Would A Worry Stone Help Me Cope?

Worry stones have become popular around the world in recent years. They’re sold online, in new age shops, at thrift stores, and local gift shops. Many of them are beautiful, whether they’re formed naturally, cut from semi-precious gems, or molded with human-made materials. However, beyond their visual appeal, their ability to help calm and relax you may be the best reason to choose one. The question is whether a worry stone will have the desired effect.

What Is A Worry Stone?

Worry stones have been used throughout history in different parts of the world. The Ancient Greeks pulled them from the sea and used them for calming themselves. Indigenous peoples held them and passed them on from generation to generation. They were also used long ago in Tibet and Ireland, as well as in nearly every culture around the world. Their popularity only seems to increase as time goes by.

What It Looks Like

A worry stone is a stone with an indentation about the size of our thumb. Typically, the stone itself is just a little bigger than that indentation to better endure years of rubbing and manipulation. A worry stone needs to be smooth for easy rubbing. They come in many colors, some solid and some variegated. Larger worry stones are called palm stones and can be as large as, well, the palm of your hand.

How They’re Made

Worry stones can be made in several different ways. The traditional way to get a worry stone is simply to take if from a body of water. A traditional, natural worry stone is sculpted by water running over it over the course of time. An Irish worry stone, for example, is usually made from Connemara marble. However, not all worry stones are made of rock; some are made from bone, metal, wood, ceramic or glass. They can be cut from nearly any kind of smooth rock or gemstone.

Why Do People Use Worry Stones?

People use worry stones because of their reputation as a beneficial natural treatment for anxiety, stress, and tension. Some people use them because they’ve received them as a gift. Others discover the worry stone while vacationing near a body of water, or find them at a novelty shop or tourist bazaar. These stones are easy to have, easy to carry, and easy to use. Many people find them helpful as they have an incredible reputation for calming.

What’s The Benefit Of A Worry Stone?

A worry stone has several easy to understand advantages. Its smooth surface creates a pleasant sensation on the skin of the thumb during rubbing, and at the very least provides some sensory stimulation that can help to calm us through distracting us from whatever we’re feeling or experiencing.

The stone is easy to use in any situation. You simply carry it with you in your pocket, purse, or wallet and rub it whenever you like. You don’t have to learn any complex techniques to use it – just rub it between your thumb and forefingers. Worry stones have been used in many situations in a variety of ways, as well. Below are a few examples.

In Reflexology

Reflexology is a type of massage that is used to relieve tension through stimulating the reflex points in the feet, hands, and head. These reflex points are linked to different points throughout your entire body. In reflexology, the worry stone is used to impact the reflex points in the thumb and fingers. You can receive reflexology treatments from a chiropractor, physical therapist, massage therapist, or a palliative care specialist. However, anyone can use a worry stone without assistance from a professional. Although reflexology is considered an alternative treatment to conventional medical treatments, some believe it affects signaling in the nervous system and releases endorphins.

Recognizing Anxiety Levels

If you have a worry stone, the amount that you use it may be related to how much anxiety you’re feeling.

This technique can be used in any therapy session. You can also use this technique yourself. Just take notice of how much you’re using your worry stone to get an idea of how much and how often you’re feeling anxious.

Relieving Tension

Muscle tension can come from physical or psychological stress. Rubbing a worry stone can help relieve tension in your hands by working the muscles involved. Also, through its calming action, a worry stone can help relieve muscle tension in other parts of your body if it’s caused by psychological stress.

Coping With Stress

Stress is an almost constant companion of modern people everywhere. Life is hectic, schedules must be kept, and relationships can be complex and difficult to manage. A worry stone can benefit you if you’re dealing with stress on a regular basis. It doesn’t take you away from the tasks you need to complete; instead, you can use your worry stone and continue to work toward your goals and complete day-to-day tasks.

Distraction From Worry

Worry can darken any day if you let it take over your mind. Until you learn to channel your thinking away from your worried thoughts, you’ll likely have trouble coping with the ups, downs, and concerns in your life. Of course, it’s important to do what you can to resolve problems. Sometimes, though, there’s just nothing you can do to improve your situation at the moment. At times like those, rubbing a worry stone can help you focus on the here and now and let your worries fade until you are able to properly address them.

Disruption Of Destructive Coping Methods

Sometimes difficulties with coping manifests as nail biting, hair pulling, skin picking, and other compulsive behaviors. You can use a worry stone to substitute for any of these destructive habits.

To Help With Substance Overuse Or Smoking Cessation

Substance overuse and nicotine addiction can be difficult to overcome. You can do it, but you need as much help as you can get. Putting a worry stone in your pocket is a good way to prepare yourself to get through cravings with a better sense of calm. You’re less likely to use when you can feel relaxed without the substance.

As An Aid to Complex And Intensive Therapies

During complex therapy situations, therapists often offer worry stones to their clients to use during the session. Because the situation may be unfamiliar and difficult to deal with, the easy and familiar feeling of rubbing a worry stone is often a welcome relief. Complex therapy can include sessions for PTSD, especially in children, or sessions for refugees who have recently had to leave a distressing situation in their home or assigned country.

Benefits Of Worry Stones Made Of Semi-Precious Gemstones

Many people who use worry stones choose those made of semi-precious gems. In Native American culture, a quartz worry stone is considered extremely soothing.

Although there’s no verifiable proof that specific worry stones have any of these specific powers, they are all attractive and can still serve the general purpose of calming.

How To Use A Worry Stone

Simply hold the stone’s indentation against your thumb, place your fingers of the same hand over the top of the stone, and rub the stone between your thumb and fingers.

Combining Focused Thought With Worry Stone Use

You can get even more benefit from worry stones by combining them with other types of focused thought. Say a prayer as you rub to connect with your spirituality. Rub the stone as you meditate to clear your mind. Hold your intentions in mind while using a worry stone to set your goals more firmly within yourself.

Other Ways To Deal With Anxiety

If worry, stress, and tension cause you a great deal of anxiety, a worry stone might not be enough to help carry you through a crisis or difficult ongoing situation. Worry stones should most likely not be relied upon as the sole way to deal with anxiety. There are many other options that can help in addition to worry stones. Meditation can help strengthen your brain to allow thoughts to pass. Exercise is well documented to help reduce anxiety. Other lifestyle changes such as diet and sleep hygiene are important, too. If you are starting to feel trapped by your anxiety or stress, remember that there are solutions, strategies, and options to improve if you need and/or want help. There is a way out.

How Online Therapy Can Help

Therapy can also help you deal with your anxiety by learning stress-reducing techniques. With cognitive behavioral therapy, you can learn to identify and evaluate your thoughts to decide if it’s helpful to continue giving those thoughts such importance. If not, your counselor can help you change the way you think, replacing old, destructive thoughts with new, healthy thoughts.

Online cognitive behavior therapy has been found to be just as effective as face-to-face therapy, and in fact, can be more effective due to removing many of the barriers that are in place with in-person therapy. These include scheduling difficulties, difficulty in getting to appointments, cost-effectiveness, seclusion, and stigma associated with therapy. One review of over 300 studies conducted on internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy (ICBT) found it to be quite effective in treating mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, social disorders, mood disorders, PTSD, and more.

You can talk to a licensed counselor at BetterHelp.com for help with anxiety, stressful situations, relationships, or other mental health issues you’d like to discuss. You may BetterHelp’s network of licensed counselors from the comfort of your own home (or wherever you have an internet connection). Additionally, sessions are fully customizable and can be conducted via phone call, video chat, instant messaging/texting, or live voice recording. Below are some reviews of BetterHelp counselors, from people experiencing similar issues.

Counselor Reviews

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