Opinion Editor- Soph White
Katie Thomas
Welcome to your favorite show: Soph’s Fidget Fair! This is the show (or article) where we talk about fidgets, give them ratings, and discuss whether they are for you or not. Today, I hope to entice you into the possibility of trying a fidget out for yourself and, by doing so, aiding the rest of us in destigmatizing the need to fidget.
One of my favorites that I’d like to discuss first is the SPEK Magnetic Balls. I got these in two shades of blue (it comes with two balls) from Walgreens at about $10 total. The purpose of these is to move the magnetic balls around each other without throwing them in the middle of class when there is already an awkward silence—this has totally not happened to me before. My favorite trick is putting the two balls on either side of my finger and feeling the force of the magnets roll across my finger. It both calms you down through the odd sensation and takes your mind off of whatever could currently be overstimulating in your environment. My only concern with taking these out in public was immediately that it was two balls. That you play with. In your hand. I don’t know if anyone else would think this upon seeing me play with them in class, but all I can think about is what if someone is thinking this too. All to say, no one has told me that I look like I am doing something inappropriate by juggling the magnetic balls in my hand. It probably helps that they are not flesh colored. I give these fidgets a 9 out of 10.
Secondly, we have a classic: the slow-rising squishy! We remember the days when squishy Instagram accounts were taking over, and likely you had one yourself, but unlike all of you, I am still buying them for my own use. Haha! Suckers. This was not a fad to give up on. My favorite is this rainbow axolotl slow-rising squishy that I use similarly to a stress ball. The fact that it’s cute and comes in a pack of 3 is part of what is enticing. Not only does it add to the decoration in your dorm room, but you can also beat it up as much as necessary. For example, taking an at-home exam and running out of time to submit it? Easy. Squeeze the hell out of your cute axolotl to relieve yourself of stress and recharge your batteries. It’s great for a mindless motion during studying or for taking tests, and its gills have a slightly different texture for variation of touch. The pack of 3 was about $20, which has one sitting at about 6-7 dollars (hehe). That being said, I give this fidget a solid 7.5 out of 10.
Next, I want to discuss keyboard fidgets. These I appreciate, not necessarily for the touch aspect, but rather for the sound a classic old mechanical keyboard makes. These Macs and iPads aren’t getting it done for me when I seek the stimulation of a keyboard. I miss the days of old, chunky desktops with plug-in mechanical keyboards that you could hear from the other end of the house. This might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it sure is mine. Keyboard fidgets come in all shapes and sizes – some can come with a couple of keys that can light up when pressed (to add to the stimulation), some are an entire keyboard intended to be played with so you can enjoy the sound while playing your favorite games, and some comes as a singular little key with a tiny, little clicker that can be attached to your backpack. I have the tiny singular one, and unfortunately, the piece that would attach to my backpack is broken, so you are all lucky I don’t get to bother you all with it. The singular piece works great for clicking with your non-dominant hand and writing notes with the other. The clicking gives you a repetitive motion and sound that helps with productivity during sessions dedicated to homework or studying, at about $5 in a pack of 5. I personally recommend this one to the fidgeter who loves dancing to music. Since this one won’t be for everyone, although definitely for me, I’ll scale my score a little lower at 7 out of 10.
It was nice to discuss my lovely fidgets with you all, and I hope there were a few or even one in here you would consider getting for yourself. As I said, it is normal to fidget and move around while in classrooms or in public, and bringing in something that, to others, may look like a toy is not something others are mocking you for. In fact, others are likely more jealous of the fact that you have the guts to bring one while they don’t, because, honestly, folks… Everyone needs to fidget. Thank you, and good night!