As homework and quizzes start to pile up, I’m finding the stress of finishing everything is getting a little overwhelming. There are multiple ways to cope with that sort of stress, but I found myself on Pinterest, which isn’t all that uncommon.

In the do-it-yourself section of Pinterest, there was a DIY stress ball recipe and it hit me that this could be a good, easy way to decompress when school gets to be too much.

Squeezing something really hard without having to worry about hurting anything? Definitely cathartic.

So, here’s a quick recipe for a DIY stress ball.

Supplies

Balloons

Corn starch

Water

Water bottle

Food coloring (optional)

Instructions

1. Mix two cups of corn starch and one cup of water together. Stir until goopy. There should be resistance when stirring quickly, but no resistance when stirring slowly.
2. Poor the mixture into the water bottle.
3. Attach the opening of the balloon to the top of the water bottle. Flip over and squeeze the contents of the water bottle into the balloon until it is full.
4. Take the balloon off the top of the water bottle, taking care not to get any air into the balloon. Tie the end into a knot.
5. Take another balloon and cut off the end. Wrap this over the filled balloon to cover the knot and add more durability.

If the consistency of the mixture isn’t as described in the recipe, don’t be afraid to add more water — I had to add an extra quarter cup when I experimented with it.

This recipe makes about three small balloon stress balls. I didn’t fill them super full because I didn’t want to break the balloon; however, they’re still about the size of my palm.

Over all, the recipe was a success and I have already started using the stress balls as a means of relaxation. If you’re feeling stressed and are unsure what to do about it, I suggest trying these out as a simple way to combat those negative feelings.