18 May 2015, 5:41 pm
Does anyone here have something that calms them down when they're sad, angry or nervous? It can be a blanket, a stuffed animal, a plush doll, or anything that someone would consider their comfort object.
My main comfort object is a custom made plush doll ,or a plushie as it's commonly called, that my mom gave me for my 18th birthday. I was going through a very rough time in school. I was being verbally bullied by a girl who claimed she liked me, I was on a FIRST robotics team that ostracized me and treated me like dirt, and no one at school to turn to. My grades were dropping in school, and my mood was horrible at home. I wanted a soft doll that I could hug and hold when I was feeling said emotions. The doll's name is Saria, and she's based off a fictional character of the same name (and appearance) from the video game Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. My mom bought my Saria plushie off of a now-defunct website for $150 after months of hunting on the web looking for someone to fulfill my request. I got my Saria plushie the after my birthday, and was very well made. Her anime-style blue eyes were ironed on, and everything about her was superb.
" alt="Image" class="resize_me" />It was my junior year of high school, and I joined a FIRST Robotics team under the guidance of my advisor. Then one day I met a girl on my team that looked nice while we were all building catapults and trebuchets. We talked, and I wanted to be basic friends with this girl. One day, she rejected me for friendship because she had a boyfriend. It was embarrassing beyond belief. Then when I found out who her boyfriend was, I was frustrated and I made some gestures towards him that she viewed as threatening. One day, she spreads a rumor, claiming I'd beat him up. The word got out and principal got involved, as he interrogated me like I was the bad guy. From there, one of the girl's friends said this lie to my face, mentors resented me, and peers stayed away from me. My dad had to give up time and money from work to come help me build prototype parts and protect me from gossipers. With the exception of my dad and maybe one or two random people, I was on my own, with little gratitude from the team afterwards. A FIRST competition at Purdue University that year was a dreadful and boring experience. I couldn't help out with the robot, and I had to sit up in the bleachers for hours over the course of three days. watching these chunks of metal vertically stack pool inflatables and placing mini-bots to climb up poles. Afterward, my grades fell and my attitude was awful. I needed a soft, cuddly doll that reminded me of my favorite video game character.
Fast forward to my senior year. I joined the team, thinking things would be different. But I kept having dreams of apologizing and being forgiven by this girl and her boyfriend. I did just that, and they both forgave me. I also told them that I am autistic, and that I have trouble with social situations. But in the build season of robotics, I was still being shunned and given nothing to do. But one day, I was having a conversation about a paintball-like sport called airsoft, and they were nearby when I was talking to members of my team. This girl then decided to spread a rumor about me, claiming I'd turn a robotics trip into a Columbine-like shooting. After the principal called me out on this lie a few days later, I was scarred for life. I didn't want to go to school anymore, and I chose not to go on the trip to a FIRST competition in Chicago, IL. When I got home that same day, I wished to die (but I was not going to harm myself, mind you) since I felt so betrayed by my peers and my high school advisor let me down big time. In my moment of despair, I saw my Saria plushie sitting on my desk. I kept thinking about her and her video game counterpart, and how Saria makes me happy. So I gave the doll a warm hug, and I felt calm inside.
The girl and her boyfriend got away with the rumors after the school investigated the incident. And I will name my future daughter Saria whenever I have a family of my own.
20 Jun 2015, 6:02 pm
I can relate to your story, as I had some similar experiences in school. In my last year of high school I had my words/actions twisted and turned against me by someone I cared for, I was harassed by their friends, and was interrogated by school administrators who accused me of being a threat to my harassers. At one point I was even escorted off campus by security. The irony of it all was that, they were the ones following me around, and the main aggressor was twice my size and was a known trouble-maker (I was the quiet girl that didn't get into trouble).
My main comfort object is a stuffed animal puppet I got when I was a baby, Lambchops. (Someone's Ebay image for reference): 
invaderhorizongreen
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21 Jun 2015, 8:49 pm
22 Jun 2015, 9:50 pm
I have a teddy bear I always travel with since I was a baby (actually, I am on a new one... named Junior), and I have upgraded to living dogs for the day to day. 
They are very responsive, happy to see me when I come home and snuggle when I need it most.
22 Jun 2015, 10:02 pm
When my beloved dog passed, I was distraught and bought a stuffed doggie and he was such a comfort! He hugs real good. Also he talks. Press his paw and he'll tell you what he's dreaming while his paws "run." He says things like "You'll never guess where I buried your slipper."
The stuffed doggie was a comfort while I grieved my dog but then I discovered he's a great comfort for anything. I keep him next to my bed.
10 Jul 2015, 6:58 pm
Very interesting. I keep my Saria plush on my bed so that nothing happens to her. Occasionally, I'll let her sit beside on my desk when I'm not in a good mood or if I'm feeling nervous or anxious. I treat her extremely well and I care for her every day.
About two years later, I managed to go back to the website of which I got Saria from. But I had to act quick since the lady running the website was moving on to another business. I was still going through some hard memories of when I was bullied in high school. But I had money that I made off of a yard sale, and I had enough to buy another 14" plush. This time, she was of another favorite character of mine, Daisy from the Super Mario video game series.
This woman did a superb job on both my Saria plush and my Daisy plush. I love them both very much, and I would protect them both with my life. 
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11 Jul 2015, 2:02 am
I only have two stuffed toys, one is Buster Brown from the old shoe ads, the other is Pinocchio. Sometimes I take them to bed with me, but I prefer hugging a big pillow instead. 
However my favourite comfort objects have always been my pacifiers. Holding one of my toys does not de-stress me nearly as well as chewing on my "binky". As I stated in another thread, it's almost always in my mouth at home so I don't chew up my fingernails to where I end up with band-aids on my fingers (which I will chew up also).
LtlPinkCoupe
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24 Aug 2015, 11:05 pm
Aw, your guys' comfort objects are so sweet!
AuroraBorealisGazer, I love your Lamb Chop puppet - when I was a little kid, I had a stuffed Lamb Chop, plus some rubber figurines of Lamb Chop, Charlie Horse and Hush Puppy as babies. I still have them, too.
This is a photo of my current favorite comfort items - some of them are plush, some of them are stim toys such as Tangle Toys and a chewie pendant:
" alt="Image" class="resize_me" />First, the plushies - there's Dory the dolphin, Oh the Boov from "Home," and an Itty Bitty plush of Sadness from "Inside Out." There are also three Disney Tsum Tsums - Baby Dumbo, Sleepy Dumbo (also simply called "Zizz") and Tiny Sadness. Then, there's Susie, a die cast car, and a Calico Critters cat. The stim toys are a Snake Twist and a chewable cloud pendant from a website called Stimtastic, and two Tangle toys. There's also a pack of gum and a purple scrunchie I wear on my wrist because it's soft and I like the feeling of having it on my wrist.
I recently moved from my dad and stepmom's house to my mom, stepdad and half - sisters' house, and it's actually been a welcome transition for me, since things were (I felt) actually starting to deteriorate at my dad's house. My dad has been dx'd with several physical/cognitive health issues, and my stepmother has tendencies towards emotional volatility that sometimes border on abuse. Both she and my father tend to be kind of ableist even if they don't mean to, but my stepmother actually makes peoples' disabilities all about her, if she's allowed to. I actually feel kind of guilty over having left my father behind with her, because I'm worried that she'll target him now. I was finishing my undergrad degree while living with them this summer, which sent my anxiety and sensory processing issues thru the roof and even negatively impacted my digestive health. I've been living with my other family for a little over a week now, and I'm still getting used to the idea that I'm in a safe space now where my needs matter and I don't have to walk on eggshells to avoid people flying off the handle at me for no reason. I've been so tense for the past week or so that there have been times when I was worried that I would damage objects, other people or myself.
What do the plushies and stim toys in the photo above have to do with all of that? Well, they're all the things I carry around with me in my shoulder bag or pockets in order to feel safe leaving the house or any safe space for any length of time, even if it's with family members, or if we're going to a place I normally like. If anyone who doesn't have any need for comfort items happens to read this, then I want to say to them - don't mock or criticize until you've experienced the kind of anxiety and isolation that necessitates this brand of coping.
Tiny Sadness goes into my pockets most of the time, along with one of the Tangle toys. The Tangle toys have nice textures and help me with dermatillomania/BFRBs. The chewable pendant is just because I like to chew things sometimes, especially when I'm angry (which is often) - I just bite it as hard as I can. Oh actually helps me fall asleep when I have him cuddled up under my chin. Dory is the oldest of all my comfort objects - that is, I've had her the longest. Susie (the car) is one of my favorite Disney characters and I love the flocked texture of toys such as Calico Critters - plus, the CC cat was a gift from a former therapist; so that makes her special to me.
My Mp3 player (not pictured) is also a comfort object...when I walk around with my earbuds in, people get the message that I don't necessarily want to interact, without my having to tell them.
26 Aug 2015, 5:16 pm
AuroraBorealisGazer, I love your Lamb Chop puppet - when I was a little kid, I had a stuffed Lamb Chop, plus some rubber figurines of Lamb Chop, Charlie Horse and Hush Puppy as babies. I still have them, too.
This is a photo of my current favorite comfort items - some of them are plush, some of them are stim toys such as Tangle Toys and a chewie pendant:
" alt="Image" class="resize_me" />First, the plushies - there's Dory the dolphin, Oh the Boov from "Home," and an Itty Bitty plush of Sadness from "Inside Out." There are also three Disney Tsum Tsums - Baby Dumbo, Sleepy Dumbo (also simply called "Zizz") and Tiny Sadness. Then, there's Susie, a die cast car, and a Calico Critters cat. The stim toys are a Snake Twist and a chewable cloud pendant from a website called Stimtastic, and two Tangle toys. There's also a pack of gum and a purple scrunchie I wear on my wrist because it's soft and I like the feeling of having it on my wrist.
I recently moved from my dad and stepmom's house to my mom, stepdad and half - sisters' house, and it's actually been a welcome transition for me, since things were (I felt) actually starting to deteriorate at my dad's house. My dad has been dx'd with several physical/cognitive health issues, and my stepmother has tendencies towards emotional volatility that sometimes border on abuse. Both she and my father tend to be kind of ableist even if they don't mean to, but my stepmother actually makes peoples' disabilities all about her, if she's allowed to. I actually feel kind of guilty over having left my father behind with her, because I'm worried that she'll target him now. I was finishing my undergrad degree while living with them this summer, which sent my anxiety and sensory processing issues thru the roof and even negatively impacted my digestive health. I've been living with my other family for a little over a week now, and I'm still getting used to the idea that I'm in a safe space now where my needs matter and I don't have to walk on eggshells to avoid people flying off the handle at me for no reason. I've been so tense for the past week or so that there have been times when I was worried that I would damage objects, other people or myself.
What do the plushies and stim toys in the photo above have to do with all of that? Well, they're all the things I carry around with me in my shoulder bag or pockets in order to feel safe leaving the house or any safe space for any length of time, even if it's with family members, or if we're going to a place I normally like. If anyone who doesn't have any need for comfort items happens to read this, then I want to say to them - don't mock or criticize until you've experienced the kind of anxiety and isolation that necessitates this brand of coping.
Tiny Sadness goes into my pockets most of the time, along with one of the Tangle toys. The Tangle toys have nice textures and help me with dermatillomania/BFRBs. The chewable pendant is just because I like to chew things sometimes, especially when I'm angry (which is often) - I just bite it as hard as I can. Oh actually helps me fall asleep when I have him cuddled up under my chin. Dory is the oldest of all my comfort objects - that is, I've had her the longest. Susie (the car) is one of my favorite Disney characters and I love the flocked texture of toys such as Calico Critters - plus, the CC cat was a gift from a former therapist; so that makes her special to me.
My Mp3 player (not pictured) is also a comfort object...when I walk around with my earbuds in, people get the message that I don't necessarily want to interact, without my having to tell them.Thanks LtlPinkCoupe =)
I like your Sadness plushy! It's neat that she's small enough to fit in your pocket. I used to bring my stuffed animals with me, until one day when I lost one at the store. But I'll still bring them with me on trips.
LtlPinkCoupe
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Joined: 7 Dec 2011
Age: 32
Gender: Female
Posts: 2,044
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17 Oct 2015, 1:24 pm
AuroraBorealisGazer, I love your Lamb Chop puppet - when I was a little kid, I had a stuffed Lamb Chop, plus some rubber figurines of Lamb Chop, Charlie Horse and Hush Puppy as babies. I still have them, too.
This is a photo of my current favorite comfort items - some of them are plush, some of them are stim toys such as Tangle Toys and a chewie pendant:
" alt="Image" class="resize_me" />First, the plushies - there's Dory the dolphin, Oh the Boov from "Home," and an Itty Bitty plush of Sadness from "Inside Out." There are also three Disney Tsum Tsums - Baby Dumbo, Sleepy Dumbo (also simply called "Zizz") and Tiny Sadness. Then, there's Susie, a die cast car, and a Calico Critters cat. The stim toys are a Snake Twist and a chewable cloud pendant from a website called Stimtastic, and two Tangle toys. There's also a pack of gum and a purple scrunchie I wear on my wrist because it's soft and I like the feeling of having it on my wrist.
I recently moved from my dad and stepmom's house to my mom, stepdad and half - sisters' house, and it's actually been a welcome transition for me, since things were (I felt) actually starting to deteriorate at my dad's house. My dad has been dx'd with several physical/cognitive health issues, and my stepmother has tendencies towards emotional volatility that sometimes border on abuse. Both she and my father tend to be kind of ableist even if they don't mean to, but my stepmother actually makes peoples' disabilities all about her, if she's allowed to. I actually feel kind of guilty over having left my father behind with her, because I'm worried that she'll target him now. I was finishing my undergrad degree while living with them this summer, which sent my anxiety and sensory processing issues thru the roof and even negatively impacted my digestive health. I've been living with my other family for a little over a week now, and I'm still getting used to the idea that I'm in a safe space now where my needs matter and I don't have to walk on eggshells to avoid people flying off the handle at me for no reason. I've been so tense for the past week or so that there have been times when I was worried that I would damage objects, other people or myself.
What do the plushies and stim toys in the photo above have to do with all of that? Well, they're all the things I carry around with me in my shoulder bag or pockets in order to feel safe leaving the house or any safe space for any length of time, even if it's with family members, or if we're going to a place I normally like. If anyone who doesn't have any need for comfort items happens to read this, then I want to say to them - don't mock or criticize until you've experienced the kind of anxiety and isolation that necessitates this brand of coping.
Tiny Sadness goes into my pockets most of the time, along with one of the Tangle toys. The Tangle toys have nice textures and help me with dermatillomania/BFRBs. The chewable pendant is just because I like to chew things sometimes, especially when I'm angry (which is often) - I just bite it as hard as I can. Oh actually helps me fall asleep when I have him cuddled up under my chin. Dory is the oldest of all my comfort objects - that is, I've had her the longest. Susie (the car) is one of my favorite Disney characters and I love the flocked texture of toys such as Calico Critters - plus, the CC cat was a gift from a former therapist; so that makes her special to me.
My Mp3 player (not pictured) is also a comfort object...when I walk around with my earbuds in, people get the message that I don't necessarily want to interact, without my having to tell them.Thanks LtlPinkCoupe =)
I like your Sadness plushy! It's neat that she's small enough to fit in your pocket. I used to bring my stuffed animals with me, until one day when I lost one at the store. But I'll still bring them with me on trips.
Thank you, AuroraBorealisGazer!
Baby Sadness says thank you, too. I like plushies that are small enough to fit in pockets b/c they're easier to carry around and to conceal if you don't want everyone to know you have a plushie with you. Of course, larger plushies are very nice for hugging and cuddling. ...Also, I did a search for Lambchop plushies out of the blue today, and I found a listing for one that's just like yours, but with the tag still attached - I thought you might like to know what it says on the hangtag:
"It's not so easy being a puppet. I've got to depend on your help everyday. You've got to hold me just right, talk to me, tell me stories, handle me with care, and listen very closely to me. Maybe you'd like to tell me about the special things you'd like Santa Claus to bring you, since I am Santa Chop. But remember, the most important thing you can do...is love me."
Isn't that sweet?
23 Oct 2015, 10:58 pm
I have a Tweety stuffie I won from the age guesser at The Calgary Stampede when I was 15. He guessed I was 18. But I left him in my parents motorhome in May and I won't get him back until Easter. 
He's got a really hard stuffed head and I like to rest my chin on him and wrap my arms around him when I sleep. From repeated trips through the washer/dryer, he's mostly blind and his eyelashes are gone. I miss him.
28 Oct 2015, 10:25 am
I have a little green bean-bag dragon that I've had since birth, I don't keep it out anymore, it's in a box in my closet, but it still holds a place in my heart. My comfort objects are usually a gamepad or headphones. My 2 year old cat, who is spoiled beyond belief, has taken the place of stuffed animals, she's cuddlier than any inanimate object, and hangs with me all day while I'm relaxing. 
06 Nov 2015, 5:21 am
Over Halloween weekend I treated myself to a "Batman Buddy" and I've been hugging him every nite in bed since...
However I believe I'm going to have to get the Captain America stuffy also as I think Batman might need a little more macho company than Pinocchio and Buster Brown can offer while I'm out of my room.
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