Aug 21

Aug 21 Anxiety Rings: Don't Waste Your Time

Anxiety Ring: Here Is Why You Should Avoid Them

Daily life is full of potential stress and anxiety triggers. Many of us are keen to utilise simple strategies to reduce this distress.

Anxiety rings are jewellery items worn by people with the intention of reducing anxiety. Some people report beneficial outcomes in using anxiety rings. However, individual experiences do not translate to proof of effectiveness, especially over the long term. Furthermore, we cannot apply individual experiences to the whole population.

All this means we must take care when making conclusions about anxiety rings and their effectiveness. We're not here to take away from anybody's individual positive experiences. But, as evidence-based practitioners, we look to the science wherever possible.

How do anti-anxiety rings work?

Many compare anxiety rings to similar items, like fidget spinners or stress balls. Some claim these objects reduce anxiety through distraction.

Distraction can be a useful coping strategy when used as a temporary break from a stressor (1). Contrast this with avoidance which is complete detachment from difficult circumstances. We also must use distraction as part of a wider anxiety management game plan. Distraction on its own is unlikely to attack the root cause of anxiety.

However, there is still much to learn about optimal distraction. We need to ask research questions like 'What is the optimal amount of distraction time?' and 'What are the best distraction activities?'.

Anxiety rings became a thing via Tick Tok. Such widespread popularity and perception of effectiveness may contribute to a placebo effect. In other words, any anxiety reduction may occur because we expect this outcome. Not because of any specific anxiety ring effect.

What Evidence?

We could find no published studies investigating anxiety rings as a treatment for anxiety, stress, or any other psychological difficulty. Therefore, we don't recommend using an anxiety ring for anxiety management. Anxiety is a complex issue. We doubt that one simple strategy will address all underlying causes of this problem.

We may see the emergence of studies over the next few years. But, our hunch is that there will be little interest in evaluating this strategy.

Thankfully there are several evidence-based interventions for many anxiety problems. There are many evaluation studies for talking therapies like Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT).

Are anxiety rings good for ADHD?

No scientific information currently supports the use of anxiety rings for ADHD. There are some anecdotal reports of fidgeting as a helpful distraction strategy. But even for these people, fidgeting with an anxiety ring will not treat the underlying causes of psychological and neurological conditions.

There are no quick fixes for these issues. But claims of easy, inexpensive treatments are attractive to people. Don't be fooled by people wanting to make money or appear knowledgeable in this way.

Best practice in ADHD treatment involves comprehensive assessment and holistic treatment by qualified professionals. See the NICE guidelines for more.

Practical advice on anxiety management

Some people may benefit from good-quality self-help resources for mild anxiety. See links to examples below.

We have many proven treatments for anxiety. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) is the best-supported talking therapy. However, we have evidence for other approaches, such as Mindfulness.

Many talking therapies teach people to pay attention to their anxiety. The natural tendency is to suppress or avoid this difficult state. 'Learning into' anxiety in this way improves tolerance and understanding.

Facing your fears in a measured, structured way is often key to reducing anxiety. Avoiding anxiety-provoking situations prevents new learning. In particular, catastrophic predictions (e.g., I'll lose control, people will reject me) are disproved in most cases. People undertake this 'exposure therapy' with professional support and anxiety management training.

Professionals use medication at times for anxiety. Various effective options exist for different forms of anxiety (2,3).

Summary

We do not currently recommend using anxiety rings for treating anxiety and other psychological issues. We say this based on the lack of scientific support and credible explanations for any claimed benefit. There might be studies conducted in future. But, this is unlikely because researcher interest lies in other areas (e.g., psychological treatments).

The good news is that well-supported anxiety treatments are currently available. Self-help can be effective for mild anxiety challenges. However, professional support will be important for serious difficulties.