Keep Calm and Fidget On: A Personal Look at Fidget Toys for International Self-Care Day

Falling each year on July 24, International Self-Care Day is an opportunity to promote self-care as a vital part of our health and wellbeing. The date (represented as 24/7 in most parts of the world, 7/24 in the US) reminds us that self-care is important twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.

What Is Self-Care?

Self-care is one of those terms that’s difficult to define, not least because it can mean different things to different people. I find the following definition of self-care by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) helpful.

Self-care means taking the time to do things that help you live well and improve both your physical health and mental health. When it comes to your mental health, self-care can help you manage stress, lower your risk of illness, and increase your energy. Even small acts of self-care in your daily life can have a big impact. Self-care looks different for everyone, and it is important to find what you need and enjoy. It may take trial and error to discover what works best for you. In addition, although self-care is not a cure for mental illnesses, understanding what causes or triggers your mild symptoms and what coping techniques work for you can help manage your mental health.

Here at Gum on My Shoe we’ve shared a number of blog posts on self-care. You’ll find a selection of these in Because You’re Worth it! A Curated List of Self-care Posts. Categories include practical strategies, making a difference to your day, kindness and gratitude, music and lyrics, getting out and about, and recognising that you don’t have to do everything on your own.

So Fidget Toys Are Self-Care?

Fidget toys (also called fidgets, fidget tools, sensory tools, or desk accessories) are promoted as supporting mental health and wellbeing in children and adults. On that basis they certainly fall within the definition of self-care. You’ll find plenty of articles online, including Fidget Toys: What Are They and How Can They Help Children and Adults? at Brown University Health, and Learning Resources’ Keep Calm and Fidget On: The Science Behind Fidget Toys and How to Choose the Right One. The latter asserts that fidget tools “can help anyone, but they can be especially beneficial for individuals with diagnoses such as anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). These tools help build coping skills for individuals with such diagnoses, as they may often impact sustained attention, sensory processing or regulation skills.”

In the UK mental health charities and organisations recommend fidget and related sensory toys to self-soothe, help manage anxiety, and provide focus. Examples include the Alzheimer’s Society and the National Autistic Society. The mental health charity Mind suggests including a stress ball or fidget toy in your self-care kit to help comfort and relax you when you’re struggling.

It’s important to note that while many people find fidget toys and other sensory tools helpful in managing a range of symptoms and conditions they are not a substitute for appropriate professional care and treatment.

What Are They Exactly?

Spiffy (“The Happiness Shop”) offers an excellent introduction to the various types of fidget toys, their usefulness, and potential benefits. Are Fidget Toys Good For Mental Health? What The Evidence and Everyday Experience Tell Us includes worry stones for anxiety, “squish balls” for sensory calming, and therapy putty. Spiffy sell a range of fidget toys including twisters, spinners, and tangles (“smooth, quiet spinners and fidget cubes designed for quick tactile engagement”); soft, squeezable toys to relieve tension and stress; and gadgets with tactile surfaces, buttons, and sliders to “stimulate the senses and keep hands busy.”

My Experience With Fidget Toys

I’d been aware of fidget toys for some time but only thought to acquire one after a conversation with Fran. We were discussing distraction strategies for compulsive or unhealthy behaviours such as overeating or nail-biting. The latter is something I’ve done for as long as I can remember. I went a whole year once without biting my nails but relapsed. Since then I’ve never made more than a half-hearted and unsuccessful attempt to stop. I told Fran about some of the fidget toys I’d seen online and we decided to try them out. Fran ordered herself a pad shaped Fidget Concentration Toy. Unsure what style would work best for me I opted for a set which included a cube and a triangular fidget pad.

The cube and pad have a similar array of functions. (That’s something of a misnomer given that the buttons and switches have no specific function beyond their existence and clickability.) Each has an on-off switch, a rotating disk, clickable buttons (five on the cube, four on the pad), a hollow “soothing stone” area, a mini joystick, a clickable steel ball, and three rotating cog wheels like those found on a combination lock. The pad has a few additional rotating areas and can be spun if you hold it between thumb and forefinger. Fran’s fidget toy is very similar.

Ironically for items intended to soothe, I found a couple of things that irritated me about each of my fidget toys. They’re both plastic but whilst the cube is satisfying to hold the pad feels very light and toy-like. One of the cube’s three cog wheels would stick when it was rotated. I managed to improve this by trimming a little of the plastic from the wheel but I was reminded of the defect whenever I picked the toy up to use it. The cube’s on-off switch is satisfying to use but I soon noticed it’s possible to depress it very slightly beyond its stop point in one direction. Neither of these issues might seem very significant, especially for relatively inexpensive gadgets. They nevertheless frustrated me. Fran had no such issues with her fidget toy.

After using them for a few weeks I decided to get another cube. After some online research I settled on Fidgetz which stock fidget cubes in a wide range of colours. I ordered Midnight Black (black buttons and dials on a matt black cube) and was initially annoyed that they shipped one with green buttons and dials. I’ve come to like the colour combination, though, and it stands out from my original cube which is black on black.

Do They Work?

Fran and I both use our fidget toys on a daily basis. In my case they satisfy an urge I’d been indulging unconsciously in other ways. For many years I’ve kept an assortment of items in the pocket — always the left pocket for some reason — of my coats and jackets. I’d fiddle idly with these as I walked. In the past these have included polished semi-precious stones and found items such as small stones, conkers, and acorns.

I posted a photo to my social media which read: “When you’re thinking about your latest blog post on fidget toys and realise you routinely carry three conkers, an acorn, and an ‘I’LL BEE THERE FOR YOU’ stone in your coat pocket.” The stone was a gift from a friend. It seems I’m not alone in this. My American friend Beth Ann replied that she’d never heard them called conkers. “I know them as buckeyes,” she said. “And I used to carry one around, too. I loved the way it felt in my fingers.” Andi noted that she used to hollow them out and make rings and necklaces from them when she was a child. There may be some innate wisdom at play here. In Autumn Superstitions: Conkers, Roses, and Falling Leaves folklore writer and host of the Fabulous Folklore podcast Icy Sedgwick records that “According to autumn superstitions, carrying conkers in a pocket would help ward off arthritis. Even better, if you had three shiny conkers, carrying those would make sure you always had money.”

At home, I’ve used magnetic bookmarks as a fidget toy. Early in our friendship Fran gifted me a small balsam-filled pillow from Paine Products, a family-owned business based in Maine that has operated since 1931. As well as smelling fabulous the pillow is satisfying as a fidget or comfort toy. I used to hold it when I was meditating, especially when Fran and meditated together on our evening video calls. It lost its balsam aroma long ago but is still comforting to hold.

It’s a little early to tell whether my new fidget toys are helping in a practical sense or to any measurable degree. They sit on the little table I use as a desk when I’m working from home and a convenient stand for my phone and tablet when I’m not working. I find myself reaching for them when my hands are not otherwise occupied. They haven’t stopped me biting my nails — I’m more than capable of biting the nails of one hand whilst simultaneously playing with a fidget toy in the other — but that’s something I’m working on.

What Do Other People Think About Them?

I posted on social media asking for any thoughts and experience from others who have used stress balls, fidget cubes, or similar gadgets.

Christine: I do have a fidget ring, but don’t use it enough to help actually. But, I think it’s pretty cool and wear it in case. I think a worry stone works better.

Fee: My grandson had some for school which helps him. His teacher gave some of the boys a snake-shaped one, and the square one [cube] in your photo.

Sophie: I use needohs and they’re great. I always have a fidget ring with small rings too which is handy as I have it on me all the time.

Paul: I used to have one of those wrist strengthing power ball thingys!

Brittany: Yes! All the time! Even in the car at red lights. In fact, we keep a big bowl of them on the coffee table and EVERY person that comes in (neurodivergent or not) picks one up to play. We have a huge variety and each person is drawn to a different one so there are no right or wrong ones.

James: I use worry beads a lot.

I’m grateful for all the above contributions. They highlight the wide range of fidget toys available, including worry stones, fidget rings, snake-like toys, and worry beads. I hadn’t heard of Needohs. They are a range of soft, sensory, squeezable toys filled with a non-toxic dough-like compound. Another friend, Jen, mentioned fidget toy apps but I’ve yet to explore those. I’ll stick with my cubes for now but I’m tempted to try some of the other kinds in the future.

Over to You

In this post I’ve described fidget toys and shared my personal experience with them. Have you used them or similar sensory tools? Did you find them helpful? We’d love to hear your thoughts and experience, either in the comments below or via our contact page.

 

Photo by Matthew Henry at Burst.