Avoid Burnout With These Popular Stress Toys, From Fidget Spinners to Squishy Balls
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For people of all ages, stress is an inevitable part of life. Combine that with factors like anxiety or ADHD, and you have a recipe for disaster if that built-up tension doesn’t find some sort of outlet. Using stress toys can help you stop fidgeting and ultimately help you focus better on tasks if you get easily distracted.
For anyone in virtual school, these stress-busters are a serious lifesaver and learning assistant. Stress toys create an enjoyable sensory experience that helps you get out of your head, grounding you in a soothing way. They also benefit those requiring hand strengthening or improving fine motor skills. These accessories make a big difference but only take up a small amount of space on your desk.
They’re a therapeutic way to decompress, and there are plenty of different devices to fidget with to your heart’s desire. Amongst them are stress balls, fidget spinners, and, most recently, push pop toys that are almost as satisfying to press as bubble wrap. Up your attention span with these effective stress toys to help you find more balance in your daily life.
Read More: 7 Weighted Stuffed Animals for Stress Relief
1. Speks Fleks Magnetic Silicone 8-Piece Building Set
This magnetic, flexible building set is exactly what your desktop has been missing. A refreshing alternative to stress toys like fidget spinners, this silicone set is a great way to unlock your creativity while working out your fingers. With over 100 combinations and counting, this stress toy for adults is a modern-day zen garden. Take a mini digital detox on your work break and destress with this essential powered by rare earth magnets.
Buy: Speks Fleks Magnetic Silicone 8-Piece Building Set $29.95
2. Happierly Push Pop Fidget Toy
You know that satisfying feeling you get from popping bubble wrap? Push pop toys offer that feeling tenfold. But with so many push pop toys in rainbow colors and childish schemes, it’s nice to finally see a stress toy for adults. This sensory toy comes in this sage tone and other chic colors like terracotta and gardenia, and you won’t be embarrassed to display it on your desk.
Buy: Happierly Push Pop Fidget Toy $3.49 (orig. $5.99) 42% OFF
3. Cammie & Kips Weeks Therapy Dough
Unlike stress balls, this squishy way to relax was modeled after clay used by art therapists. Designed to fight the fidgets while easing tension, these professionals often use it to help patients manage anxiety and depression. Think of it as Play-Doh for adults. However, this squishy goodness is infused with essential oils for stress relief, so you can fully unwind with both your sense of smell and sense of touch. Choose between lavender, orange, eucalyptus and North Woods Pine.
Buy: Cammie & Kips Weeks Therapy Dough $15.00
4. Serenilite Hand Therapy Exercise Stress Ball Bundle
Get three stress balls when you buy this useful stress toy for adults, initially designed for physical therapy. With three different density levels, you’ll never get sick of how the texture feels in your hand. The higher your density, the more your hand strength will increase. This means fewer hand cramps, better grip and possible improvement in Carpal Tunnel syndrome. The durable balls are filled with a rip-proof gel core and a sleek, never-sticky fabric.
Buy: Serenilite Hand Therapy Exercise Stress Ball Bundle $20.99
5. Boxer Gifts Calma Llama Stress Toy
Just looking at this calming stress toy for adults will make you happy. Who doesn’t want an adorable mini llama living in their office? Described as A “squidgy stress toy,” this whimsical, drama-free llama is much more entertaining than a regular stress ball and will help you lighten up when you’re feeling burned out. It makes the perfect desktop figurine when it’s not in use.
Buy: Boxer Gifts Calma Llama Stress Toy $10.91 (orig. $12.00) 9% OFF
6. Yogi Fidget Toy
This single-handed fidget ring by Yogi is one of the most discreet and space-efficient choices, allowing you to fidget with just one hand. This makes it ideal for meetings or other scenarios where you can’t exactly whip out a Rubix cube or fidget spinner. Sold in a two-pack, this sensory can be used while doing other activities and takes up little to no space — a fantastic choice for fingernail chewers.
7. Soft Silicone Dart Suction Cup Spinner Toy
Combining two stress toys in one, you’ll quickly become addicted to this push pop fidget spinner. Sold in a pack of two, this toy spins and features that classic pop sound from the suction, providing endless hours of entertainment. Unlike metal fidget spinners, this one can be bent and rotated. It can also be stuck to surfaces like glass.
Buy: Soft Silicone Dart Suction Cup Spinner Toy $3.99 (orig. $5.00) 20% OFF
8. Wuqid Orbit Ball Toy
A combination of a fidget spinner and a puzzle, this stress toy for adults features 360-degree track beads along an infinite track. Put the ball into the slide, using inertia to roll it back and forth. The ball can be twisted to switch the track, allowing infinite rolling that’s soothing and meditative to watch. One user notes that the rolling metal ball also creates a soft humming vibration that acts as a calming white noise.
9. FXCOOLCT Bike Chain Gear Fidget Spinner
Upon first glance, you wouldn’t guess that this cool double-gear bike chain is a fidget toy for grownups. Made from alloy with a stainless steel look, this accessory has a curved shape design that’s ergonomic in your hand, allowing you to use it for hours. Flick and spin with one or two hands — each gear can spin, and all parts are removable.
Buy: FXCOOLCT Bike Chain Gear Fidget Spinner $12.16 (orig. $18.99) 36% OFF
10. Hsxfl Classic 3D Metal Pin Art Board
These metal pin art toys were all the rage 25 years ago. Today, you can still buy one, and no one will judge you if you press your face into them for some stress relief. Suitable for the whole family, you can make an impression of anything. Shake them up and down to put the pins back in place.
Buy: Hsxfl Classic 3D Metal Pin Art Board $17.99
11. Luskidol Butter Chocolate Slime
When was the last time you let yourself play around with slime? The second grade? This throwback ’90s toy is having a full-throttle comeback due to how well it works as a stress toy. Who would have thought? Stick your fingers in the jar and feel the slime push up on all sides to dodge your finger. Take it out of the pot and mush it in your hands for an extra fun slime time. We know it’s juvenile, but trust us, it’s worth the shot.
Buy: Luskidol Butter Chocolate Slime $5.99 (orig. $6.98) 14% OFF
12. Tech Tools Desktop Punching Bag
Consider a desktop punching bag when you can’t make it to your local boxing class. This faux leather mini boxing bag can be inflated and comes with fingerless gloves. If a workout normally calms you down and reduces tension or feelings of stress and anger, this boxing bag can relieve those frustrating feelings, helping you build up your strength and fitness level. It’s a great alternative to de-stressing with screens.
Read More: The 14 Best Punching Bags
Buy: Tech Tools Stress Buster Desktop Punching Bag $20.95 (orig. $29.95) 30% OFF
13. Special Supplies DNA Squish Stress Ball
These squishy stress balls are so satisfying to squeeze, pull and push, especially with the tinier squishy balls that lie inside. The colorful nature of this stress toy is soothing, while the texture is smooth yet durable. It comes in a four-pack, so you can hand it out to friends and family — or keep them all to yourself, ensuring that your car, office, and home are never without one of these feel-good devices.
Buy: Special Supplies DNA Squish Stress Ball $11.98 (orig. $12.98) 8% OFF
14. Joyoldelf Cool Black Foil Poker Playing Cards
Surprised to see a deck of cards? Don’t be. If you know how to shuffle, you’ll understand how oddly satisfying it is. Shuffling a deck of cards over and over is a great and almost effortless way to relieve stress with a “toy.” While it’s not necessarily the best stress toy you thought of off the top of your head, we’re sure you’ve got a deck of cards you can pick up and play around with. See what it does yourself!
Buy: Joyoldelf Cool Black Foil Poker Playing Cards $6.99 (orig. $15.99) 56% OFF
15. Panic Pete
You already know damn well what the deal is. Squeeze his body and watch his eyes, nose and ears pop right out of his head — just like how you’re feeling internally. It’s an excellent gift for those with high-stress jobs and has been around for decades. Thanks for keeping us sane, Panic Pete.
16. Duddy-Cam Fidget Pad
This fidget pad is unlike the generic spinners you can find everywhere and has multiple features, letting you flip, glide, roll, rub, switch, and more. These actions can reduce stress and anxiety symptoms for those that need a little more stimulation than the everyday spinner. For kids or adults that spend hours glued to the screen using a joystick or video game controller, this mimics the sensory effect of a joystick-like action without the detrimental screen time.
Buy: Duddy-Cam Fidget Pad $6.00
17. helegeSONG Steamed Buns Squishys
Got buns, hun? With these steamed bun stress balls, now you will. In this package, you’ll receive one steamed bun squishy and one plastic bamboo steamer for safe keeping. Whenever you’re feeling the slightest bit stressed (and maybe a little hangry), rip this baby out of its bamboo steamer and go to town. Just be sure not to eat it.
Buy: helegeSONG Steamed Buns Squishys $11.99
18. Magtimes Rainbow Fidget Spinner
If you prefer a more classic stress toy, this rainbow fidget spinner will hypnotize you with its powerful, multicolor effect as you spin it around. One reviewer said that it provided an overall satisfying spin and that they liked the “little whirr sound” that came with it. Made from high-quality, durable steel, this stress toy has a bearing that revolves at top speed, letting you spin for longer. It boasts a three to five-minute spin with flipping techniques and can be turned into a stress-busting game if desired — who can spin the longest?
Buy: MAGTIMES Rainbow Fidget Spinner $5.99 (orig. $19.99) 70% OFF
19. Goda Acupressure Massage Rings
It’s not always possible to get acupressure on the go, but these massage rings by Goda are the next best thing — roll them up and down your finger for the effect. The set of five is constructed from steel, improving energy and concentration. Acupressure rings are made from tiny, triangular points that stimulate your fingers, providing relief. Unlike acupuncture, these do not penetrate the skin — they add a desirable amount of pressure.
Buy: Goda Acupressure Massage Rings $11.99 (orig. $19.99) 40% OFF
20. Funmode Glow in the Dark Push Pop Bubble Toy
If you’re a nocturnal worrier, consider Funmode’s glow-in-the-dark, fluorescent push pop bubbles, which come in either pink and orange or blue and green. While this is a popular buy for kids, one adult reviewer called it a “fun way to keep myself entertained when bored.” While another got creative, saying, “A happy side function of these is that I use them as a coaster.” Stain-free tables and stress-free minds.
Buy: Funmode Glow in the Dark Push Pop Bubble Toy $9.99
21. 3-Pack Squishy Stress Balls
These stress balls go beyond your average squishy tension reliever. These actually change color when squeezed, with purple and blue turning pink and yellow turning orange. For a longer lifetime on these toys, squeeze these gel balls with the seam part towards the palm during your play session. One buyer comments, “This is marketed as being fun for kids & teens, but I want to put out there that it’s fun for adults as well! The color-changing is fun and mesmerizing. Perfect for getting your mind off of any stressors.”
Buy: 3-Pack Squishy Stress Balls $16.89
22. KDG Motivational Stress Balls
When you’re close to your breaking point, there’s nothing more soothing than squeezing on one of the ultimate tension-relieving stress toys: the stress ball. It also feels great for carpal tunnel syndrome. In addition, these stress balls have motivational messages, like “Good things Take Time” and “Keep Calm and Stress Less” These stress-busting devices have the power to physically relax while reminding you to take a breather whenever you need to.
Buy: KDG Motivational Stress Balls $11.99
23. Sensory Fidget Toys Bundle
If you’re someone that frequently loses things (we get it — tiny gadgets like fidget spinners are hard to keep track of), invest in a bundle pack of stress toys like this, which offers plenty of variety in many different forms for an insanely reasonable price. Amongst the accessories in this pack are a piece of fluffy slime, squishy mochi animals, mini cubes, and other unique products that sensory seekers might not be able to find on their own.
Buy: Sensory Fidget Toys Bundle $19.99