Are balloons an "upper" or a "downer" for you?

[Common Loon]

Here's another looner curiosity I have.

Whenever I blow up or interact with balloons they have an immediate arousal effect on me. And I mean "arousal" in the psychological and physiological sense, not the sexual sense (unless the circumstances make that appropriate too, of course!). This definition explains what I mean:

Affect arousal is the state of being activated, either physiologically or psychologically, and is one dimension of our affective response to emotional stimuli. Psychological characteristics of arousal include feelings of vigor, energy, and tension. Physiological symptoms of arousal include increased heart rate and blood pressure, among other changes. (Reference)

I also have heard some looners say that balloons can have the opposite effect on them in some situations -- where they might get home from a stressful day and blow a balloon to help them relax and unwind. And that gets me wondering.

Do balloons always increase arousal for you? Or can they decrease it and help you relax as well? They're always an "upper" for me, but can they be a "downer" as well? And how do you think that works?

[Dude1234]

Re: Are balloons an "upper" or a "downer" for you?

I'm kinda both when I see balloons and get them I become amped up and energised/enthusiastic when I'm done with them I am very relaxed but I still feel happy/good a while after.

I think the reason it does this is because all your stresses and other factors go away and then your either relaxed or amped up kinda like when you play your favourite song

[Guest]

Re: Are balloons an "upper" or a "downer" for you?

The majority of the time if the balloons aren't making me aroused in the sexual way they tend to raise my heart beat and I become tense and such. It is completely because my brain has for over 2 decades taught itself that a balloon can pop at any moment from the tiniest thing, and while I am completely aware of that not being the case unless the balloon is severely overinflated it's a thing that is so strongly tied to learned behavior that I can't really unlearn it, hence why if I'm around balloons when I'm not in a playful mood I tend to get very stressed out.

[LoonMaster]

Re: Are balloons an "upper" or a "downer" for you?

I sort of get this. I’ve used balloons to release stress, take out my anger on them to relax. I’ve made balloon tents (small tent full of balloons) and have done nothing else in there but lie there feeling the balloons against me and chill out.

Balloons aren’t always about arousal.

[SusieDK]

Re: Are balloons an "upper" or a "downer" for you?

Hi there,

To me blowing up balloons is definitely an “upper”. However due to this effect it also provides some relaxing effect as it tends to push other matters into the background.

Thank you for reading my posting.

Sincerely
Susie

[JCB]

Re: Are balloons an "upper" or a "downer" for you?

Definitely an upper for me. Blowing them up fills me with happiness, fulfillment & a sense of intimate connection. Having inflated balloons around gives me a sense of calm, relaxation & well being. Speaking personally balloons are good for the soul.

[seattlelurker]

Re: Are balloons an "upper" or a "downer" for you?

I love the way you phrased this question. I think that the really important point is the comparison to "normal life"... Because at first glance I would say that of course balloons are an "upper" since they make me excited, aroused, and (as somebody who loves overinflation/blow to pop of very big balloons) they spur me to physical action...

HOWEVER, I think that comparison to the rest of the day is important, and more defines balloons as a "downer" or a "relaxer" for me. I own/run my own business, and it's quite hectic and stressful sometimes, and I work incredibly long hours; it really occupies my entire focus almost all the time. If I can squeeze in a two or three hour balloon session late at night once a week, I find that it really calms me down. The whole world and all of my stresses about work fall away, and I have a couple of hours of deep relaxation, just focusing on the balloons around me. It really is almost a meditative thing, just locking on the balloon I'm blowing, how big and tight it's getting, bringing it carefully closer and closer to bursting.

I think it also triggers a "control" response for me as well. In a work life where I'm constantly trying to plan ahead and react quickly to unexpected occurrences, I suspect that part of my love of blowing to pop is that it gives me complete control over one simultaneously unpredictable and also very consistent thing. I tend to focus on the same size and brand balloon as well (right now Tuftex 24's), which gives me even more consistency. I can make them as big as I want. I can make them as tight as I want. With many of the same, I can learn just where those balloons reach their limits, and this gives me the opportunity to push that risk very predictably closer and closer to the edge, and then make my own decision about when to push them too far, and blow that balloon to a beautiful explosion exactly when I want. When work and its outside influences seem like I'm just jumping from crisis to crisis, taking some time to calm down, do some deep breathing, and give myself one beautiful balloon after another to take complete control over is very calming.

Whew! Sorry to go on a rant, but thanks for writing a thoughtful question that really let me go on a deeper psychological dive!

[Common Loon]

Re: Are balloons an "upper" or a "downer" for you?

When work and its outside influences seem like I'm just jumping from crisis to crisis, taking some time to calm down, do some deep breathing, and give myself one beautiful balloon after another to take complete control over is very calming.

What a cool response and so full of insights

What you said about "control" connects with me... and thinking about it some more, maybe what we're connecting with is the simplicity of the ritual of blowing up balloons. (And it is a ritual, at least for me.) Unlike the rest of our day which can be really complex and hectic, in that ritual there is just me and the balloon, just puff, puff, and squeak. And it also requires you - whether a little or a lot - to accept the unexpected. Even if you're not doing B2P, you know any given balloon can surprise you. But even that surprise is under your control in a way... you invite it in, anytime you inflate a balloon. And unlike in real life, where unexpected surprises come in all sorts of forms, with balloons there is really only one kind of unexpected surprise possible.

So maybe yeah, in a way it's like our everyday lives have us flying a complicated jumbo jet with dozens of electronic systems and beeps and bells and warnings to attend to... but then all the electronics fail and the lights go off and suddenly it's just us and the airplane, only a stick and a rudder. There is still danger, but there is also focus and purpose. That simplicity can be, as you say, almost meditative. Stick and rudder. Use all your senses to guide you. Feel the airplane. Nothing else is worth your attention.

BRB, gotta go have a meditation session right now

[loonlun]

Re: Are balloons an "upper" or a "downer" for you?

Good question!

I think that they're an upper in the sense that I get super excited when I see them and am interacting with them but then when a session is over I usually am left with a relaxing afterglow.

Others have pointed out the sensation of being in-the-moment while having sessions, and I think that's part of the overall sexual and fetish experience; to be in that special place where the only things that seem to matter or are happening is what's right in front of you and spending time in that space is a reprieve from whatever else might be going on in one's life. It's an intoxicating space to be in.

I have housemates so I have to take my sessions whenever I can fit them in when they're gone, but that complication aside my sessions with balloons feel like they're one of the few parts of my days where I get to be in my own space uninterrupted.

Ideally I'd be having them before bed, in the mornings sometimes, and every so often on a long weekend spent in but again, housemates.

[srob2]

Re: Are balloons an "upper" or a "downer" for you?

Sex, exercise and popping balloons all do the same thing. Your heart rate and blood pressure increase a lot, then you are very relaxed afterwards. So both an upper, then a downer.

[LoudPop]

Re: Are balloons an "upper" or a "downer" for you?

I agree with srob2. Upper; then after a balloon session, I'm very relaxed.

[Asclepio]

Re: Are balloons an "upper" or a "downer" for you?

For me, a balloon can be both.
It can get my pulse racing, make me sweat with excitement as I push it to the limit, cause intense sexual arousal, make me touch my highest point of pleasure, and awaken all my senses.
And at the same time if I already use it, I leave them alive for a few hours-days to admire them, play with them a little and relax watching them simply exist as the perfect objects of beauty that I think they are.

[seattlelurker]

Re: Are balloons an "upper" or a "downer" for you?

...maybe what we're connecting with is the simplicity of the ritual of blowing up balloons. (And it is a ritual, at least for me.) Unlike the rest of our day which can be really complex and hectic, in that ritual there is just me and the balloon, just puff, puff, and squeak. And it also requires you - whether a little or a lot - to accept the unexpected. Even if you're not doing B2P, you know any given balloon can surprise you. But even that surprise is under your control in a way... you invite it in, anytime you inflate a balloon. And unlike in real life, where unexpected surprises come in all sorts of forms, with balloons there is really only one kind of unexpected surprise possible.

That really resonates with me! I completely understand and identify with your description of fetish time as a "ritual". I also cannot believe how perfectly you describe the process of "inviting" an expected surprise, giving myself the feeling that at least in this microcosm of my balloon session, I can hope to understand and control the chaos of life.

I'll freely admit that I didn't expect to find such significant insight in this particular niche of the internet, but that's why we're all here, to discuss our particular quirk and discover more about ourselves. Cheers!

[seattlelurker]

Re: Are balloons an "upper" or a "downer" for you?

Others have pointed out the sensation of being in-the-moment while having sessions, and I think that's part of the overall sexual and fetish experience; to be in that special place where the only things that seem to matter or are happening is what's right in front of you and spending time in that space is a reprieve from whatever else might be going on in one's life. It's an intoxicating space to be in.

Entirely agreed, and kudos for putting it very well. There are reasons that our brain chooses to fixate on a particular object or action, and a psychological "safe space" from the rest of life is an entirely valid reason. I am a welder/fabricator as part of my normal life, and think that I fell in love with it for a similar reason. When your whole world shrinks down to that 3x3 viewing window through your mask and you have to focus on a tiny weld puddle in front of you, you're forced to block out a lot of distractions around you and I certainly find it to be a similarly "intoxicating space to be in".

[Loonburster]

Re: Are balloons an "upper" or a "downer" for you?

Just seeing a Balloon is an Upper for me. Interacting with them, hearing the squeak as I cuddle and distort them is a real arousal. Popping is not necessary though, but the thought that their fate rests with me, is also arousing.