11 Best Stress Relief Toys and Gadgets to Beat Stress and Anxiety

The fidget spinner’s popularity is difficult to explain – until we take a hold of one and can’t drop it for the rest of a stressful day at the office. Our favorite is the very shiny, Kirsite metal alloy NuoPeng fidget hand spinner. This high-speed hand spinner has three-minute-long spinning cycles, can be carried anywhere, and looks great on a workstation desk if and when we decide to finally unhand it. The gadget can also be disassembled and reassembled, for those who have the sort of stress that only taking something apart can cure.

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While creating a good stress relief toy for adults may seem like a simple task, adults can be pretty demanding. People, especially in professional environments, prefer their toys and gadgets to look sleek, be practical and portable and have a gadget feature that they can fidget with at any time. Because it covers all of these demands so well and in such a simple package, the EDC keychain spinning tops our list of favorite stress relievers. A practical keychain with a simple top toy and in a nice, clean, metal design. For people who have a habit of playing with their set of keys anyway, this is a perfect choice. 

Possibly our favorite stress relief toy discovery, the Monolit DIY magnetic balls are endless provide an endless number of combinations to play around with. The 216 5-mm magnetic balls come in a cube shape in the package, but can be taken apart and magnetically stuck back together in any shape, style or form. They also look great on a desk and can be styled into a coffee cup mat, provided the user isn’t too using them to fiddle and relieve daily stress. Bonus points – it also makes a great gift for colleagues and business partners.

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As stress relief gadgets go, the fidget cube may be among the most popular ever, and with good reason. By way of clicks, clacks, twists, and turns, this thing is made to get people through the most stressful of midterms or business negotiations. We prefer the original fidget cube, as compared to others, simply because we know it works and it comes with a warranty. There are other options that are just as good and provide additional features, such as silent mode and more feminine designs.

For Kids

Have fidgety kid on your hands? In today’s day and age, we can’t really blame them. Thankfully though, that same day and age has child psychologists discovering that simply teaching kids not to fidget isn’t the best solution. Children, like adults, have these nervous habits because they are, in one way or another, under some sort of stress. Talking about it is, of course, the best resolution, but physical activity, including fidgeting, also helps relieve some of that pressure.

This particular fidget spinner is perfectly suited for adults, but we hear it’s also appropriate for kids and comes in a 2-in-1 pack, so both parents and kids can keep busy. The set carries both a popular tri-spinner and a nifty flippy chain model. Kids have been fans of fidget spinners for a while and rumor has it that there is now a cool factor involved, as the gadgets have become collector’s items among younger generations.

This combo should make a nice and useful gift for a young, fidgety collector. While gadgets like these may seem all fun and games, almost like a toy, they are in fact extremely effective in boosting concentration and fighting stress, making them ideal for young teens. It won’t hurt a kid’s social status if their fidget spinner looks cool too. The quality of this spinner is up to par with teens’ energy and habits too, able to withstand just about anything we put it through and safe for use.

Considering it’s the original stress relief toy, we had to try out a few good, old stress balls. These things were all the rage in the 1980s and 1990s, and many of us had more mangled foam stress balls laying around our childhood rooms than we’d like to admit. Unfortunately, they would become worn out far too soon – or perhaps we were that stressed and energy-filled as teens – and in time they would pick up the weirdest smells. Those memories aren’t quite as happy as the ones we have of the time spent playing with them. It seems we now have even more reasons to envy younger generations growing up with exciting new gadgets because someone’s come up with a way to make stress balls even better than we remember them.

The YoYa DNA stress balls are made of a much sturdier material than foam that doesn’t pick up weird smells. A magical new membrane keeps the rubber inside safe from whatever kids do to it and these seemed to be able to withstand the wrath of a roomful of adults acting like overgrown children while testing these toys. When picking up a set of these for the kids, we suggest doubling that order and get one for the adults of the house too.  

These also fall into the stress ball category but may be more fun and able to grab kids’ attention more, keeping them busy and focused for longer. While Nelibu and other stress balls are recommended for children with ADHD and kids diagnosed with autism, they’re equally as good in reducing stress and fidgeting for any child. These balls truly are a toy, with their varied colors and faces, enabling kids to come up with characters and learn better communication skills along the way. It’s pretty amazing to think that so many uses can come from a simple collection of round rubber items.

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Did we mention we got ourselves a lot of stress balls to test? Because, unlike when we were kids and we’d take just any old foam or rubber stress ball that came along, today’s kids have a jaw-dropping amount of choices.

So 28 different variants of stress balls is what you get when you send a bunch of adults to test stress relievers and this was one of our absolute favorites for kids. Going back to the reason and need behind fidgeting in the first place, especially when it comes to young humans in their formative years, these balls have kids’ needs covered from two ends. First, they’re a classic stress relief toy to play with while studying, watching a movie or just trying to focus. Second, as kids try to focus and relieve stress, they’re accompanied by motivational messages that almost become mantras to get them through a tough test or a long day of studying. They could also come in handy for teachers to use in the classroom, to motivate students and to get them to focus in a fun, relaxing way.

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Office Stress Relief Toys

Since we were already in the office, literally, and hard at work trying to find the best stress and anxiety relief gadgets, we ended up separating stress relief toys for adults into two separate sections. Above, you’ll find our recommendations for at-home and day-to-day gadgets. While at least one of the toys listed above might be office-appropriate, humans who adult on a regular basis at work prefer to have something fun but totally professional looking on their desks at work. These are our top picks.

Nothing says, “I’m an adult and I totally know what I’m doing,” like a zen garden. But for really serious adults, a simple sand-filled miniature zen garden just won’t do. Which is why we’ve uncovered the ultimate zen garden for today’s executive, this magnetic sand miniature zen garden. The zen box comes with tiny metal and wood tools, a miniature wooden vase, a couple of magnetic rocks, and two pounds of natural magnetic sand. We’re not entirely sure where they get the stuff, but rest assured that it looks beyond cool in any office and provides hours of fun. Fun meaning stress relief of course.

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This thing has “the evolution of fidget” written all over it, literally. After testing it, we can completely understand why. These tiny, captivating 512 earth magnets come in a neat little box to keep on the desk and are available in 9 different colors. Unlike their larger magnet cube counterparts, they’re more versatile and require more attention and focus, which in and of itself breeds focus and improves concentration and learning.

People who use this sort of thing during work hours to stay more focused and be more productive recommend using these toys on a regular basis and, whenever possible, before actually becoming stressed. Frequent sessions with this toy will improve concentration skills and clear the head, making for an easier and more effective day at work. Definitely keep these tiny pieces away from kids, preferably at the office. 

It is a complete coincidence that every stress relief toy on our office gadget list is magnetic. After trying out various types and styles of fidget and stress gadgets, the magnetic ones simply came up as most office friendly and most effective during work hours. These lovely butterfly magnetic sculptures fit that bill. Just leaving this out on our desk had us fidgeting with the toy while working on the computer or speaking to someone on the phone, without even noticing.

Like many fidget toys, these things are addictive but effective. What we most liked about the iPhyhe magnetic butterfly sculpture is that it can be used both for fidgeting while doing other things or we could set aside some quiet time to focus on creating something new with the magnets, improving overall focus and relaxing as we do it. Grabbing one for both home and the office isn’t the most terrible idea ever either. 

Besides toys and gadgets, We also recommend hemp oil which is a new cutting edge stress and anxiety reliever.