Do fidget spinners help?

I should start by pointing out that everyone is different, so if they work for you, that's the answer; they work. After realising that they may actually help me, I tried a bit of research on whether the connection is simply a crowd perceived reality, or not. I wanted to understand what they actually did, and how they work (for the people who say they do). I got a free fidget cube from my employer but it does nothing for me. I wasn't sure the spinner would be any different. I got one today. I went for a retro, copper, two rotor spinner. It's surprisingly solid. I can't explain how, I'm still trying to figure it out, but it seemed to help me. I found my working day went smoother for the most part.

Mine is a heavy spinner, It's copper. It's also twin rotor which makes it more unstable by nature than the regular triple rotor spinners. Being heavier, it's also more likely to unbalance easier when spinning. It's also enough to give a subtle massage on the part that's holding it, like the tip of the finger. The act of waving the land / arm around while it's spinning, means that you need to be concious of the balance. I've also started using it as: start spinning, keep it balanced, wave the hand slowly while silently singing a verse of a song, before allowing myself to touch it again. Between these things, I think it's helping draw enough focus, sapping the stress.

From what I've read, it seems to be a "your mileage may vary" thing. It depends on how you fidget. I've had one day with mine. I don't know if that's just a first impression or whether it will continue. Annoyingly, the day I got mine, one of the managers came round everyone, handing our branded ones. I now have my copper twin rotor spinner as an outside work one, and the plastic, branded, triple rotor one in my locker at work. Other fidget "toys" are available of course. I was sceptical, but open to trying it. So far, I think it was the right move for me.

Parents
  • All of my children have these, but they have not really lasted long. For my son who is ASD, he seems to form attachments to things but only for short periods of time. His spinner turns up every now and again during bouts of tidying. I have tried my childrens spinners but they do not provoke any sort of feelings of contentment for me. I seem to find my 'fidget' fix in tapping out rhythms and swaying to music only I can hear, much to the annoyance of my NT partner.

Reply
  • All of my children have these, but they have not really lasted long. For my son who is ASD, he seems to form attachments to things but only for short periods of time. His spinner turns up every now and again during bouts of tidying. I have tried my childrens spinners but they do not provoke any sort of feelings of contentment for me. I seem to find my 'fidget' fix in tapping out rhythms and swaying to music only I can hear, much to the annoyance of my NT partner.

Children
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