How can stuffed toys help improve a person’s mental health?
Stress and anxiety can create an adverse impact on our mental as well as physical health. Stress can affect the balance of hormones in the nervous system due to which the risk of several physical health conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, kidney disorders, and cardiac disorder can increase. Hence, it is advisable to take steps to avoid stress in order to improve mental and physical health.
Having a few stuffed toys with you can play a major role in this regard. Stuffed toys can improve our mental health in several ways and allows us to stay fit. Here is some key information that explains how something as simple as having stuffed toys can be beneficial for your mental health.
The positive impact of stuffed toys
It is common for people to believe that stuffed toys are only for kids. Children love soft toys because they are squeezy, cozy, and warm. Moreover, they come in cute and attractive colorful forms of objects and creatures including animated and cartoon characters.
These soft toys work as a good ‘stress ball’ for kids and this is the reason they love to have one with them all the time.
Many kids carry their favoritesoft toys wherever they go. Some kids even hug their favorite toys while sleeping. This just shows that having their soft toys with them makes them feel secure.
The same benefits can be achieved even by adults. Stress is something that almost every person experiences on a daily basis in varying intensities. There are some periods in life when the stress levels are very high. Also, stress never knocks on the door before arriving. It treats all in an unsparing manner, often creating a long-lasting negative impact on health.
Most mental health issues are deep-rooted in stress. If not managed properly, continuous stress can eventually lead to severe complications. It can not just trigger anxiety and depression, but can also make the person take drastic steps such as using recreational drugs or attempting suicide. Mental stress can also be the reason for a nervous breakdown.
All these negative consequences of mental stress can be avoided by simply having a stuffed toy of your choice with you.
Although stuffed toys are not medications, they have been found to work as an effective organic treatment for stress relief by working in a variety of ways as explained below.
Reduce daily stress
Stress is a common entity in most workplaces. Working professionals have to struggle on a daily basis to meet deadlines, attend meetings and presentations, commute to and from the office, attain targets, and so on.
Under such circumstances, coming back home to their favorite soft toy can definitely offer a great way to eliminate those negative thoughts. It can turn the home into a therapeutic set-up that emanates love and positivity usually connected to childhood joy and innocence.
Stuffed toys can become your loyal and trusted buddy who listens to you whenever you are feeling low. This simple strategy can work remarkably well for most individuals who experience mental stress routinely at the workplace.
Our AARC Approved CEUs include a detailed discussion on the benefits of having stuffed toys for improving mental health. Doctors can attend our CEUs to learn how this simple strategy can improve the outcomes of the treatments of mental health issues.
A companion
In today's time, people are missing out on human contact. Stuffed toys can offer a great alternative to fill the void.
The reality struck hard during the COVID-19 pandemic when people lived in great fear. Lockdown and isolation only made the matters worse for most by creating a sense of loneliness and not having anyone to share their fears and anxieties.
It was during this period that most people realized that their soft toys had been there for them. Their stuffed buddies became their companions and soothed away their loneliness.
Eases grief and trauma
Stuffed toys can work as “comfort objects” as they have the power to recreate the beautiful memories of childhood. Therapists often use stuffed toys as a remedy to ease patients who are dealing with loss and grief.
Symptoms like dissociation, separation, or disorganized attachment can be relieved to a great extent by having a stuffed toy. It can reduce the onslaught of mental ailments and give a sense of security. It can also offer assistance and rebuild impaired attachment bonds by recreating the feeling of being a child.
Soothes loneliness
Adults are likely to feel lonelywhen they have to move away from their homes to a new location for work or study.
Having their favorite stuffed toys with them can help ease their anxiety by eliminating the sense of loneliness. It gives them a feeling of familiarity and reduces the anxiety about being alone and away from their loved ones.
You can attend our AARC Approved CEUs for doctors to learn why you should recommend your patients to have stuffed toys with them to be able to reduce stress.
Reduces social anxiety
Stuffed toys can sometimes be better companions than friends and relatives when it comes to relieving your social anxiety. A stuffed toy can become a source of comfort in these situations! It can specifically benefit people who suffer from mental illnesses.
Their fluffy companions can serve as a source of warmth and attachment for them allowing them to feel better in social settings that otherwise trigger anxiety.
Conclusion
These benefits associated with having a stuffed toy can keep the hormonal levels in the body within normal limits and thus, provide relief from stress and related disorders. Doctors and other medical professionals can attend our Respiratory Therapy Webinars to know more about the benefits of stuffed toys for improving the patient’semotional balance and creating a mentally and physically stable environment.