health problems.

Cardiovascular issues, high blood pressure, abnormal heart rate, obesity, high sugar and cholesterol levels and so on are just examples of bad health outcomes caused by excessive stress. It is of a vital importance to discover an exhausting valve that would suit you and help you manage stressful situation or deal with general tension, present in all our lives.

Stress balls for strong hands and serenity

Stress balls are one of very effective stress relieve techniques. They are easy to make and use. Scientific studies have proven any sort of physical activity is actually stress relieving. You’ve certainly felt like you would likely smash or squeeze something when you get extremely upset or the pressure you’re put under culminates. Stress balls are good and easy way to manage tension and get relaxed.

What are they used for? Just as their name suggests, stress balls are intended to relieve stress and help you calm down and relax.

In addition, they are also applicable in physical therapy. They are used to strengthen your hands and wrists muscles. Stress balls could help in recovery after injuries or weakening of hand muscles and bones caused by overuse or a particular health condition, such as arthritis, for example.

How to make stress balls?

There are several similar ways to make stress balls and they are easy to do. Not only you’ll soon experience benefits of using them, but you could also have fun making them. Creative tasks are also known to help in reducing stress and anxiety.

So, what do you need to make stress balls? You’ll need two balloons (or more, depending n number of balls you are about to make), sand, rice or flour to fill them up, a funnel, scissors and pencil.

  1. Inflate the balloon, gently. It doesn’t need to get big, just stretched enough to put the stuffing inside. A size that fits to your hand is what you want to achieve.
  2. Insert the funnel into the balloon and attach it firmly. Start inserting the four, rice or sand into the balloon. About ¼ cup should be sufficient. It is desirable to use thicker latex balloons, so they don’t get punctured by stuffing.
  3. Use pencil to make way for the filler, if it gets clogged. Be careful not to damage the balloon. Fill it u to the neck, remove the funnel and tie it up, firmly.
  4. Use another balloon and cut off the neck. Stretch it over the tied one, in order to make it secure from rupturing and spilling the inside. Tie it up. You can repeat the procedure a couple of times more, if you want to make the ball more secure, but it is not necessary.
  5. If you want your anti-stress balls make you cheerful, use marker to decorate them! Draw them smiley faces and make them your true relaxing buddies.

Using stress balls

These palm-sized colorful balls are simple to use. Using them, you will squeeze your stress away, literally. The way they work is simple. Use them in your hand and squeeze. Hold for a few moments, and then release the pressure. Repeat as many times as you like. Using stress balls won’t make you any harm. In fact, they would improve both your mental state, make you get calm and manage the tension straight away, make your muscles stronger and strengthen your hands.

They are practical and applicable in most of the situation, because they are small and easy to carry around with you. For example, if you have a stressful and demanding office job, bring your stress balls with you and squeeze them when you feel you’re getting tense and unfocused.

In addition, frequent usage of stress balls would help you strengthen your arms and hands. Even if you are not an athlete, you need to exercise in order to preserve your health. Stress balls squeezing is not a substitute for sports, but they are very beneficial. They improve circulation and reduce stiffness in ands.

They also help in managing the pain caused by conditions, such as arthritis. Your fingers and hands will be stronger and agile, so you’ll type and handle things easier.