Both adults and children face plenty of troubles related to attention, emotions, worries, and stress nowadays. This may be due to several factors such as long exposure to gadgets, sedentary eight-hour work, or academic pressure.
Now how do you relieve your stress? Is it enough to get you through the day? Or do you need a stress-relieving tool that can give you a sense of calm even when you are working? If yes, then it is a squishy toy you’re looking for. Here are the surprising benefits this toy can give you.
Boost Focus, Memory, and Attention
According to Metro’s interview with a psychologist, kids nowadays find it hard to focus. This is because of the gadgets that create an entertaining world for them. Take away those gadgets, and all you have is a child who finds other activities such as listening to you as boring. But with a squishy toy or fidget spinner as a background stimulus, kids tend to pay attention more.
These types of toys make your brain engage in a repetitive action that allows the rest of your attention to be used elsewhere, allowing the user to stay in focus. Metro also mentioned a 2006 study where it was found that sixth-grade students who were given stress balls had improved levels of attention, attitude, writing ability, and peer interaction. The toys also activate the sense of touch, sight, and smell (since some squishy toys are made with a specific scent).
However, if you let your children use squishy toys or if you know someone who does, it is important to remember that squishy toys should only be used as stress relievers and not as a distraction for oneself or for other people.
Manage Anxiety and Emotional Issues
Squishy toys help you release your intense emotions (e.g., anger, happiness, sadness). When you’re in need of a dose for calmness, you can always reach out to your squishy toy to manage your emotions. Squishy toys can also be used for people with special needs such as kids with autism or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Relieve Stress
The rhythmic, repetitive actions of handling a squishy toy stimulate the production of dopamine in the brain. Dopamine then floods the reward and pleasure centers of the brain. If you’re doing a stressful activity or if you’ve been too exhausted with work, you can hold on to your squishy toy. Somehow, it can relieve your stress and give you pleasure.
Good for All Ages
Kids are not the only ones who can use squishy toys. Adults can also enjoy the same benefits that children do. These toys can give adults an escape from their current problems and bring out the child inside them.
Inexpensive and Comes in Variety
Squishy toys are not at all expensive, which is why some adults and kids collect them. They are designed to be handy so that you can bring them anywhere. They also come in a variety of shapes and sizes to choose from.
Some squishy toys resemble your favorite cartoon characters, animals, food, and other objects. You can find a variety of cute squishy toys modeled after popular Japanese cartoon characters and icons from Japanese traditional culture.
You can also give squishy toys as gifts to your family members, friends, and colleagues. Squishy toys are more than just pretty little things. They serve a lot of functions that are good for your physical and mental health. These toys are indeed treasures you can keep for a long time.