Back in 2017, I wrote a column about waiting for my first fidget to arrive in the mail after Mike received a fidget spinner gift from a friend.
And while I only knew the basics of why fidgets had become so popular then, I wasn’t prepared for the time and journey I took to find my own preferred gadget.
Now, this wasn’t something I made a goal or hunted down like a lioness taking down her next meal.
It was more like a leisurely sort of observation of trends that were making a surge during the COVID lockdown days.
Let’s be real here, desk/office/cubicle toys or entertaining decorations have been around for decades.
At any given workshop, conference or trade show you’ll find a business handing out a promotional stress ball, multicolored triangle highlighter, or even some marketing keychain light.
Even before someone marketed fidgets, I had something similar in the second grade where I put my pencil through the center hole of my ruler and spun it like a propeller.
Granted, that got my ruler taken away by the teacher because, apparently, I “could hurt myself.”
Yes, I was one of “those” kids.
The talker, the occasional class disruptor, the troublemaker, the daydreamer, and up until junior high - I was a pioneering fidget kid.
Back then, my fidgets included clicking my pens and pencils or drumming on the desk.
Or they did up until I started reading to be less of a disruption.
But, my fidgeting also includedchewing on my fingernails or pens, humming, and chewing gum whenever I was able.
I only learned in college that they could be signs of an assortment of possible disorders, most notably ADHD, anxiety, Autism, and depression.
Still, it’s taken me a few years to find my preferred type of fidget.
In 2017 it was a fidget cube that had 12 different sides with assorted actions from clicking a switch to unique textures and pressing buttons or adjusting sliding faders.
After I broke a few of those features, I moved on to other popular fidgets through the years.
For a few weeks, it was a variety of slime consistencies or silicone pop-it toys before I started to explore fidgets that featured “squeezing” tactile components.
Naturally, I also opted for squeeze toys that addressed other interests like color, squishing resistance, or holiday-themed.
This all led to me splitting a squish fidget advent calendar with my sister and getting a few others in my Christmas stocking.
Mom still fails to see the appeal of fidgets and has asked me several times why I need so many – or at least “feel” that I need so many.
I’m sure it’s also because I have a small collection of fidgets on our shared workspace that are possibly getting in the way of her scattered Post-It note collection of reminders.
The best answer I can give is that choosing a fidget to use depends largely on what I feel like or where I’m going to be that might prompt me to fidget.
Honestly, most of the time I just fidget with my phone in either games or across social media apps.
But, if it’s something that I know will tax my concentration then I’ll pick a small squish fidget to use during momentary lulls.
Either way, I’m hoping that I can stick with this latest fidget fascination – if not, you’ll certainly hear about it.
