Stress Relief Balls

Stress relief balls can help you keep tension at bay, whether you are at home or at work. Stress balls can be found in a variety of shapes, colors and sizes, some even in the shape of a person's head, eyeball, or other fun shape. If you're feeling the stress building, pick up one of these balls and squeeze your tension away!

Squeeze your stress away.

How Stress Relief Balls Work

Stress balls help to relieve stress by the flexing and relaxing of the muscles in the hands, arms, and shoulders. When you grab a stress ball and squeeze it, many muscles work to perform this task, and when you release the ball, the muscles relax. When you continue to use an exercise ball each day, you will be able to extend the amount of time you do each squeeze. Doing this repeatedly will benefit you in the following ways:

• Increased manual dexterity in the hands and fingers
• Increased muscle strength
• Reduce the incidence of carpal tunnel syndrome and help relieve the symptoms
• Reduced stress throughout the body

Many athletes, such as basketball players, use stress balls to help them develop strength and manual dexterity in their hands and arms. They understand the benefits of using this simple, yet effective, exercise tool.

What is in a Stress Ball?

Stress balls can be complex or simple in construction. Stress balls may be made of squishy foam or filled with various items, such as rice, beans, plastic beads, gel, or sand. Some physical therapists will make them from latex balloons filled with sand, baking soda, or rice. What is inside of a stress ball doesn't really matter; it is the action that occurs when you use the ball that is important. When shopping for stress balls, you'll notice some are firmer than others, depending upon the material used in them. Choose which ever feels best and you'll be more likely to use it when you need it.

Who Needs Stress Balls?

You don't have to work in a job where you are stressed out constantly to reap the benefits of using a stress ball. Many people who have stress free lives will enjoy using these small, squishy balls as a quick stress reliever.

People who do repetitive tasks with their hands, such as typing, can benefit from using a stress ball. The flexing motion can help alleviate symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome, a debilitating condition that causes pain in the fingers and wrists. The reflexive action can also increase manual dexterity and in turn, increase typing speed.

Do you suffer from mild arthritis? A stress ball can help alleviate the symptoms of this too. Many arthritis sufferers experience stiff joints and pain, especially in the finger, hand, and wrist joints. Using a stress ball throughout the day can help to ward off the stiffness that occurs when you don't use those joints frequently.

Do you work in the service sector or customer service? These jobs may be stressful, especially if you are handling customer complaints. Stress relief balls are perfect to have on hand at your desk for use throughout the day. When those difficult phone calls come in, grab the stress ball and start squeezing!

Everyone experiences stress at home, especially if there are young children running around. Keep several stress balls throughout the house, such as near the telephone and by your favorite chair. When something gets broken, a fight breaks out between siblings or a teenager won't take no for an answer, grab that ball and squeeze away the tension.

Where to Find Stress Balls

Have you tried using a stress ball or other stress relief toys yet? If you haven't, the following merchants sell them online:

• Office Playground – has many unique stress balls, such as popcorn, macaroni and cheese, trolls, skulls, and more styles to choose from.
• Office Play – sells many interesting stress balls including Stress Paul, Squishy Shark, Gurgling Gutz, Squishy Rude Pig, and Slam and Shake Sammy.
• Morf Stress Relief Balls – when squeezed, these balls "morf" into another color that is within the ball.

What are you waiting for? Pick up one of these balls and experience one of the easiest and most inexpensive ways to achieve stress relief today!

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