Slime Isn't Just For Kids - It Might Be The Key To Calming Your Anxiety
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If you have kids or were simply born in the 90's, you have likely had your fair share of run-ins with slime. But the green slime of our "Double Dare" past has transformed into one of the hottest toys for kids today. Slime is created by combining household products together to form a substance that is able to act as both a solid and a liquid. If you try to make slime at home, you likely already have the ingredients to do it. There are a variety of different uses for slime, and each type is made a different way. Overall, many forms of slime contain things like borax, liquid detergent, cornstarch, glue, shampoo, and shaving cream. To make it pretty and kid-friendly, many companies have also incorporated food coloring and glitter to their recipes.
And while slime is actually quite a simple product, its many uses has made it a must-have product not just for kids, but for adults as well. TikTok has made cleaning slime a novelty, with many consumers rushing out to clean their car crevices with it. But moreso, slime may actually be a key in lessening our anxiety–here's how.
How slime may help with anxiety
Stress balls were given their name due to their ability to regulate the nervous system when squeezed consistently. With its squishy characteristics and overall freeing sense of squeezing it, slime can have similar capabilities. While there are no legitimate studies proving that slime can calm anxiety, Jack Turban, a doctor and chief fellow in child and adolescent psychiatry at Stanford University School of Medicine, says that the texture and feel of slime is so different that it draws us in and causes us to be mindful of what we are touching and feeling, per HuffPost. Mindfulness, as many of us know, has a direct correlation to lower anxiety levels.
In our current day and age, though, more people are finding their calming mechanisms on a screen — and slime is just as prevalent there. In addition to simply playing with slime, many people have found that watching videos of others playing with slime is actually quite relaxing. According to HuffPost, "the different sounds emitted by slimes, such as popping and clicking, can lull viewers into a relaxed state."
Where to get your own anxiety-reducing slime
If you took a dabble into "slime-tok" and found your heart beating a bit slower or your worried thoughts moving towards the back burner for a bit, you may want to consider real-life slime play. Brittany A. Johnson, an author and a licensed mental health counselor, told HuffPost that slime helps our senses and playing with slime can actually help us create good coping mechanisms. And while watching slime is enough to put us in a relaxed state, playing around with the real thing can have an even bigger impact.
You can find slime at pretty much any place that sells toys. Some options are scented, adding even more positive effects to our senses. Some companies even have slime that is tailored specifically for adults as a way to relieve stress. If you want to make a simple concoction at home, simply mix white glue and baking soda together in a bowl until you get your desired consistency.