Angelite worry stones

Angelite worry stone with indent 

⚜️ WORRY STONES ⚜️

These flat stones fit nicely in the palm of your hand, some come with a really cool feature: they have a worn down mark perfect for rubbing with your thumb. These guys are dubbed worry stones because they help quell anxiety, stress and worry when you rub them. Others are smooth without the indentation but just as effective.

Keep worry stones in your pocket, so every time you're feeling anxious, you can reach in, palm the stone, and begin rubbing it for relaxing effects. I personally think these are nice stones to keep in the car, too. Traffic can reeeeally be irritating.

What’s a Worry Stone?

A worry stone is a smooth rock used to soothe stress and anxiety. It is a versatile aid for self-calming and meditation. Worry stones may be as small as a thumbprint or as large as the palm of your hand. Larger worry stones may be called palm stones, and look like the oval-shaped rocks used for stone massage.

The most familiar kind of worry stone is a small, thin piece of gemstone with an indentation for the thumb. They became popular in the 1970s as a retail checkout item, along with mood rings and friendship bracelets. They are available in many different types of stone.
Worry stones may be plain or painted/engraved in various designs. Some worry stones are decorated with words of inspiration and encouragement. Religious symbols or sacred animals are also popular worry stone motifs.

Other names for worry stones include fidget stone, soothing stone, sensory stone, or thumb stone. Some people think the phrase “worry stone” is too negative—if that’s the case, call it your lucky stone or friendly stone.

Nobody really knows how worry stones got their start, but it was probably very early in human history. They are literally as old as dirt! It’s easy to imagine a bummed-out cave-person noticing an especially smooth stone in the dust and to begin fiddling with it.

There’s just something calming about the weight and texture of natural stone. The ancient Greeks are usually credited with the invention of the worry stone—though similar concepts exist among Native American tribes, Tibetan Buddhists, and other cultures around the world.

Greece’s many miles of rough coastlines yield stones smoothed naturally by the sea. In modern Greece and Cyprus, komboloi (worry beads) are found in nearly every tourist shop. Unlike rosaries and Indian prayer beads, Greek worry beads do not usually have a religious/spiritual meaning. They are carried as a fashion accessory or a pleasant way to pass the time.

In Ireland, worry stones are made from Connemara marble, a green-veined, serpentine-rich stone from that region. Rubbing a piece of Connemara marble is said to make worries disappear and to bring good luck.

Worry stones have a place in Wiccan and Pagan practice, as well as New Age crystal healing. Different varieties of stone have different vibrational energies, which can affect the user in positive ways. Worry stones can be used to ground or disperse negative feelings and energies. All stones correspond to the element of Earth, which offers gifts of patience, stability, and rest.

How to use it
If you’re worrying about how to use a worry stone…well, you may have more problems than this article can solve. Even so, people do sometimes ask us how to use their worry stone. (For the record: There is no right or wrong way to use your worry stone, but there are different ways to employ it in your practice.) Here are some suggestions for putting your worry stone to work:

Rub it when you feel worried or stressed.

Worry stones have enormous power to soothe frazzled nerves. They are discreet, inexpensive, and all-natural. People who use worry stones report that they help ease creeping anxiety and other negative feelings.

Research has shown that physical activity—even slight touch or movement—interrupts the brain from playing negative thoughts. Rub your worry stone between thumb and forefinger whenever anxiety strikes. While it may not solve your problems, it will diminish the intensity of the worry and help you move toward positive solutions.

Carry it with you.

Emotional self-regulation is a skill that can be learned. Once you’ve practiced setting aside negative thoughts and feelings, an object like a worry stone can be a useful aid in accessing this skill. Psychologists refer to it as triggering a “relaxation script.” In other words, once you see and handle the worry stone, you remember what it feels like to chill out.

If you know you’re going to be in a stressful situation—like being in a crowd or giving a presentation—place your worry stone somewhere you know you will be able to access it if you want to. The presence of a favorite stone can help you relax without ever taking it out of your pocket.

Meditate with your worry stone.

Stones have been used for millennia as an aid to meditation and prayer. Rubbing the stone helps focus the mind and eliminate distractions.

Not religious? You don’t need to be. Even the simplest worry stone is a unique creation that is millions of years old. It’s an excellent way to put your current problems into perspective.

All the anecdotal benefits around worry stones seem to have caught the attention of mental health professionals, some of whom now recommend worry stones for therapeutic purposes.

Worry stones may help with skin picking, fingernail biting, hair pulling, and other compulsive behaviors. They are also used for treating addiction and for smoking cessation. Generally, touching the worry stone replaces the behavior that is being corrected. Playing with it keeps the hands and mind busy until the urge passes.

Worry stones are also used to help cope with sensory integration disorder, especially in children.