ADHD – A Personal Walkthrough & Guide

Ahh the humble fidget! It does so much! Fidgets can help an ADHD mind focus, soothe in a moment of anxiety, and provide a bit of levity in countless other situations. They are an invaluable tool that helps to occupy the otherwise wandering attention in an ADHD brain. In fact, that rather than being a distraction, having a good fidget on hand actually makes it easier to focus! 

Think of a fidget as a stat-boosting item you can equip in a video game. 🎮

I was first properly introduced to fidgets back in college when I watched this video from How to ADHD:

And in honor of the simple yet mighty fidget (and because it is easy enough to write about during these final stages of planning a wedding), I thought I would talk about a few of my favorite fidgets ~ saving my personal top recommendation for last. 😁

So, without any further ado let’s get fidgeting! 

Tangles

Tangles are simple, twisty fun! They tend to work best when you have two hands free for fidgeting, but one hand is doable too. Tangles can be wrapped around your fingers, twist them in your hands, or even broken apart and/or combined with another tangle to make a super long one. The Tangle is a simple concept but there’s a lot you can do with it! 

Being made of plastic, there’s also no mess or storage concerns for a Tangle. You can throw one in a purse or coat and not think twice about it! 

If you’re interested in acquiring one, here is a good, less expensive brand, of Tangle on Amazon: https://a.co/d/aDSazch 

And here is the classic/original model: https://a.co/d/7La7LDW

(Please note, I’ll be providing a lot of links to examples of these fidgets in this article, but I have no sponsorship or anything like that for any of this stuff. Just sharing the links cuz it’s helpful. 😊)

Putty

I’ve used a lot of fidgeting putties in my day. In fact, in grade school, long before I’d learned anything about the benefits of fidgeting, I would regularly play with modeling clay and even sometimes bring it to school with me to knead while I sat at my desk. 

These days, there are a lot of options when it comes to putty. There’s Silly Putty, Aaron’s Thinking Putty, and there’s even some fun scented varieties of it (such as “aroma putty”).

I generally find putty to be particularly satisfying to fidget with. There’s just something nice about the way it feels when I roll it around in my hands. The main downside of putty, though, is that it’s not suitable for all situations. Putty can be a little sticky, it can get dirty and be hard to clean, and it can be distracting if you wind up losing focus on the task at hand and just start modeling with it instead. 😅 But, when I am in a situation where I can use putty, I find it very satisfying and stress relieving. I can just get into a rhythm with it as all my distractions fade away so I can focus on the task at hand. 

Some Thinking Putty: https://a.co/d/cDRTEuv\

Silly Putty: https://a.co/d/ekaOrtm

Aroma Putty: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Crayola-Silly-Putty-Aroma-Putty-0-88oz-Lemongrass/301539859

The O.G. Fidget ~ The Fidget Cube

The fidget cube is a bit more of a complex fidget but it’s well rounded and has a lot of different functions. It helped make fidgeting more mainstream and raise public awareness of it and it was also my first official fidget. 😊 You can slip one into a jacket pocket or a purse no problem and it also makes for a cute little decoration on a desk. This simple cube provides various methods of fidgeting, both silent and loud. Among the many options, there’s a ball you can roll (and/or click!), a side with little buttons you can click with varying levels of resistance and audible clickiness, a little joystick you can slide, a super satisfying switch you can flip ad nauseum (one of my favorites.. when I’m not sitting near anyone else😆).

The original fidget cube was made by Antsy Labs, and can be ordered on Amazon and also directly through their site: https://www.antsylabs.com/products/fidget-cube-the-original-fidget-toy?variant=454602522649

Fidget Rings

Fidget rings are a great way to always have a fidget with you. Fidget rings are subtle, can be taken anywhere, and.. they’re stylish!

I can usually spin them with my thumb or other hand when I am wearing them as a normal ring, but I also often slide them onto my index finger so I can spin them more easily with my thumb. There are other fidgets that are easier to fidget with but unlike other fidgets, a fidget ring can go with you anywhere! It’s just nice to know that no matter where I go, pockets or no, that I will always have something to fidget with. 

Here’s a brand I have bought from many times: https://a.co/d/7Bf0IlR

(Again, I am not getting any sort of compensation for these links. I mean, it would be cool if I was.. but alas, I am very much NOT sponsored! 😆) 

My Top Recommendation ~ The Marble Fidget:

Silent, cheap, colorful.. marble fidgets are great! 

You can put them in all manner of pocket or purse and can put them on any and all surfaces where you work! (I personally like to keep one on every surface in my bedroom, office, by the couch, in the car, in each of my coats, in my purse, etc.)  

In fact, I love marble fidgets so much I am giving (at least) one out to every person who’s coming to my wedding! 😆

You can get so many of them for just a few dollars and then can have one everywhere you need a fidget! They are perfectly silent and have a few different methods you can play with them. (One handed rolling the marble up and down, or two handed squeezing the tube and/or rattling the marble around inside.) They may not be the most exciting fidget but that is honestly a plush because that minimizes the odds of accidentally getting distracted by the fidget. 

There are a lot of places you can buy marble fidgets from but here is one of them: https://a.co/d/1KUg1Wc

The Fidgety Conclusion

All in all, fidgets are as delightful as they are useful! Fidgeting can be helpful to basically anyone but they are especially beneficial for ADHD and other neurodiverse brains. Not every fidget is suited to every person or every situation but when you find one that works for you, everything just sorta

.. clicks. 

Happy fidgeting everyone! 😁