stress ball

noun

: a small ball or other object made of soft material (such as rubber) that one can squeeze with the hand to relieve stress and that usually resumes its original shape when released

In one study, sixth-graders who used stress balls were less distracted in class. The toys could also be more helpful for some people than others; in that study, students who were kinesthetic learners tended to use the stress balls more, and get more of an attention benefit from them.

—Julie Beck

The idea for using a stress ball is to transfer your stress, tension and anxiety into the ball by squeezing it as best you can, and then release. The ball's job is to absorb it all! Unlike paper that you wad up tightly in your hand, the ball quickly returns to its original shape when the pressure is released.

—Kim Harris

Finally, it was time to meet the one who instigated this comparison. The day McDonald's was delivered, we received a package with score cards, a stress ball in the shape of a burger and the laminated photo you see next to the meal.

—Anne Marie Panoringan

Examples of stress ball in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Isabella then documents the moment a nurse accesses the chemo port in her upper stomach, closing her eyes and squeezing a stress ball as the needle was inserted. —Vanessa Etienne, Peoplemag, 26 Mar. 2024

Anyone’s muscles can feel a little cramped after an especially tense workday—maybe from being hunched over a laptop, glued to a rigid chair, standing for hours, or even squeezing a stress ball for dear life. —Erica Sweeney, SELF, 21 Feb. 2024

Discover new ways to experience touch through everyday objects, such as by squeezing stress balls or using soft or weighted blankets. —Mark Travers, Forbes, 18 Feb. 2024

Sew for Love will be meeting at St. Barts Church in San Mateo on January 15th to sew pocket love animals and stress balls for community members. —Shae Hammond, The Mercury News, 12 Jan. 2024

Price at time of publish: $30 Preparing for final exams is anxiety inducing to say the least, but this stress ball can help provide some relief. —Moriah Mason, Southern Living, 12 Dec. 2023

These kitties are fun to squish and stretch in your hand, like a stress ball. —Rachel Rothman, Good Housekeeping, 18 Aug. 2023

Small adjustments such as working from home, or dimming the lighting in her office, making her windows more private, and using stress balls and fidget toys to calm her restlessness, have helped. —Lizann Robinson, ABC News, 26 July 2023

Pour one out for the stress balls and tchotchkes working overtime these days. —Chloe Berger, Fortune, 18 June 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1988, in the meaning defined above