Stress balls and their role in revealing stress

A stress relief ball is an object that measures 3 inches in diameter. This is used for therapeutic treatment of stress. All that one has to do is to hold it in the palm and squeeze it repeatedly with fingers.The repeated action of squeezing the ball and manipulating it with fingers apparently gives a feeling of relief from emotional stress and muscular tension. Sometimes it is used to exercise the muscles of the hand. It may come in the shape of a ball, or in some more interesting shapes.

History of stress balls

Stress-busting balls have been in use right from ancient civilization days for a wide range of medical uses. Apart from relieving stress, they were used to improve coordination, treat arthritis and rheumatism, improve the circulation of blood, and help you in focusing the mind during meditation. They also help in the treatment of carpal-tunnel syndrome.

Inside a stress relief ball

Many stress reliever balls are stuffed with foam rubber, but the ones that are used particularly for therapeutic treatment of stress contain gel in different densities. Another type of stress ball contains a fine powder which is surrounded by a rubber coating, such as a balloon. This type can be made at home as described in the last section.

How do stress balls help in relieving stress?

Whenever the hand is turned into a fist, there is some muscle tension. This muscle tension is experienced even if one is not holding anything in the palm. When the fist grip is released, muscle tension eases. This cycle of first creating muscular tension and then releasing it is the principle behind the working of stress management balls.

Instead of making an empty fist and releasing it repeatedly, it would certainly be better if one has a stress ball in the hand as that will put the focus on the stress ball, thereby giving more impetus to the stress-relieving exercise. Many computer professionals use stress relief balls after slogging for hours on their machines.

Types of stress relief balls

Normally, a stress relief ball is spherical in shape. But creative marketers sometimes use different shapes according to individual tastes and fads. For example, a stress ball can look like a pack of cigarettes, which would be suitable for a person who wants to quit smoking. It can also be made in the shapes of a body part, a personality disliked in society, or any other amusing manner. Many times a picture of, e.g., a smiley face or a football is printed on the stress balls. Then they are referred to as imprinted stress balls. Here are some examples of common stress ball fillings and shapes:

Foam-filled stress balls:

Due to the nature of ball, the filling can be made only in simple shapes such as spherical, or in the shapes of starfish, egg, fruits, pills, safety stops, vegetables, etc.

Gel-filled stress balls:

These are more dynamic in shape and can assume disproportionate forms such a human face, Santa Claus, airplanes, graduation hat, etc.

Imprinted stress balls

They carry the corporate logo and are given to employees or clients as a gift (for example, in the form of a key chain).

Some companies market their own stress to suit the nature of their business. For example, a holiday tour company can sell Santa-shaped stress balls to its customers who will mostly travel for holidays during winter season.

Stress balls are now in the process of going high-tech. Some novel types are vibrating stress balls and the viral stress balls. The latter are soft stress balls that have an embedded transmitter and receiving chip. These chips can communicate the level of stress experienced by the user.

Do-It-Yourself instructions for making stress balls

Here is a simple technique one can use to make one's own stress ball. Since making the stress ball involves fun, this activity can also help reduce stress.

To make a balloon stress ball:

• Take a small, thick, round balloon.
• Blow it halfway.
• Pinch and hold it tight about an inch or 2 from the hole.
• Place a small funnel inside the opening of the balloon.
• Pour cornstarch into the funnel.
• Slowly release the top of the balloon so that the cornstarch can slide down into the balloon.
• Continue adding cornstarch until the balloon is about 3 inches in diameter.
• Tighten the end of the balloon and slowly let out any remaining air.
• Tie the balloon tightly as near to the cornstarch as possible.

After it is ready, one can decorate it with stickers, or can paint a funny face on it. Just make sure to use decorations that will not irritate the hand while squeezing it. Stress relief balls are largely demanded nowadays. Lots of companies are manufacturing them after seeing the lucrative market.