Stress Balls

I first learned how to make a stress ball, using a balloon and flour, when I was working with Jeanette Pailas ATR-BC at the Friends Hospital Eating Disorder Unit in Philadelphia, PA. The purpose of making the stress balls was so that the clients could use the final product itself during times of anxiety, but also the directive may represent a metaphor for eating: filling up a stomach, which is stretchy like a balloon.

I’m presently working with developmentally disabled individuals. They too have difficulties managing their anxiety. One client in particular tends to squeeze his had so hard in a fist, that he causes lesions to his skin with his nails. This inspired me to introduce stress ball making in my art therapy group. I prestructured the group so that there would be only a small number of steps, insuring the success of the clients (an important goal of artx with developmental disabilities).

Here is a break down of how I structured the group:

Materials

– Balloons
– Flour
– The top part of a water bottle (a make-shift funnel)
– Spoons
– Small cups
– Colored pencils

Prestructuring

– Stretch a balloon over the top of a water bottle. Prepare as many balloons and funnels as needed according to the size of your group.
– Prepare several small cups with flour. Each cup should have a plastic spoon in it, making it easy to transfer flour into the funnel. I decided to have a cup of flour per person, but having the clients share with each other can be an option to promote group interaction.

Execution

– Introduce the idea of a stress ball- what it is, what it can be used for. I find it important to remind the clients that balloons can pop…discussing squeezing the stress ball in the palm of their hands vs. digging your nails or twisting the balloons.
– Pass around a pre-made stress ball, so that the clients an see and feel an example of a balloon stress ball.
– Have a quick demonstration about how to make a stress ball. I began by holding up a pre-prepared balloon/funnel and spooning in some flour. I then demonstrated how to use the back of a colored pencil to pack down the flour. I let the group know that if they needed help holding the funnel or packing down the flour, they could ask (I usually have a recovery specialist in group with me. This can be very helpful if there are several clients needing assistance at once).
– Hand out materials.
– As the group began working, I encouraged them to share their techniques- what works to get the flour down and what doesn’t.
– We discussed what situations they themselves might find the stress ball handy.
– When a client felt that he/she had filled up the stress ball enough, I helped them tie off the balloon.

Results

I found that with encouragement the clients were able to successfully work through the frustration of stuffing the flour into the balloon (it takes some persistence). They also tended to be hesitant about getting dirty. Redwood Place unfortunately does not have a designated art room. We tend to use common areas, or a conference room. I also wonder what would happen if the group had the freedom to “get messy”. So far I haven’t introduced paint or clay in the short time I have been working there. In any case, I realized quickly that flour (as long as its not wet) offers easy clean up. You can sweep it off the floor and brush it off your clothes. I therefore demonstrated this fact to the group by pouring some flour on my pants, and brushing them off, like new.

After the group was over, several clients seemed proud of their work. I was surprised, however, that the next day the same clients were asking to make more stress balls. Their peers, who had not joined us for the previous art therapy group, had also seen the stress balls, and wanted to make their own.

Over the next 3 days the art therapy group consisted of making stress balls. Some clients wanted to make a new one because their last one broke. Others wanted two or three- one for their room, one for their pocket. Some wanted to make an extra one for family or friends. All in all, this seemed to be a successful directive that many clients enjoyed and found useful.