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Adults With Stuffed Animals Psychology
Mar
When Clarke was five years old, he used to take his teddy bear with him everywhere. Now in his 60s, a retired teacher, a husband and father of three, he still has the same compassion and love he held for that plushie almost 60 years ago “I still recognize the sympathy and compassion that Moo-Moo provided me many years ago, the same sensation of safety I used to feel when mom used to spend time with me“ he says.
In the following, we are going to take a somewhat profound look at the adults with stuffed animals psychology, we will gently review some of the most recent studies that do in fact support the idea of owning a plushie as an adult and why that is a correct thing to do.
The thing is; Being an adult with a stuffed animal is really okay, in fact, it is more than okay as recent studies have shown in the last years, the thing is when we were young, we were conditioned to love these, things then all of a sudden they were taken away from us under the premise that we have to grow up, but clinical psychology studies say the opposite, that the process of growing up would more likely to be a success with a little stuffed buddy at the side to lean on and talk to.
What happens is that our love for stuffed animals doesn’t evaporate all of a sudden when we reach puberty, but switches into “adult toys” like gadgets and phones and goods of all kinds, whereas all we need deep down is a buddy to talk to when the mundanity of life seems to grow bigger in the horizon of expectations.
Maybe an adult who is sucking their thumb and solely depending on their plushie to sleep every night is an attachment issue, but that is a very rare case that sits far in the extreme, what we are concerned here with is the importance of plushies and adults with stuffed animals psychology, to stop caring about the judgment of others is a huge step forward, towards a more fulfilled self.
As humans, we do seem to have a very limited amount of energy to spare every day, we can either waste it on caring what others have to think about us or we can beautifully channel it through things that really matter to us as individuals.
They’re cool, they’re cute, CEOs have them in their offices…. So why shouldn’t you?
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Therapy stuffed animals
The human condition is indeed a strange thing, and living in modern society only makes the strangeness of this condition deepen as we are more and more alienated from ourselves and each other. Doctor Gabor maté spoke a great deal about the importance of connecting with ourselves as a means to fight the monster of loneliness and all the illnesses that come with it, in his book “In The Realm Of Hungry Ghosts” he spoke about the human condition from a bio-psycho-social perspective, in which he emphasized a great deal on the fact that the biology of a human being is hugely influenced by their psychological state, and that latter is influenced a great deal as well by their social state. What he meant by this was partly the fact that being lonely doesn’t always mean being alone in terms of human relationships, one can be perfectly ok in a life of solitude, as long as this solitude aligns with their perception of life. However; he strongly emphasized the importance of an aspect of our daily lives where we feel free to talk to and lean on, something or someone that is willing to listen to us as we go on and on talking about what bothers us, why we felt somewhat irritated and why we like the things that we like, in this perspective, stuffed animals for adults can have a huge influence on our psychological health in general and therefore, our health in a grander scale, owning a stuffed pig or a stuffed cat or a lion or a bear or any kind of plushies is less about the plushies themselves and more about the role they play as tokens that sustain the general sanity.
At certain times, one can comprehend important aspects of human nature only by observing the smallest incidentals, it is well known that up to the age of 12, many kids form a very deep connection and entanglement with their stuffed animal, it might be a cartoon character, a rabbit or a teddy bear, the strength of the relationship can be remarkable, the kiddo keeps it close at all times, sleeps next to it and takes it out to play with it, it can tell it all about what bothers them and what they particularly like about school. What’s really extraordinary here is that the plushie takes care of its owner, it never disappoints, it is always there for them, addressing them with words of kindness. Vaguely enough, the plushie urges its owner not to urge in times of crisis and not to jump to conclusions before digesting the information at hand. The truth is that the plushie’s personality is invented by the child himself, he\ she talks to themselves through the plushie and assures themselves that the future will be brighter. It is brought to life by the part of the child that wants to live it to the fullest, in order to look after the part that worries and fears the future. During the last century, the English psychoanalyst Donald Winnicott was the first to recognize this behavior towards a teddy bear and analyzed it, turning it into solid scientific data that later researchers in the same field build on.
In the early 1960s, Winnicott studied a 6 years old child that suffered a great deal of abuse from his parents, which resulted in him becoming profoundly connected to a teddy bear that was given to him by his grandmother. Every night the child would hug the teddy as tight as he can, sleeps with it, and occasionally shed a few tears on its soft plush.
The teddy was indeed his most valuable property and he would give up anything to keep it close to him at all times. As the boy explained his situation to doctor Winnicott; he said “ no one can understand me as teddy can”
What was truly amazing to Winnicott is that the teddy’s personality was entirely invented by the boy’s it was an extension of his own personality, the boy thought that the teddy was taking care of him, whereas, he was the one taking care of himself all the time, the teddy was but a means to channel that energy of understanding and compassion he had within him all the time.
As odd as this might sound but our conditioning as humans make us speak to ourselves all the time, we do it so often that we don’t recognize that we are doing it anymore, in principle, this isn’t a bad thing per se, what bad about it is the manner in which we speak to ourselves. We often use punitive tones, often concentrating our energy and thoughts on what we did wrong and what might go wrong. Little do we know that the outside criticism is enough to fill anybody’s heart, and the role of the inner voice is to assure us that things will, after all, be ok, that we are not the losers or time wasters we think we are, and no matter what happens… sanity is always the first priority above all. It is this kind of understanding that helped the child overcome the horrible psychological aftermath of his early abuse in life, and the plushie was but a means to channel this energy of compassion and understanding.
From a psychological standpoint, cuddling with a stuffed animal is beneficial for kids and adults alike, psychologist Tcholofelo Jood says that stuffed toys are not just cute toys: they are way more than that. And there is a strong reason behind such claim, he states that soft toys of all kinds are means for kids to not solely depend on their caregivers for comfort and soothing, and for adults alike, for not having a dependency on anyone whatsoever when it comes to comfort and soothing. in such cases, the plushies are more than just cute stuffed animals, they become therapy stuffed animals. Tsholofelo Jood also stressed that a teddy bear can provide us with a sensation of familiarity when in unfamiliar places, the feeling of sudden loneliness and alienation can be brutal for one’s mental health as we all know. However, having a stuffed animal around, one with that we share memories and secrets can be a crucial turning point in coping with stressful situations, they settle the storms of anxiety within us and make the distress of an unfamiliar environment more bearable they help with anxiety and they do it quite expertly… so better have an anxiety stuffed animal around next time when faced with an unfamiliar situation where the loneliness pokes out of the mundanity and strangeness of life.
A clinical psychologist named Fairuz Gaibie strongly supports this claim by noticing that we often associate our stuffed animals with positive outcomes.
Do stuffed animals help with anxiety?
Stuffed animals do hold a very profound sentimental value, especially the ones we carry from our childhood days. However, having an emotional support stuffed animal can sometimes be a cause of judgment from others, but that matters not, there is absolutely no need to be embraced, anything can hold a symbolic meaning that is dear to us, whether is it a rock, a ring, or a stuffed animal “Tsholofelo backs up by saying “these stuffed toys hold a very deep psychological value to young kids, because of the emotional support they provide.”
sleeping with stuffed animal psychology can find its roots in the essence of what we are, the thing is, we are emotional beings, and this is a fact. and a stuffed animal is a symbol, one of beauty and familiarity, one that would take care of you and assure you when life seems to become weary, and always reminds you that someone cares. A stuffed animal, no matter what shape or form it takes, will always wait for you at home, hear your tales and hug you when you feel a little insecure. Of course, a stuffed animal is after all just an object, but one that can carry and embody lots of emotions, one that can be a vessel to your secrets… or more scientifically yet, a motivation to just talk and talk and let off
steam and it is very absurd to let go of that precious company because of someone’s judgment because someone somewhere says that an adult should not have ”toys.”
we all had stuffed animals as kids, and owning one later in life brings that well-being that we used to feel like kids, a reminder that after all, and with all taken into consideration… things will eventually be ok.
But after all, one can not help but ask the question… there’s so much security and comfort in keeping a stuffed animal, but why does a pile of fur and fluff do that for us…?
sleeping with a teddy bear psychology
To understand the thing about stuffed animals for adults with anxiety, there are a lot of medical studies about the physiological effects of owning a stuffed animal. There’s a group of compassionate researchers in the psychological field that sent bags of chocolate, well wishes, blankets, and a teddy bear to people that were recently diagnosed with cancer and are starting treatment, they called the “The Chemo Care Bag” they got letters back from those people, and almost all the letters said what’s in the lines of “ I kept this bear with me throughout my treatment, I made it, I’m a survivor, I’m clear, I’m keeping this bear as a symbol to me, as a sign that I am strong, that I was victorious.” Or even letters that say “I kept this bear by me, it was my companion when I needed company the most and now I am strong again and I am going to pass it along to someone who needs it, to somebody else who needs a symbol of strength and victory.” And that’s what the medical field refers to as the “Ripple Effect” it’s a symbol that stays with you and helps you through hardships and when you emerge victoriously, you it on.
The reason why these teddy bears helped the cancer fighters until they emerged victoriously is that they bring back a sense of well being that we forgot when we turned into adults when we started forcing ourselves to make sense of everything… they say, we experience the world once as kids, and the rest is memory, to reacquire the ability of how to live is a skill that we adults need to learn through compassion and with a little help from a comfort zone, and in this case, a teddy.
Do stuffed animals help you sleep?
There’s a Travelodge motel chain that did a survey of 6000 British adults, and 35% of them admitted to sleeping with a stuffed animal. they proudly and vigorously labeled themselves as “Arctophiles” and that is a beautiful word that means a stuffed animal lover, those 35% are successful adults, most of them are in happy marriages and generally comfortable in life, they admitted that sleeping with a stuffed animal is an experience that no one would ever take from them because they felt how precious it was.
Dr. Jeanie Haigh, that was in the survey team and is an active teddy bear donor would often report that she receives numerous letters thanking her for a Child that got a bear while going to the emergency room and it helped them a great deal, she often says that giving a teddy bear to a stranger that might be undergoing difficult circumstances is a beautiful learning opportunity, it is an opportunity to experience the Ripple effect, to share the love as a pile of fluff and stuffing and make a difference in somebody’s life, give them a symbol that they can keep with them throughout their years. doctor Dr. Jeanie Haigh is very successful in her field has helped many people with near-death experiences and still, she loves her teddy bear and is proud that has it around. So why shouldn’t you…?
So, to answer the question “do stuffed animals help with anxiety?” The short summarised answer would be absolute, yes, and the long answer would be what you did read previously in this article. They are means for us to talk to ourselves more kindly, to force ourselves to see what’s good in a situation, because, if one situation has a hundred interpretations. why not choose the one that is most empowering?
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Thank you for reading.
