Balls and Tangles

So fidget toys are a big part of coping with trichotillomania, so I figured I'd talk about two of my favorite ways to keep my hands busy. Pictured above are my Chinese balls (tee hee). They're heavy and smooth, and they each have a little bell inside of them, one higher than the other. You roll them around in one hand, and they make a beautiful noise. It also feels quite lovely in your hands, which is a plus. They're not really suitable for school or work, as the noise can be a bit distracting. But they're great for at home. I tend to pull when I'm reading or writing, so I play with these in one hand, and write or turn the pages with the other hand so that I can't pull. It doesn't make the urges go away, but it works pretty well

The next one is something that most trichsters have probably heard of/own. Tangles. They're plastic fidget toys that are really interesting and fun to play with in your hand. They're smooth or textured. and are good for keeping your hands busy. They come apart, they twirl around, they're just good, well rounded fidget toys. These are pretty good for being in public. The only problem I have is at school, or with groups of people, because tangles are brightly colored and catch people's eyes. Then everyone else wants a turn to play with it, and the next thing you know everyone else is using the tangle and your hands aren't occupied. I've taken to carrying two tangles with me for this very reason.

 

There are plenty of other ways to keep your hands busy (silly putty, spinner rings, etc.), but these are the two I wanted to talk about today. Good luck to my fellow trichsters.