My Favorite Fidget Toys for Managing My Depression and Anxiety

Whenever I feel overwhelmed, these toys help bring me out of my head and feel grounded again.

While it seems like fidget toys are simply a new trend that will blow over in a couple of years, they actually make fantastic grounding tools.

When I was admitted to a psychiatric hospital in 2021, I felt overwhelmed by the new situation and the emotions I was finally facing. The group therapist at the hospital offered me a bright green silicone sensory brush, and I took it to be polite.

But after brushing its rough bristles across my hands during moments of stress, I found the tool helped me regain a bit of calm. I became so attached to the brush that I asked the therapist if I could keep it when I left the ward, and he kindly agreed.

Since then, I’ve developed a collection of fidget toys and sensory tools that I reach for during challenging moments in therapy or when I’m feeling overwhelmed.

Many people rave about their fidget toys and believe they help them be more mindful, less overwhelmed, and more in tune with their bodies. Now that I have more fidget toys than I can count, I‘d like to share my absolute favorites that help me find peace. 

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1. Squirkies fidget pets

The Little Live Pets Squirkies are unique fidget toys that are pocket-sized, adorable, and made mostly of plastic. Squirkies come in twelve different animal varieties, including monkeys, jellyfish, dogs, cats, and, my personal favorite, turtles.

Each animal has unique fidget mechanisms: The monkey has pops on its butt cheeks that you can push in and then reset by pressing on its ears. Plus, its tail cranks and moves the monkey’s eyes around. The jellyfish has squishy tentacles and clicky buttons to push. The turtle has a wiggly head, clicky buttons on its shell, and a tail that pops up and down.

I love finding new Squirkies and testing out their unique fidgets! Plus, they’re adorable.

2. Silicone sensory brushes

While sensory brushes aren’t exactly fidget toys, they work the same way. The Special Supplies Sensory Therapy Brush fits in the palm of my hand, and I love how it feels when I rub the bristles over my fingertips. It’s very soothing to me.

I probably use this one the most because it helps me focus on the pleasant sensation of the bristles against my skin instead of the roiling emotions and thoughts inside my mind.

I also struggle with skin picking, and this fidget helps sway my urge to pick. Another perk is that this fidget is almost silent, making it a great choice for public places.

3. Twisty the Snake

Keycraft Twisty the Snake can be an incredibly simple fidget toy that works like a charm for me. It’s a bunch of wooden blocks fastened together by a stretchy string that goes through a hole in each block’s center. This allows the blocks to move around and form different shapes.

I’ve seen other toys like this that aren’t snakes, like bendable robots. But I love the snake because it’s less complex of a design, so I don’t worry about bending it in the wrong way or breaking it. I love the quiet clacking sound it makes when I twist around the blocks. It feels so satisfying in my hands.

4. 3D pop-its

One of my biggest complaints about many fidgets is that they’re not quite satisfying enough. But Genuvi Pop Fidget Balls tickle my brain just right. They’re like regular pop-its, but in a 3D shape so that once you pop in all the buttons, you squeeze the toy to release them all at once, making a fantastic crunching sound.

These fidgets make a lot of noise, so I use them at home or during therapy sessions.

5. Soft, squishy stress toys

I love squeezing something soft — not those cheap, dense foam stress balls companies like to give away in bucketfuls. Those irritate me because I have to clench my knuckles so hard to squeeze the ball. In contrast, stress toys made of softer, squishy material, like Schylling Nee Doh SWIRL Groovy Globs, Top Trenz Inc. Squash Buddies Donut Shop, and Lemostaar Stress Relief Squishy Balls, feel just right.

Squeezing something soft and malleable helps me feel more grounded and comforted. I have a Kawaite Pinapple Stress Ball that I love, and I recently got an adorable Squash Buddies donut frog, which feels like it’s filled with memory foam.

These are great quiet fidgets to take with you almost anywhere. I’ll pull one out to soothe me if I get stressed in public. Yes, I keep one in every bag I own.

6. Tangles sensory fidget toys

The Goopshy Tangles Sensory Fidget Toy is a beautifully designed infinity loop of plastic bits that you can swirl around in your hands and use to form hundreds of shapes.

You can treat it like a puzzle — I like to attempt to flatten the tangle and see how many flat shapes I can create. But you can also simply move it around in your hands to feel its satisfying flow to de-stress.

Tangles are another great quiet fidget option, and there are many varieties to choose from. They have mini tangles, furry tangles, and even tangles with cute animal toys attached.

The bottom line

I love to use fidget toys to regain control over my emotions and find calm in my body. My favorite fidget toys that I use as a coping tool to manage my depression include tangles sensory fidget toys, squishy stress balls, 3D pop-its, silicone sensory brushes, and more.