A stress ball is slightly similar to a regular tennis ball yet it is a bit smaller. They are soft enough to squeeze and offer relief from muscular as well as mental tension. Stress and stress related problems are on the rise and have become a daily part of our lives. When stress occurs regularly it cause harm to body. Stress relief balls are the latest in the stress relievers group. Whether stress balls really help, is a matter of dispute among most experts.
Stress and its related problems are the number one health problem in and around the world. Necessity is the mother of invention and new stress relievers are the need of the hour. Stress relief balls are the latest in the stress relievers group.  Vibrating stress balls, Imprinted stress balls, and many others are available even online and they all claim to relieve stress. But whether can stress balls really help a person or not has not been proven medically.

Stress is said to occur in a person when he/she faces a hostile environment. A person reacts to the hostile environment by the ‘Fight or flight response’. There is an increase in the blood levels of stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol resulting in:

* Raising the heart rate
* Raising blood pressure
* Sleeplessness
* Memory disturbances
* Anxiety
* Concentration disturbances
* Loss of appetite
* Mood swings including anger outbursts

By squeezing a stress ball, note the following points:

* The attention is diverted away from the source of stress. The mind stabilizes and there is relaxation of both body and mind. This is akin to the effects of meditation and stress relief games.
* The mental energy that is piled up inside due to stress is let out and there is subsequent relaxation of mind.
* There is an improvement in the overall blood circulation which increases the supply of oxygen in out body and leads to elimination of toxins like ammonia and carbon dioxide. There is stimulation of nerves in the hands.
* These nerves carry the signal to different areas in brain especially the limbic area which is linked with emotions. This mechanism is similar to the popular Chinese method of ‘Acu pressure’ for treating health problems. Moreover, stimulation of brain also results in the production of endorphins which act as natural pain relievers and as sedatives.

Stress balls are being used by many people for stress relief. But text books are yet to mention the role of stress relief balls in relief of stress. Not many researches have been done to confirm the effectiveness of stress relief balls in relieving stress. A few unreliable theories are available which give a few explanation regarding the role, mechanism and effects of stress relief balls.
Stress balls are said to better stress relievers especially at workplace. Mostly when a person is under severe stress, he or she tends to start cursing, shouting and even throw office equipment; such reactions are not at all acceptable.  These reactions can be avoided and at the same time relief from stress can also be achieved by compressing stress balls every time you feel stressed out in you office.

Whether they know it or not, people using stress balls are practicing what can be a very powerful stress management tool. A lot of folks are playing with their balls while in meetings and on the phone. They would probably relax even more if they took a few minutes just to relax their minds and bodies, if only, for a few minutes each day.

Stress is the physiological factor  to a powerful pressure -inducing circumstance that is also known as a stressor. These stressors could be an event or situation, which a person may feel, is difficult to cope with. The cause of stress could be different for each person. Stress cannot be common to a set of persons; different people react differently to stress. Thus, the stress causes are different for different people. Ultimately, what we need to do is to come terms with the fact that stress is inevitable; one must face it in order to fight it.

We can see the stress causes scan in the way we live our daily lives. It is rightly said that ‘life acts but you react’. A good reaction to the situations in our life is manifested through the attitude that we carry. Our attitude is a response to what life offers to us. A considerable quantity of stress symptoms can be done away with by the manner in which we relate to the stressors. Stress originates from the brain, is often created by the way we think, and not necessarily, from what has actually happened. For example, handling orphan children, problematic adolescents, career failures, tax matters or sudden financial burden are typical examples of stress producing factors. What we need is a relaxed attitude that focuses on the willingness to face the peculiarities of life with a touch of positivism. An unfavorable may be regarded as a major stress cause.

Some other popular stress causes include major life events like a divorce, death of a loved one, health problems, financial burdens, importunate strain of caring for a continuously sick family member, managing a physically or mentally challenged child etc. These contribute greatly towards a sense of stress in an individual.  Situations and conditions at workplace like delayed promotion or a sudden lay-off from a job can give rise to tremendous levels of stress. These situations are common to everyone; the only difference is the time and the magnitude of its occurrence. Since stress arising out of such situations cannot be wished away; it needs to be controlled by approaching life with a positive spirit.

Stress causes also stem from social and personal contexts as well as from the way a person may react psychologically and emotionally to stressful situations. What decides the accumulation of a general condition of stress is the mental and emotional temperament that we have acquired over a period of many years. It ultimately decides whether we would ‘fight’ or ‘flight’ from a stress-inducing scenario and thus may put us in a feeling of anxiety and unceasing worry. Stress has also been linked to consumption of addictives like alcohol, drugs, smoke etc. Habitual use of such drugs makes a person dependent on them and thus, gives rise to a number of abnormal symptoms. A person who exhibits typical symptoms may feel mentally stressed because of the physical problems that he is suffering from. However, the ultimate cause of stress remains different for each individual.