Making Fidgets Fashionable ☆

I’m sure we are all more than aware of the rise (and rise, and rise again) of fidget toys seen in the clutches of both children and adults alike over the past few years. Whether it be for the purpose of stimulation, self-soothing, distraction or even focus and concentration, there is absolutely no denying their recent popularity. 

As a late diagnosed AuDHD’er (a person who is diagnosed with both Autistic Spectrum Disorder and ADHD, for those unfamiliar with the term), I spent many years of my undiagnosed life ‘stimming’ - with absolutely no knowledge that that’s what I was doing.

Loosely defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as “the repetitive performance of certain physical movements or vocalisations, as a behaviour seen in persons with neurodevelopmental conditions such as autism”, stimming can show up in a variety of ways for a variety of people. 

Personally, from constantly playing with the ends of my hair, relentless skin picking and subtly tracing invisible words onto my leg with the tip of my finger, it seems that no matter what - sitting still can feel impossible. This is only amplified further when in an uncomfortable situation or whilst enduring too much sensory input. Sadly, it can also present itself in entirely different ways during a meltdown or in periods of significant stress.

Whilst stimming is much more likely to be disruptive to neurodivergent daily life compared to the experiences of a neurotypical person, it is not unusual for anyone to self-regulate in similar, less intense ways when they are perhaps stressed or anxious. The clicking of the pen, the tapping of the foot, the squeezing of the stress ball... do people still have those??? 

Although fidget toys are predominantly marketed toward children, it seems fairly common nowadays for the aforementioned to be owned by members of several generations. The problem being, whilst they are great and very useful, a lot of fidgets do look like they are a child’s toy. As an owner of a few myself, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, but it doesn’t mean I shouldn’t also have access to a solution that’s comparatively more stylish. 

I considered fidget rings, as I know they work for many and look lovely, yet lazily I still haven’t figured out my own ring size - typical. Besides, I do fidget every day but I don’t wear jewellery every day. One thing we do all carry around every day however, practically glued to our palms in fact, are our phones. 

It was a delightful accident discovering that my own phone charm had become the ideal go to for fidgeting. I didn’t even realise I was doing it at first - it felt that natural. Despite realising this before Charms by Emma had come to fruition, a number of phone charm customers have since also found their tactility useful for the exact same reason. I truly love receiving this kind of feedback.

Since having my phone charm constantly nearby, some of the more burdensome stimming behaviours I experienced have definitely reduced. Plus, some beads just really do feel great - side note the glass beads in particular are SO nice and cool on the skin.

Crafted with durability in mind, all phone charms listed are hand made with waxed string. This means not only are they securely tied, but they are also partially melted together when sealed to ensure as much protection from clumsiness as possible. In other words, go fidget to your hearts content!

As a self proclaimed 'dropper', using the phone charm as a sturdy wrist strap is tried and tested daily. It also prevents any inevitable clumsiness I may face myself (quite literally the only version of insurance my phone has - but I am not endorsing that whatsoever…) 

The best part? There’s plenty of phone charms already in stock that I aim to make as affordable and accessible as I can, but for a similar price you can get a design customised in your favourite colour(s) and style with a name or *word unique to you. ☆

As always, thank you for supporting my small business in any way ♥

- Emma x

*Express yourself! Be unfiltered! Swear words aren’t discouraged at all (provided they aren’t offensive of course)