where to buy stress balls & everything else you need to know about them

Want to know where to buy stress balls?

I don't know about you, but regardless of all my research into stress and stress management, I have never been insulated against stress and the effects it has on my life. As a result, I'm constantly on the lookout for new ways to manage or beat stress.

I've known about stress balls for a long time, but recently, I decided to investigate them in a lot more depth.

Here's what I found...

After scanning/reading this page and watching some of the videos, I'll let you make up your own mind, but my overall opinion is that everybody should have stress balls in their stress management toolbox.

Of course, people should also know how to use stress balls correctly and that's why I've included a few cautioning videos and comments in this article.

Where to buy stress balls - all kinds, all purposes

• Emoji stress balls will not only help you beat stress, they will help you get laughing, which is also a great stress management strategy.
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• Stress ball on a string so you can stop to answer the phone or the door without losing track of where you put your stress ball.
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• Sports-themed stress balls for all those sports enthusiasts or fanatics in the world. Maybe it's time to build some muscle too!
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• Humorous face stress balls for all the times that you want to relieve stress by twisting someone's face in a million directions.
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• A whole box of stress balls and squeeze toys for the times when you need one for the whole class or the whole office.
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• A bead gel stress ball for the times when you want to try something just a little bit different. This is a whole new experience.
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• Earth stress balls when you are in an environmental preservation kind of mood. Squeeze this ball and sit and contemplate the universe. It's very meditative.
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TYPES OF STRESS BALLS – SKINS AND FILLERS

Skins: There are many materials that can be used for the outer shell or skin of a stress ball. Some are made from cloth and others have a foam rubber skin. Chinese Baoding balls are metal or even glass.

Fillers: the contents of stress ball can be made from many materials including bean, rice, synthetic materials or even different types of DIY slime.

STRESS BALL EXERCISES

Full Grip -Squeezing the ball for a count of three and releasing and repeating this exercise 20 times.

Finger Grip - Pinching the ball between your thumb and each finger individually and repeating this exercise five times on each finger, on the left hand and then the right hand. Or you can do one ball in each hand simultaneously.

Double Handed Twist - You can twist the stress ball in both hands alternating The direction of the twisting to get the full benefit.

Palm Press - You place the stress ball in between your palms keeping your forearms in a vertical position. You press and hold for 3 to 5 seconds, then relax. Repeat 10 times.

Curl–Roll–Extend - Place a stress ball on the table and roll the ball by curling your fingers towards your palm and hold for 3 to 5 seconds, and then extend your fingers until your hand is flat on top of the ball and then hold that position for 3 to 5 seconds. Repeat this process 10 times with each hand. You can do them separately with two different stress balls or you can alternate.

Pinch Grip - You place the stress ball between your thumb and the tips of all your fingers at the same time. You hold this position for 30 to 60 seconds and then you repeat the exercise 10 times on each hand or doing both hands at the same time.

Thumb Press - Then press: place a stress ball in the palm of your hand and press it with your thumb pointing toward your little finger. Hold this position for 3 to 5 seconds and then relax. Repeat this motion 10 times, rest for one minute and repeat with the other hand. Or you can use two separate stress balls, one in each hand and do the exercise simultaneously in both hands.

Ball Rolling - If you are using the Chinese Baoding balls, then you can also do exercises where you roll the balls in your hands. This is made possible because the boarding balls are a little firmer than the traditional soft stress balls. Baoding Balls are particularly stress relieving because the process of rolling the ball is in your hands causes the energy meridians in your hands to be repeatedly massage.

HAND MASTER PLUS

It's important to remember that the full range of motion for the hand involves contracting or flexing the 9 flexor muscles to close the hand and then fully extending the hand using the 9 extensor muscles to bring the hand’s to its natural, full, open position.

This is very different than just repeatedly closing and relaxing the hand, which can cause a repetitive use injury.

There is a product on the market called the Handmaster Plus that uses five simple elastics to solve the problem inherent in the use of regular stress balls as described above. The video below explains the problem in more detail.

Of course, you can easily solve the problem without purchasing the Handmaster Plus simply by holding your stress ball with your palm facing upwards and by ensuring that for every contracting motion you counter it with an extending motion.

BENEFITS OF USING STRESS BALLS

Of course, the list of reasons to use a stress ball is lengthy. Some of the many benefits are as follows:

• Enhancing blood circulation
• Relieving stress and tension
• Building hand and arm strength (physical therapy)
• Massaging the bottom of your feet
• Diverting your attention or distracting yourself
• Preventing repetitive motion injuries
• Promoting sleep
• Improving mood
• Relieving pain
• Engaging in a fun social activity with other people - making them, using them, etc.

DIY STRESS BALLS

You can also make your own stress balls of all shapes and sizes. Here are several DIY videos for making useful or whimsical stress balls. If you decide to make a stress ball with your children, it is a great platform to start teaching your children about the importance of effective stress management.

get them for all your employees or the whole team

If you happen to be an employer and you have found that your staff have difficulties with stress, you might want to invest in stress balls for everybody. There are some great bulk purchasing options for stress balls.

PROMOTE YOUR BUSINESS OR ORGANIZATION

You can also use stress balls in a promotional capacity to promote your company.there are dozens, if not hundreds of different stress balls in the market that can all be personalized with a company's branding.

GLASS BAODING (bAW-DING) BALLS: USED AS AN ART FORM

There are also glass Baoding Balls and the fellow in this video is particularly talented at using these balls in an artistic manner. I love the way he makes them seem like they are floating in mid-air - so beautiful!

give the gift of stress relief

Giving standard stress balls or Chinese budding balls as a gift is a great idea. Some of the balls are extremely whimsical and fun and other ones are just spectacularly beautiful.

become a collector

You can also become a collector of all the different amazing stress balls that are used in cultures all over the world.

STRESS BALLS FOR ALL SEASONS... SO MUCH FUN

And let's not forget the seasonal stress balls such as ones for Christmas or Halloween or other special themed stress balls, such as  unicorn stress balls or ninja stress balls.

To find more stress management strategies, and to learn more about stress management, follow me on Twitter & Facebook.