Did you know if you squeezed really hard you can break a stress ball? Hear from a licensed therapist who recently made this discovery.
I admit it. I am a fidget-er. I enjoy the spinners, multiple variations of objects you can pull apart and/or squeeze, and of course the classic stress ball. I can even be found mindlessly pushing on the end of a ballpoint pen in a pinch. Something about doing something with my hands allows my brain to work better.
As I sat down to write this blog… or more specifically ponder topics that I think the reader will find beneficial (or at least mildly entertaining) I clenched Old Faithful as usual. This, not particularly aggressive squeeze, took the life out of my stressball and the innards (apparently some sort of dish soap or liquid of similar consistency and color) made my desk look like a cartoon murder scene. After a quick grieving period in which I contemplated why I didn’t spend the extra few dollars on the luxury, more durable brand, I realized that this is very metaphorical for life in 2020.
This “new normal” we are all being forced to experience is no longer feeling very new. As we approach the holiday season and settle into month 8 of this pandemic perhaps some of the coping skills that had been working have simply run out of juice (or colorful dish soap). It may be time to re-evaluate what we are doing to remain cool, calm, and collected on a daily basis.
I encourage you to take some time to evaluate if what has been working for you is still working, or if you need to switch it up. Like many areas in our life, what we do to cope, destress, or relax needs to evolve with us. When you were a kid, perhaps riding your bike in the cul-de-sac worked just fine to help you get over the fact that you didn’t get your way with the TV remote. However, as an adult, maybe that particular act doesn’t work for you anymore. Re-evaluating our coping skills is important for our personal growth.
Stuck for ideas? A simple Google search of “Pleasant Activities” will generate several comprehensive lists of suggestions that you can do alone, with others, inside or outside. Some ideas include:
- Exercise
- Read
- Draw
- Yoga / Stretch.
- Taking a walk.
- Be outdoors.
- See beautiful scenery.
There are so many options of things you can do to clear your mind, safely. Keep in mind that your coping skill(s)l may not need a complete overhaul, just some tweaking to make sure you are getting the most out of it. Evaluating the effectiveness is the first step. As I always say, you know you better than anyone else does, so listen to what your body needs. If you need me I’ll be cleaning up the desktop cartoon murder scene and frantically updating my Amazon wishlist to include the luxury stressball.
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Photo credit: SauLustig from Pixabay
Your partner in restoring inner peace,
~ Tracy Weathers, Supervisee in Social Work